Opinions Fitness Tracker Bands

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blthulhu
blthulhu Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm looking to get myself and my OH a fitness tracker band each, and I wondered if anyone had any advice? I struggle with chronic pain so the majority of my cardio is currently coming from swimming and so one that I could use while swimming would be preferable.

I've read many, many reviews but honestly I've just gotten a little lost. I guess my main questions are:
  • Are they worth getting?
  • Do you have one?
  • Do you like it?
  • Have you tried more than one? any thoughts on which were better?
  • Is there anything special I should be looking for when I go to acquire one?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Replies

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I used a BodyMedia armband (they used them on the Biggest Loser) for a couple years and credit the data with holding me accountable with the blend of my calorie intake (it syncs with MFP) and my activity level and total calorie burn.

    It died and I did some research and bought a Garmin Vivoative watch. BodyMedia has been bought by Jawbone. They have some good products. Technology has changed and it was time for an upgrade. At a glance I can see steps, steps in comparison tot he daily goal I've set, calories burned that day and time on my watch face. It has apps (I can get my notifications on it like texts and phone call notifications) and has widgets for tracking different exercises. It has a corresponding HRM as well which I want for training. It nudges me if I've been idle for 45 minutes and not my whole staff gets up and walks around the table during meetings when The Watch says it's time to move. It also give me a fireworks display when I hit my daily step goal.

    On the website I can see sleep and milestones as well as my activity level history. It syncs with MFP. So my calories in is taken into account and my exercise shows up here. There's a smart phone app to sync with as well to see all the data on the go.

    I'm really happy with it. It suits me! I care about HR during training and not on a minute-to-minute basis. And I don't like wearing things tight around my wrist, which is needed for the optical wrist HRM like the Fitbit Surge and the Apple Watch.

    I know many people with fitbits love theirs.
  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
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    I have a Fitbit flex- I like it. I walk a lot so very useful to me. I find it tracks my data well. Water resistant so you can wear in shower or while swimming, but won't track your swimming. I know they have HRM fitbits now, but I haven't heard how well the work yet for non-walking exercise.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I use the Jawbone UP24, love it. Very worth having one.
  • Cathiesunday
    Cathiesunday Posts: 19 Member
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    I started with a Fitbit One which I clipped onto my bra or pants pocket and loved it. It died after I forgot to remove it from my clothes and washed it for the THIRD time. So, although I don't think it's meant to be worn while swimming, it probably would be fine. (I think mine got knocked around too much during the last washing-it was in a small load and I heard something clunking around but thought it was the snap on my jeans. Duh. So, I switched to the Fitbit Flex and wear it on my wrist. NO chance of washing it now. I also went online and ordered a bunch of wristbands, in all colors and cute patterns. (They're really cheap on Amazon.) So far, I love it. Unfortunately, when bicycling, it gets jarred repeatedly on rough roads and switches itself to sleep monitoring. I feel the vibration when it changes and just tap it back to normal, but on today's long ride (47.5 miles) it was annoying. I love that it syncs with MFP.
  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    I have the Garmin Viviosmart and love it.

    I have very very small wrists and the hard rectangular shape of the fitbit dug into my wrist.
    The vivosmart is worn on the wrist but molded to a curve and fits beautifully.

    If you know anyone who has a fitness tracker, ask them to try theirs on and see how it feels on. I had my heart set on the fitbit until I felt how it was to wear. PLUS it syncs to my phone and displays messages, notifications, incoming calls!
  • blthulhu
    blthulhu Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you all so much for your feedback. I kind of like the idea of one that comes with a HRM but I'll have a look at a few later on. :)
  • dinsfamily
    dinsfamily Posts: 84 Member
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    Do you want to track your swimming? Most activity trackers don't. My Vivofit 2 is waterproof (unlike most of the Fitbits), but it still won't track your swimming. I think the Vivoactive does. When we put our pool in (someday, LOL) and I start swimming more for fitness, I'll probably just invest in a Garmin swim watch just because I already have and love my Vivofit and have a dedicated running watch too. Buying a Garmin Swim will be cheaper than upgrading to the Vivoactive or a Fenix for me.
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
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    I started with a Fitbit Flex and now have the Fitbit Charge HR. My husband started with the Jawbone UP and moved to a Fitbit Surge. We both upgraded because we wanted more features (not because our older units were no longer functional...we like new toys).

    I love having a step tracker (and the Charge does heartrate, sleep monitoring, etc.) that links to MFP. I don't kid myself though, the models I've been buying are essentially slightly-useful toys. Fitbits aren't waterproof and should not be worn while swimming. There are specialty trackers you can buy that specialize in swimming (or biking, or whatever). I have a Garmin watch I use for serious tracking of my running (since I can enter specific workouts into the watch). DC Rainmaker has GREAT reviews of all sorts of fitness-related tech (watches, heartrate monitors, wristbands, chest straps, clip-ons, etc. etc.). I heartily recommend looking him up online, you can get comparisons for the units you are considering, including water-resistance, accuracy, what sport(s) they are designed for, etc. etc. Fun reading too!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    I use an UP24 and an UP2.

    They've been worth every penny, imo.

    They mostly all do the same things, it's just a question of which one you like or if you want something particular like HRM or something.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
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    monkeypet wrote: »
    I'm looking to get myself and my OH a fitness tracker band each, and I wondered if anyone had any advice? I struggle with chronic pain so the majority of my cardio is currently coming from swimming and so one that I could use while swimming would be preferable.

    I've read many, many reviews but honestly I've just gotten a little lost. I guess my main questions are:
    • Are they worth getting?
    • Do you have one?
    • Do you like it?
    • Have you tried more than one? any thoughts on which were better?
    • Is there anything special I should be looking for when I go to acquire one?

    Thanks in advance for any feedback.

    Same! I have a knee injury, so swimming and short walks are my only cardio. The activity tracker I have is a Misfit Flash. They can go for ~$50 but I got mine on sale from Best Buy online for $30 and free shipping. I got it because it IS waterproof, AND tracks swimming. It automatically tracks everything as "walking" - but you open the Misfit app & change the activity to "swimming" & it updates the calorie count for the proper activity.

    For what it is, I think it's worth it. I like it, it's lightweight, a nice colour for me (I got pink but they have other colours), and being a watch I can time myself in the pool. A lot of the reviews say it pops out of the band, and you do need to be careful, but I've never dropped it and it's never come out while I'm wearing it. I tighten the band a bit while swimming just to be safe, but I haven't had any troubles.

    If you want it for swimming like me, then look up whether something is "waterproof" or "water resistant" - something that is "water resistant" should NOT be worn swimming. Unfortunately, none of the Fitbits seem to be waterproof.

    If I wanted to upgrade, I'd definitely get something like the Polar or Garmin ones that are waterproof and that I could sync with a heart rate monitor chest strap for more accuracy. But they are too expensive for me at the moment.

    Best of luck!
  • petitehealth
    petitehealth Posts: 148 Member
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    I have used a fitbit, nike flex, and I prefer the Polar H7 that I am using now. I find that it is more accurate.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I have the fitbit charge, I like being able to know how many steps or miles I have traveled in a day. It helps keep me accountable to myself for my activity level. It is really acurate as far as distance traveled, but thats about all I find it useful for. Personally I'd recommend sticking to your caloric plan, and just use a fitbit type of device to help you stay active, I don't think any of them are all that reliable for predicting your burn...
  • blthulhu
    blthulhu Posts: 18 Member
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    Thank you all very much. I ordered a Vivofit for my OH & a Polar for myself H7

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