Fitness tracker

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mhooge
mhooge Posts: 42 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm thinking of getting a fitness tracker and I'm not sure which one is better to get. I'm thinking either a Fitbit or a Garmin. For the Fitbit it's either a flex or a charge. Does anyone have one that they'd recommend?

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  • Slainte831
    Slainte831 Posts: 125 Member
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    Hi there!

    I have a Garmin Vivoactive -- which I LOVE. The GPS is accurate for running and cycling, it's a watch-style strap so I don't worry about it coming off, the battery lasts well over a week (around 10-12 days in my experience), I love the customisable data screens in the activity modes, it's water proof so no worries swimming, I love how it integrates with my phone so I get notifications of texts/calls/emails, and I like the look. I got it at Best Buy, but they matched a sale price I found, so it was $200 USD. I did not get the HRM but I can buy one later if I decide it is something I'd use.

    I had 2 Fitbits -- the first was a clip on, which I lost within a month (even though I tried to be very attentive) and the second was the Charge, and one of the buttons fell off (luckily I had the recipe and the store accepted it back as a return). My friend, however, has had a Fitbit Flex for 2+ years and has not had a bit of trouble with it, so I think I was just unlucky with mine. She loves hers.

    My Vivoactive is white, which I think is pretty :). If it gets horribly dingy, I can buy a new strap (and they come in different colours).

    I have found it very motivating.
  • maayan98
    maayan98 Posts: 15 Member
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    I have the garmin vivofit 2 and very happy. Strap is comfortable and secure, battery lasts a year and it's waterproof which is a great plus if you swim or just don't want to have to take it off to shower. I bought the bundle with heart rate monitor that I use only when I'm at gym which, for me is most important for calorie count.
    Plus I got different colors straps to match my clothes. So now it really stays on for a year in a row. No excuses to take it off. If I had the budget, I would get the vivo smart which takes it up a notch with a few more fun gimmicks.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    @Annemartin831 @maayan98 have either of you taken your garmin trackers swimming? When I was reading about them I had thought it read "water resistant for running in the rain - not suitable for swimming". Does it track swimming as well, or no?
  • besee_2000
    besee_2000 Posts: 365 Member
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    I have a FitBit Flex. I find its pretty accurate for most things. However, I gain steps when I scratch my dog on occasion. I had to replace it because it couldn't hold a charge for longer than a day within the year. Customer service was fantastic though and they shipped me a new one stat. It now lasts 5-7 days without battery warnings. The band itself tends to rip easily for me. The knock-off bands last better and pretty cheap for different styles on Amazon.

    My next goal is to upgrade to a heart rate monitor one and debating the Apple Watch but the battery is terrible right now I can't justify it.
  • MirandaD0313
    MirandaD0313 Posts: 20 Member
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    I have a fitbit surge! I started with the flex and love how light it is! I recommend fitbits but I have seen 50/50 between fitbit and garmin
  • AllisonCaswell2003
    AllisonCaswell2003 Posts: 1 Member
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    I had a Fitbit Flex and loved it. Unfortunately, I forgot to take it off and fried it in our swimming pool. I upgraded to the Fitbit Charge HR and I love it so far. I like being able to see the digital display of my stats where I couldn't do that on my Flex. It definitely helps keep me motivated.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 612 Member
    edited July 2015
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    What are you planning on tracking with it? , workouts, daily activity?
  • MarciBkonTrk
    MarciBkonTrk Posts: 310 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Flex and I love it. Of course mine was free so that added to its charm. My health insurance offered a free Fitbit if you filled out a personal health questionnaire and created a healthy lifestyle plan. My Flex syncs with the insurance health check in on WebMD. Then periodically if you set and achieve certain goals you are rewarded with Visa gift cards. So far this year I've won a $75.00 card and a $50.00 card and I'm about to achieve my next goal which will give me another $75.00 card.
  • Slainte831
    Slainte831 Posts: 125 Member
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    kae612 wrote: »
    @Annemartin831 @maayan98 have either of you taken your garmin trackers swimming? When I was reading about them I had thought it read "water resistant for running in the rain - not suitable for swimming". Does it track swimming as well, or no?

    The Vivoactive is water proof to 50 meters. So yes, I'd feel very comfortable taking it swimming. Just need to find a pool ;)

    The fact that I didn't have to worry about it while doing dishes, showering, getting caught in the rain, etc is one of the reasons I chose it.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    What are you planning on tracking with it? , workouts, daily activity?

    ^^^ this. Unless @mhooge tells us what sort of activities / fitness routines she wants to "track" and for what purpose (comparison and improvement, calories, social, all of the above) how can a recommendation be given?

  • lyssajade07
    lyssajade07 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi there! I have the Garmin Vivofit and I absolutely love it! I watch Biggest Loser and had first heard about it there. I purchased mine in November and it really hasn't left my wrist much since. I think I've taken it off for about 5 different occasions, otherwise it's on me at all times. I love that it's water-proof and doesn't need to be charged. I also love fact that the red reminder band goes across the screen when I've been inactive. It's a great motivator. :)
  • RacquetChick
    RacquetChick Posts: 164 Member
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    I have the Garmin Forerunner 225 HR. It's like a combination of the Vivofit and the Forerunner. It tracks steps and calories, but you can also turn it on to take your HR and use the GPS. It has worked great so far :)
  • Slainte831
    Slainte831 Posts: 125 Member
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    I just did a little test to confirm the accuracy of my Vivoactive. I checked my tracker, walked 100 steps, and checked again -- it was spot on. I did this several times and at most it was 2-3 steps off. I happened to be wearing a backpack, so I then tried the same thing except I held onto the shoulder strap of the pack so my wrist/arm wasn't moving -- and the Vivoactive still counted accurately. I'm impressed!
  • AMaverickRenegade
    AMaverickRenegade Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm another one that loves the Garmin Vivofit 2. I like that it has a display screen, doesn't need to be charged, and seems to be pretty accurate when I count out my steps. I have worn it swimming without issue. It has really pushed me to be more active.
  • mhooge
    mhooge Posts: 42 Member
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    Thanks for the imput. I'm wanting to track my steps and walking/jogging. My friends have one that also keeps track of their sleep. They both have the Fitbit charge.
  • mhooge
    mhooge Posts: 42 Member
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    mwyvr wrote: »
    ScubaSteve1962 wrote: »
    What are you planning on tracking with it? , workouts, daily activity?

    ^^^ this. Unless @mhooge tells us what sort of activities / fitness routines she wants to "track" and for what purpose (comparison and improvement, calories, social, all of the above) how can a recommendation be given?

    Sorry I didn't mention that first.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 612 Member
    edited July 2015
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    If it's just steps you want to track any fitbit would probably be fine, if you want to track your heart rate while jogging the ones with chest straps would be a better choice imo. A Polar or Garmin would be a great choice. I don't know about Garmin, but polar has several activity monitors with chest straps, they start at $125.99 to 300, depending on what you want it to do. They are the loop, A300, M400, and V800, they all are waterproof, and the A300 tracks your heart rate while swimming, the M400 has GPS and sports profiles, and V800 has all 3 features. There's also the option of just getting the H7 sensor to track your heart rate with an app on your phone, and using your smart phone for your steps
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    mhooge wrote: »
    I'm wanting to track my steps and walking/jogging. My friends have one that also keeps track of their sleep. They both have the Fitbit charge.

    Fitbit makes a whole range of activity trackers, and which you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference. For example, I would never get a Charge because it's only US$20 less than the Charge HR, with no heart rate monitor and a clasp rather than a secure buckle. YMMV.

    They all calculate your TDEE and sync with MFP. And if you get a Fitbit you can do challenges with your friends. They're great motivation—and fun.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • dinsfamily
    dinsfamily Posts: 84 Member
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    I had the Fitbit Flex last year and liked a lot about it, but hated the charging. It would last for about 5 days and my chargers kept failing (the company sent me 2 replacements) after about a month. It was frustrating since I really like the data it provided me. After the last charger stopped working, I decided to stop wearing it.

    This last month, I decided that I would really like another tracker and went with the Garmin Vivofit 2. LOVE IT. It gives me all the data that I liked about the Flex, works better with my Garmin running watch since they both use Garmin Connect, is waterproof, has a display, and the battery last for a WHOLE YEAR! Very happy with my choice.

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