Fitness Tracker/watch

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MsMaeFlowers
MsMaeFlowers Posts: 261 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys

I want to buy myself a fitness tracker with a built in heart rate monitor, but I need it to double as a watch with a second hand/timer as well. I need to be able to see seconds on it for my volunteer job, and I would rather have 1 piece that does everything, instead of having to switch wearables constantly. The only one I can find so far that does seconds, and isn't an arm and a leg, is the fitbit surge. It's horribly ugly though, so I was hoping someone might know of other options that look a little nicer for wearing everywhere.

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  • joewiz
    joewiz Posts: 1 Member
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    Check out Garmin Vivosmart i just got it and it's working fine

  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
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    I LOVE my Fitbit Charge HR.
  • MsMaeFlowers
    MsMaeFlowers Posts: 261 Member
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    I know the Fitbit Charge doesn't show time, so it won't work for me. Does the Vivosmart show seconds on the clock? I can't find anything on it.
  • Keapix
    Keapix Posts: 92 Member
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    Just checked, my Vivofit 2 doesn't show seconds.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    no the vivosmart does not show seconds.
    a runners watch might have it. garmin has a few different option. vivoactive, fenix sapphire has a real watch face, regular fenix, or forerunners.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    VivoActive or Forerunner 225 might be the best bet.

    What's the need for HR tracking as that significantly restricts your choice.
  • MsMaeFlowers
    MsMaeFlowers Posts: 261 Member
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    I would like to be able to track my heart rate so I can adjust my workouts to make the most out of them. I know I can buy a cheap HR monitor that doesn't do anything else, it would just be way more convenient to find something that does everything I need in one.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    LittleMissMae wrote: »
    I would like to be able to track my heart rate so I can adjust my workouts to make the most out of them. I know I can buy a cheap HR monitor that doesn't do anything else, it would just be way more convenient to find something that does everything I need in one.

    OK, so the most appropriate tool really depends on what type of training you do, but if you're heart rate training then that means you need to be able to see the display, or it needs to have alarms that let you know when you're going below, or above, your target HR range.

    That probably starts to mean that you need a separate HR strap and head end, so that you're not stuck having to look at your wrist all the time to determine whether you're working in range or not. Opticals tend to tie you down as you need to wear them properly to be useful.

    I'd concur that the Vivoactive is a pretty low cost device that's aesthetically a bit more wearable than most. If you don't mind the look then Polar make a couple of devices that embed both activity trackers and HR monitors, although they're a bit more expensive than the Garmin. Personally I haven't seen any credible reviews that rate the Fitbit range all that well for proper exercise, although their step counting functionality is pretty solid and their community element gets rave reviews, if that's your thing.

    Optical HR is improving significantly, but the fact that you have to wear the head end against your skin means there are a lot of compromises that you end up making. They're useless on a bike or rowing machine, and of limited value if you're running year round.
  • MsMaeFlowers
    MsMaeFlowers Posts: 261 Member
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    Unfortunately the Vivoactive doesn't have a HR monitor in it, so I might as well buy a watch that I like the look of, since the vivoactive is pretty darn ugly. It's also even pricier than the Fitbit surge, and does less for me. I think it's looking like I will need 2 different pieces. I was just hoping someone had something that fit everything I wanted all in one.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Sorry, I hadn't inferred from your original post that you were after an optical HRM.

    Forerunner 225 is probably your option then, but like I say you have lots of compromises with them.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    I bought my vivosmart with a HRM strap. many garmin products have this option. you might think it would be weird but it's not.
    the new vivosmart will have a built in hrm

  • HowlinAl
    HowlinAl Posts: 277 Member
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    Watch
  • NerdGenius
    NerdGenius Posts: 10 Member
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    Charge Hr does have a watch and stopwatch.

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