Exersize tracking technology to motovate me - recommendations?

eric2light
eric2light Posts: 113 Member
edited November 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I have run a few marathons a few years back, something I would like to get back to but not on my near-term agenda. Then I used to use heart-rate monitors running from Polar and the like.

Right now I want something that motivates me to get out of the house and get and keep myself running several times per week.

I have an Android phone. Perhaps that is enough? It has a GPS in it, right?

What do you folks use to track running? Other aerobic exercises? Other exercises outside the gym? In the gym?

Thanks!

Replies

  • XavierNusum
    XavierNusum Posts: 720 Member
    Polar M400 all the way. On board GPS for running and cycling plus daily activity tracker with movement reminder. Been sitting for an hour, the m400 lets you know. Plus you can pair it with a Polar H7 HRM for more accurate calorie burn estimations. Only drawback is the Polar flow app is a bit buggy for android, usable, but buggy and doesn't have the same features as the iOS version.
  • socalgardengal
    socalgardengal Posts: 116 Member
    I use mapmyfitness. Free app and syncs with MFP.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    edited July 2015
    For distance and pace tracking, I went from my phone (Digifit, MapMyRun, Runkeeper) with its inherent GPS weaknesses to a TomTom Multisport to a Garmin with GPS and GLONASS. All provided the capability to incorporate HR data for tracking cardiac response over time.

    Right now I use a Garmin Edge 510 as my cycling computer; Vivoactive as my run, golf, and swim tracker ... some cycling tracking when traveling as well; the TomTom sits in a drawer but remains charged and kept up to date from a software perspective ... just in case. My primary HR strap is a 4iiii Viiiiva which works with bluetooth and ANT+ devices. Somewhere around here, I have a Fitbit flex that got kicked to the curb ... step counts don't mean much to me.

    If you're just getting back into things ... a phone with a free app is a good start point. The GPS fixes in them usually isn't as frequent or accurate as that from a dedicated device but they are close enough for a general idea. If you want better pace information, a dedicated device makes sense. Which one really depends on what you do besides run and what data points you want to track. A simple GPS only device is under $100 now. One that can connect to a HR strap puts you in the $100-150 range depending if you want the latest version or are willing to go with an older model. If you want GPS, HR, and all day step counting ... you're looking at the $150 and up range.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I have a garmin FR 225, love it!
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I have a garmin FR 225, love it!

    How do you plan on using it when it gets cold? Under your sleeve where it is difficult to read or on top where it loses HR functionality?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I have a garmin FR 225, love it!

    How do you plan on using it when it gets cold? Under your sleeve where it is difficult to read or on top where it loses HR functionality?

    Well luckily I'm in the UK so it doesn't often get so cold that I couldn't just push my sleeve up past it. My hands are the first to warm up once I get going!
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
    Fitbit Surge for me... Was using my 'droid phone prior to that, but the HR and the fact that the watch is always on me make it that much better than the phone...
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    eric2light wrote: »
    I have an Android phone. Perhaps that is enough? It has a GPS in it, right?

    What do you folks use to track running? Other aerobic exercises?

    Endomondo, Strava, Runkeeper are all good apps. Some people like MapMyFitness and Runtastic though personally I didn't rate either of those.

    I use a Garmin Forerunner 310XT for running and cycling now.

  • eric2light
    eric2light Posts: 113 Member
    What capabilities do I get from apps vs what do I get from special purpose stuff? What do you folks like about the solutions you like?
  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
    XavierNusum wrote: »
    Polar M400 all the way. On board GPS for running and cycling plus daily activity tracker with movement reminder. Been sitting for an hour, the m400 lets you know. Plus you can pair it with a Polar H7 HRM for more accurate calorie burn estimations. Only drawback is the Polar flow app is a bit buggy for android, usable, but buggy and doesn't have the same features as the iOS version.

    Polar M400 with the H7 strap is a great combo. It has a lot of useful bells and whistles for a lot less than a comparable Garmin. So glad I got the Polar combo. :smile:
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    BasicGreatGuy wrote: »
    Polar M400 with the H7 strap is a great combo. It has a lot of useful bells and whistles for a lot less than a comparable Garmin.

    Pity about the GPS accuracy...
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    eric2light wrote: »
    What capabilities do I get from apps vs what do I get from special purpose stuff?

    Apps are significantly cheaper than a dedicated device, and when you move on to a dedicated device you can continue to use that platform if you want. They are subject to the quality of GPS in the phone but for most training that's adequate.

    Strave has good analytics and competition, Endomondo also has good analytics and I use it for my training plans.

    Dedicated devices are more expensive and you end up committing to a system, so it's worth taking your time over that. Mine is a multisport device, so if I'd gone running only then I would have lost a lot of opportunity.



  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    BasicGreatGuy wrote: »
    Polar M400 with the H7 strap is a great combo. It has a lot of useful bells and whistles for a lot less than a comparable Garmin.

    Pity about the GPS accuracy...

    The GPS accuracy hasn't been perfect. For me, it has been so close I can see the difference in a matter of yards. As with all watches of this type, each person is going to have a slightly different experience.

    For the price point, I think the Polar M400 is a very good buy. I couldn't see spending $250+ for a Garmin or some other pricer brand. I have nothing against Garmin mind you.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    It's more expensive than my FR310 cost me ;)
  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
    edited July 2015
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    It's more expensive than my FR310 cost me ;)

    It is $139.00 or so on Amazon. I got mine for $110.00 on Amazon 2 weeks ago.

    http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Sports-Watch-without-Monitor/dp/B00NPZ7WUI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1437859941&sr=8-3&keywords=Polar+M400

    I did a trade-in with Amazon (with an item I didn't buy), which got me the watch for $0.00 out of pocket. Can't beat that deal.

    For those on a budget or don't want to spend $200.00 + on a fitness watch, the Polar M400 is a good deal, in my opinion.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    And the cost of the HRM?

    Anyway...

    Garmin make better GPS, Polar make better HRMs. The former is more important to me.
  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    And the cost of the HRM?

    Anyway...

    Garmin make better GPS, Polar make better HRMs. The former is more important to me.

    The Polar H7 I did have out of pocket with. It was $53.85. At the moment, Amazon has it for $50.00 even.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    So where I was going with that is that Garmin isn't significantly more expensive, though in this case it's cheaper.

    They each have strengths and weaknesses, I used to use Polar but far prefer Garmin nowadays.
  • BasicGreatGuy
    BasicGreatGuy Posts: 857 Member
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    So where I was going with that is that Garmin isn't significantly more expensive, though in this case it's cheaper.

    They each have strengths and weaknesses, I used to use Polar but far prefer Garmin nowadays.

    You are right. Both have strengths and weakness.

    Who knows, Garmin might be the watch I get next time.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    I have a Garmin VivoActive watch/HRM. The watch has multiple apps for tracking exercise. And it can receive notifications, which I love. Much more subtle to look at my wrist when I get a text than to grab my phone when I'm in a meeting at work.

    The face has calories burned, steps, etc. It gives me a fire works display when I hot my steps goal for the day. And it nudges me every 45 minutes if I haven't moved. My whole staff thinks it's funny when I announce during meetings that "The watch says it's time to move!" Then we keep talking and walk around the table until The Watch says we've moved enough. :smiley:

    When I was comparing devices to upgrade, I used this article as a starting point. It was really helpful!
    http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404445,00.asp
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