Fitness Trackers Worth It?

kcwyo
kcwyo Posts: 10 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi! I'm a noob. I'm thinking about getting a fitness tracker as a reward/help to continue progressing if I can consistently track on here until Christmas. Are they worth it? What is your favorite brand/model?
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Replies

  • QS82
    QS82 Posts: 65 Member
    I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR which, for the price, I have to say is absolutely ace, especially as it's waterproof, so I can just leave it on and forget about it and I only have to charge it about once every 8-10 days.

    I use it as a fitness "accessory", by which I mean I don't take everything is says as gospel, but as a general guide, it is pretty good. It's particularly good at reminding me that even on days where I feel like I've done a lot and I can get away with that extra choccy bar, I haven't always!

    The best thing about it, for me, is that it's always 'ready to go'. I used to use a Garmin Forerunner for my runs, which I still use if I need the GPS functionality (although some trackers now have GPS too) and I had to locate my chest strap, put it on, get it comfy - difficult with "big pups"! and connect it up etc.. now I just put my trainers on and I'm off! The HR, which obviously isn't exactly accurate, doesn't drop out like my chest strap did either.

    So yeah, used as a guide I think they can be very motivating.
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    I say yes! I had the fitbit charge hr for almost two years and then recently replaced it with the fitbit charge 2, which I love even more. It keeps me accountable - especially on those days when I might not be very active (for whatever reason) by reminding me how much I have burned that particular day (mine is pretty accurate) and making me think twice about that extra treat.

    It is also great to always have with you and like above said, it is always ready to go.

    (And as an extra bonus, I can keep my phone on silent at work etc and my fitbit will notify me when someone is calling!)
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    Yes they are worth it for motivation as well as tracking your progress.

    If you are just atarting out i recommend fitbit (Blaze or Charge 2). fitbit has the best app and are pretty accurate too.
  • healthypelican
    healthypelican Posts: 215 Member
    I think I actually walk less since getting my fitbit. Depends on you.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    edited July 2017
    I have a fit bit one.. i have enjoyed many challenges with other fitbit users
  • kyubeans
    kyubeans Posts: 135 Member
    I just got a Fitbit Alta HR and I love it! It's motivating me to increase my activity and just be AWARE of how inactive I've been before. Also I love that it shows me my heartrate and sleep cycles. it also connects to my phone via bluetooth so if someone is calling or texting, it lets me know. It's great!
  • Rerun4733
    Rerun4733 Posts: 26 Member
    Worth the price of admission.

    My first tracker was a FitBit Flex. It worked very well. I now use a Garmin FR 230 and love it. If you can manage it financially, I would suggest getting one that also functions as a watch and HR monitor, not just a step counter.

    The gripe I had about FitBit Flex is they wanted me to wear it on my left arm, which is where I wore my watch. You could choose the opposite arm, but the activity count wasn't as accurate.

    The HR monitor is great for tracking the intensity of your aerobic workouts. I recommend chest strap heart rate monitors as they tend to be more accurate, but the HR monitors built into the deice are more convenient, plus they can capture your resting heart rate first thing in the morning.

    If you are a fan of outdoor exercise, get one that has built in GPS. I have all these functions (and more) in my Garmin and I wouldn't give it up for an Apple Watch!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Yup! For both tracking and focus/motivation. Fit bit Charge HR user here.
  • saltlakecitywestsider
    saltlakecitywestsider Posts: 17 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge 2 and the matching smartphone app. The app is free.

    I love it, but I started to get too obsessive about reaching every goal every day. I've been warned about too much cardio eating away at good metabolically active muscle mass.

    So I adjusted my step, stairs, miles, calories, and active minutes goals to levels that I can reach every day. Or I could have simply gotten used to the idea of missing a goal here and there.

    Anyway, I enjoy keeping track of what I'm doing. The free app allows a person to get the most use and enjoyment out of the tracker.
  • astrotrashu
    astrotrashu Posts: 2 Member
    I absolutely love my fitbit alta. It's always been a motivation to walk more to get those green circles at the end of the day. That being said, the alta was a gift but I miss the hr capability of my old charge hr (that was losing its charge constantly haha) so I definitely want/need to upgrade it so that I can get a better, more accurate tdee caloric burn.
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
    Love mine. It absolutely keeps me from being a lazy bum. Nothing like looking at your fitbit on a lazy Saturday at noon and seeing you have only taken 600 steps. Yikes! And I love seeing how many steps I take on a long hike.

    That being said, my Fitbit Charge band is currently falling apart. They won't replace it (only a 1-year warranty) but instead offer 25% off my next purchase. I hope the new one lasts longer.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    kcwyo wrote: »
    Hi! I'm a noob. I'm thinking about getting a fitness tracker as a reward/help to continue progressing if I can consistently track on here until Christmas. Are they worth it? What is your favorite brand/model?

    Depends very much on how you're motivated. I'd say they're interesting, but of limited value if it doesn't cause you to analyse your behaviours and how you might modify them to support your needs.

    I've had one, various Garmin, for about three years. As a marathon and ultra runner the data integration with my running is of some value. My current version is integrated into my GPS tracker.
  • nyponbell
    nyponbell Posts: 379 Member
    saltlakecitywestsider wrote: »
    So I adjusted my step, stairs, miles, calories, and active minutes goals to levels that I can reach every day. Or I could have simply gotten used to the idea of missing a goal here and there.

    I'm not sure if you want to keep track of it all, but I found that life got so much simpler when I removed all of those trackers from both my fitbit and my app (they are still counted but in the background). I found that the stairs part was especially off (by A LOT) and that kept bugging me, and while my miles (or kilometres in my case) are now far more accurate as my new fitbit has GPS, that was also off and also bugging me. :smile:
  • JessM822
    JessM822 Posts: 73 Member
    Fitness trackers are worth it. Just be careful that you don't become a slave to it. People tend to keep trying to beat their previous pace, distance, or steps and fail to listen to their bodies. They're addicting once you get going. Tracking your progress is great, but make sure you continue to be smart about it.
  • amysteri
    amysteri Posts: 197 Member
    Definitely! It'll track your calories burned better if you get one with an hrm strap
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    amysteri wrote: »
    Definitely! It'll track your calories burned better if you get one with an hrm strap

    Assuming you're doing one of the very few activities where HR is a meaningful proxy for calorie expenditure. In that case, get a GPS instead.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    edited July 2017
    I tried one for a month, didn't find it motivated me, quite the opposite it annoyed me. It also gave me so few calories if I had paid any attention to it my intake would not have supported my activity level. ( I was in maintenance so knew my calorie needs well.)

    This was a couple of years ago, and trackers have changed, but I still can't find a need for one.

    Make a list of the pros and cons and decide if one will be a motivating or useful device or not.

    Cheers, h.
  • OldAssDude
    OldAssDude Posts: 1,436 Member
    I have a Garmin fenix 5x. They go for $700.00, but since I already had a fenix 3HR and the Bestbuy 2 year plan, I got full return price for the fenix 3HR, and wound up paying $129.00 for the fenix 5x.
  • Paschen81
    Paschen81 Posts: 151 Member
    edited July 2017
    I love mine. I have a gear fit 1. And love being able to track my heart rate throughout the entire workout and have a summary of high low and average rate. I love that if I stop moving (like waiting on traffic) the tracker pauses progress automatically and resumes when you do. It also let's you know when you are 25% complete 50% 75% and completed your without... With each interval it tells you time and pace and predicted time to complete at current pace... It can be motivating when your starting to tire but here you are so far done and have only X number of minutes left. I love that I can control the music player on my phone from my wrist so I can keep my phone secured. I like seeing my sleep stats... It helps me to track when I'm restless and when I get deep sleep. And I love that I can page my phone with it in the times I lay it down and forget where I laid it. I also like seeing the various notifications (calls texts ect) without having to pick up my phone and unlock the screen... It displays right there on my wrist. And I like changing the wallpaper (background) seasonally so right now it's a flag for the 4th of July. However... I'm a little bit of a tech geek so... Lol
  • Ainadan
    Ainadan Posts: 158 Member
    I just got one on Friday. When do you get used to having a band on? I never wear bracelets or watches, and this thing is kind of annoying, lol.

    Aside from that, I am a data nerd, so I enjoy the analytics. We'll see about the challenges.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,190 Member
    Never had one; never saw the need to have one. I don't like gadgets, and I don't need them to give me motivation.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I loved everything about my Fitbit so much I upgraded from a charge HR to a surge but neither option lasted for me because pregnancy gave me awful carpal tunnel and holding my baby made it too uncomfortable to wear. I gave them away to a good home.

    If I get another wearable activity tracker I think I will skip the wrist option and go for either an arm band or chest band. Obviously my problem is not the norm for most people but I thought I would share.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I love my Fitbit Alta, it definitely motivates me. I went from averaging 2000 steps a day before fitbit to 15000ish after.
    It also spurs me on to see the calories in my diary increasing through the day.
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
    I, personally, don't feel the need for one. I don't track calories burned from just walking around. If I'm actively walking, like for exercise, I use my S Health app on my phone.
  • NooperZero1000
    NooperZero1000 Posts: 1 Member
    So my wife and I just started working out and eating healthier. I don't see the need for any of these additional workout things because right now we are just trying to make it a routine. Once we go that down then idk if we will get any couple people from work say the fitbit is good for that but I just don't understand exactly what it does can't get a good explanation of it and my research shows all the things heart rate calories and everything. So my real question is from experience how has this helped you or if not please let me know just looking for some info.
  • wimdroid
    wimdroid Posts: 56 Member
    edited July 2017
    yep, it does help if you see the figures.

    I used to do it based on my phone's step counter and Google Fit, then again I tend to leave my phone on kitchen table or so when I am home, so quite some gaps.

    Thought of fitbit, because so popular, but went for garmin Vivosmart HR+ after reading quite some complaints on fitbits dying, very happy with both the device and the app
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    saltlakecitywestsider wrote: »
    I've been warned about too much cardio eating away at good metabolically active muscle mass.

    That's total bro-science.

    I have a Fitbit charge 2 and I love it. I never really realized what a HUGE difference in TDEE walking more steps makes.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I Love my fitbit charge 2 so much. Mines super accurate when it comes to how much i've burned throughout the day and I've had it long enough to know throughout the day when Im behind schedule on calorie burned (aka sitting wayyy to much) and then I know that i'll need a workout when I get home from work. It keeps me accountable, because most days after work I just wanna lay on the couch and binge netflix, but when I see that after work I normally have less than 3,000 steps (my office is SO small) it just really pushes me to go for a walk after work.

    Also I love hiking so getting to go for a long hike and seeing how many steps I got and miles I got in really makes me happy, and apparently my husband too because this weekend when we had our 15,000 step hike he was asking pretty often how many steps we were at! lol!

    Wow this is long, but I got my fitbit charge 2 off craigslist for $50 and it was new in box. So buying used or online is another option if your worried about not liking it, I did that because I'm the type of person who gets really excited about something and then stops using it after a week, and it was too expensive for me to do that full price. But i've had it several months and im always wearing it and I love it more now then when I first got it.
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