Fitness Trackers?

m_keezy35
m_keezy35 Posts: 19 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What's your take on these? I'm kind of interested in buying one but there are too many out there, what do you guys recommend? Looking for one with a heart rate monitor too

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I like it very much.
  • ka7bzg
    ka7bzg Posts: 2 Member
    I bought the FitBit Charge HR a few weeks ago and I love it. I wear it all the time. It also is compatible with MyFitnessPal. It is great during workouts and shows your heart rate and how much time you are at the Cardio and Fat Burn levels. Very easy to use and set up. Good luck!
  • mespreeman
    mespreeman Posts: 70 Member
    I've been considering a Fitbit Blaze. Been doing some diligence and am not sure, but it seems fairly solid.
  • MultipleHigh5s
    MultipleHigh5s Posts: 49 Member
    I researched obsessively for weeks until I decided that none of the fitness trackers are worth it. At least for me at the moment. Some people really find them motivating, but I think they are generally inaccurate. For example Unless you have a chest strap the heart rate monitor won't be accurate.
  • itsmemaringle
    itsmemaringle Posts: 69 Member
    Free app- mapmywalk (you can select other activities too eg bike ride , run etc) it gps tracks where you go , how long your work out is for etc and syncs to mfp. I use it it's great
  • KB2Fitness
    KB2Fitness Posts: 7 Member
    I researched all of the FitBits, and eventually just decided to get an Apple watch. With the huge price reduction it makes it almost equal in price to the Fitbit blaze, and it does so much more for you outside of fitness as well. It tracks steps and heart rate pretty accurately especially when its in the workout mode.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    I know everyone is on the Fitbit craze but I have a Polar FT7 HRM. It comes with a watch and a chest strap so I get pretty accurate readings. Works great for me. Doesn't do fancy things like track my sleep but I use it to gage my workouts and make sure I'm working hard enough
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    KB2Fitness wrote: »
    I researched all of the FitBits, and eventually just decided to get an Apple watch. With the huge price reduction it makes it almost equal in price to the Fitbit blaze, and it does so much more for you outside of fitness as well. It tracks steps and heart rate pretty accurately especially when its in the workout mode.

    Agreed. I actually read an article where multiple 3rd party companies tested the heart rate part of the Apple Watch with a chest strap heart rate monitor and the Apple Watch was apparently within a 5 beat range from the heart rate strap monitor. Pretty accurate!
  • stellabest99
    stellabest99 Posts: 44 Member
    I have an UP3 that I love... my main issue with it is that it doesn't have a screen so if I want to see where I am up to I have to grab my phone and check the app. Wish I had gotten the Fitbit Charge instead. Now I'm just saving up for the Gear 2 watch to go with my Samsung... it seems to do everything I want but I will keep researching up til the hour before I buy it as these things keep changing as the industry steps up to meet demand.
  • Camish911
    Camish911 Posts: 150 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge that I use to track steps and stairs. I find it really motivating to get myself moving, plus with a Fitbit you can challenge other Fitbit users to get the high step count. I didn't get the Charge HR, because I have a separate Polar FT4 watch with a chest strap that I use to accurately track calories when I'm working out. I take my Fitbit off while working out so that I don't double count my steps.
  • neldabg
    neldabg Posts: 1,452 Member
    edited April 2016
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I like it very much.
    ka7bzg wrote: »
    I bought the FitBit Charge HR a few weeks ago and I love it. I wear it all the time. It also is compatible with MyFitnessPal. It is great during workouts and shows your heart rate and how much time you are at the Cardio and Fat Burn levels. Very easy to use and set up. Good luck!

    I also recommend the Charge HR. The weekly progress reports are awesome, although I'm pretty sure weekly progress reports come with any Fitbit tracker. The challenges are indeed fun, but I motivated, and still motivate, my own self to hit my weekly 70k step goal. You'll hear a wide range of reviews from people, but personally, I find that my Charge HR gives accurate estimated calorie burns and heart rate readings.
  • andy_dang
    andy_dang Posts: 3 Member
    MultipleHigh5s wrote: »
    I researched obsessively for weeks until I decided that none of the fitness trackers are worth it. At least for me at the moment. Some people really find them motivating, but I think they are generally inaccurate. For example Unless you have a chest strap the heart rate monitor won't be accurate.

    I have the Charge and although it is nice to have in your wrist, you might be interested in one of the ones that don't strap onto your wrist. The fitbit zip is $50 and seems like a good deal. It preforms basically everything a normal fitbit does minus sleep tracking. However the batter is not rechargeable and you have to replace it every few months.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I had 3 Fitbit Ones, 2 were warranty replacements. I'm using a Garmin Fenix 3 now and love it. My girlfriend had a Fitbit Charge HR but replaced it with an Android Wear watch. Both of us are much happier now.

    Fitbits work fine if walking is your main form of exercise, and they have a pretty extensive social network.
  • maidengirl_
    maidengirl_ Posts: 283 Member
    I'm probably one of few people who dislike Fitbit products. I find them to be OK for someone just starting out and looking for a device that's motivates them to get up and move. However, as a serious fitness aid with heart rate monitoring capabilities, it's lacking in that department. I would consider a Garmin or Polar device with a chest strap monitor if you don't mind wearing a chest strap during your workout. I personally own a Polar device and like it a lot better. I have owned two FitBit devices, both a Flex and a Charge. Didn't like them all that much.
  • m_keezy35
    m_keezy35 Posts: 19 Member
    Thanks for all the replies ! Still a little iffy on which one i will choose. But it seems good to have one for more motivation (much needed lol)
  • Owlfan88
    Owlfan88 Posts: 187 Member
    I got a Fitbit charge HR for Christmas and I'm really enjoying it. I used to think they weren't worth the money, but then decided I really wanted some better handle on how much energy I was expending a day. Plus there wasn't much else I wanted for Christmas and the deals were great for Black Friday. I really wanted a wrist based monitor (I can't count how much traditional pedometers I've dropped and they were very inaccurate) and I wanted one with a display so that I didn't also need a watch.
  • quiltlady77
    quiltlady77 Posts: 93 Member
    I have a Garmin Vivofit2 and I'm not crazy about it. I got it because it was water proof and I'm in the water quite a bit. But it tends to count all your arm movements, not just the steps so I don't think it is accurate if you are interested in how many steps you've done for the day. . I do not have the heart rate monitor with it. I do like the fact it is water proof and not just water resistant.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    I have a vivofit 2. I'm not too crazy about it but, it does help me to move a little extra. Like I was on a walk the other day and instead of just sitting and watching the sunset i walked across te street. Of course part of the motivation for that was the best brewery n the state is acrosse street. If anything it's a watch that does a little extra. I hope the person above me is wrong about the arm movements though. Part of the reason I bought it was because I take alot of steps at work but,I also lift stuff alot so hopefully it's not overestimationg
  • BeYouTiful94
    BeYouTiful94 Posts: 289 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR. I really like it. Tracks my steps accurately enough, HR is accurate enough for me (it's typically 0-5 beats from the gym machine reading, which also may or may not be accurate, but it's just fine for my purposes since I refuse to be bothered with chest straps and the works), and I like that it tracks resting HR, sleep, calories burned, etc. It's not too big and bulky, motivates me to take the stairs just so I can reach the 10 flights a day, and motivates me to get up and get those last 100 steps.

    If you are a hardcore fitness person, Fitbit may not be for you, especially with its drawbacks ... The specific technology that Fitbit uses for HRM makes any non-steady state exercise HR readings very sketch. I find that when I do some type of HIIT, when I'm doing low intensity, my HR will reflect some high reading and when I go back to high intensity, my HR will reflect some low number. Things like that. Also, any wrist-based Fitbit is tragic for grocery shopping. The steps go based on stride, and pushing a buggy really messes with that. Some put it in their pocket or whatever.
  • adjones_21
    adjones_21 Posts: 234 Member
    I recently got a Fitbit Charge HR. ❤️❤️❤️❤️LOVE IT❤️❤️❤️❤️
  • sakuya3834
    sakuya3834 Posts: 116 Member
    I had the Charge HR, Blaze, and Garmin Vivosmart HR. I really hated the Garmin. It was inaccurate for me when I did the usual HR comparison tests to chest strap/machine reading. The Garmin would also never count my steps if I was holding my purse or a drink so it was really not great. But I have no complaints about the Fitbits.
  • MultipleHigh5s
    MultipleHigh5s Posts: 49 Member
    andy_dang wrote: »
    MultipleHigh5s wrote: »
    I researched obsessively for weeks until I decided that none of the fitness trackers are worth it. At least for me at the moment. Some people really find them motivating, but I think they are generally inaccurate. For example Unless you have a chest strap the heart rate monitor won't be accurate.

    I have the Charge and although it is nice to have in your wrist, you might be interested in one of the ones that don't strap onto your wrist. The fitbit zip is $50 and seems like a good deal. It preforms basically everything a normal fitbit does minus sleep tracking. However the batter is not rechargeable and you have to replace it every few months.


    Or ... I could spend 10-15 $ on a pedometer watch and replace the batteries once a year. Much less expensive! :)
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    I have a Jawbone Up3. For me I love it! It doesn't have a display but, you can set alerts that will make it vibrate when you hit certain amount of steps or there is the inactivity alert you can set to go off and it will go off if you don't move for a specific amount of time. I have found it helps me stay motivated to move and eat better because of the food Grade.
  • Selphie8
    Selphie8 Posts: 10 Member
    I have a garmin vivofit, and it really has increased my activity over the past three months. I didn't want to spend too much, which meant heart rate monitors were not an option for me. I chose the vivofit because it tracks sleep data and it has an inactivity bar; it glows red if I don't move for an hour, which helps me to exercise throughout the day. Without that reminder I worry that I'd leave it all until the end of the day and then despair at the idea of getting 10,000+ steps in before bed.

    The vivofit also has the option of a self-adjusting goal; you hit your goal one day and it adds a few steps on the next day.

    I've also found the iPhone app The Walk quite helpful in being more active. It's a 51 episode story in which you walk and unlock further clips which tell you a bit more. Each episode is between 60 mins to 90 mins; you gain achievements for completing them within 24 hours and without taking more than a 3 hour break without walking, but you can take as long as you need to. I've found 90 minutes is about 10,000 steps so it works out nicely!
  • lizwooshy
    lizwooshy Posts: 110 Member
    MultipleHigh5s wrote: »
    I researched obsessively for weeks until I decided that none of the fitness trackers are worth it. At least for me at the moment. Some people really find them motivating, but I think they are generally inaccurate. For example Unless you have a chest strap the heart rate monitor won't be accurate.

    Same here. I weight lift as my main form of exercise, and through my research haven't came across a tracker that is useful for that. Ones that have wrist heart rate monitors are really only ideal for steady state cardio. I use a cheap waist pedometer in conjuction with a free phone app to track my steps.

Categories