Thoughts on a fitbit

I thought about getting a fitbit, but though for that price might as well go all in and get an apple watch. I thought it would be a waste of money, but its only when you start to use it you realise how good it actually is. Wouldn't be without it now. If you have an iphone then its a no brainer. Its kept me motivated, its logged everything i needed to, and its far more useful than you would think.

First off, I think you should ask yourself what it is you really want. Do you want to accurately track you heart rate, distance, pace etc while running, swimming, weight lifting, rowing, etc? Do you want GPS? Do you want something that stores music? Do you want something that will offer reminders or allow you to read notifications? Once you narrow in on the key, *must have* items, you can more easily pick either a smart watch or fitness tracker that best suits you. I'd recommend watching plenty of reviews and comparisons on youtube to decide what's right for you.

That being said, I've got the fitbit charge 2. I really like it for tracking my stats such as heart rate, distance, pace, calories, etc. It's pretty darn reliable. I had a bit of an issue getting a steady heart rate while running but it turned out I had it improperly placed. While running they recommend 2 finger-widths above the wrist bone. Since I've corrected that, I've had no real issues. I used to have the Samsung Gear S2 and that thing (in my opinion) was crap. Constantly jumped around, buggy software, would constantly freeze up, eventually the band snapped within 6 months of use, and in the end it stopped working altogether. My only qualm with the charge 2 is that it is not waterproof so I can't track swimming (it is splash and rain resistant though) and it does not work with alternate HRMs (like chest straps). Keep in mind it doesn't have built-in GPS but it does have GPS tethering. So as long as you have your phone with you when you run, you get some dang accurate GPS maps and stats of your run and time spent in various heart rate zones, etc.

Since my bad luck with the Gear S2, I decided to keep it simple and buy something that does a few things very well, rather than many things very poorly. Pairing the tracker with the fitbit app to get my daily and weekly summaries is motivating. Having that feed into MFP makes it simple. Lastly, I love the motivating animations and cheers you get when you hit your goals. I completely forget about them and then I finish a run and I see "BOOM" with a rocket ship taking off. It's not for everyone, but ask yourself what it is you really want. Watch plenty of reviews. And when you've finally decided, watch more reviews from different people. Get a comprehensive sense of these products and make your pick. When you do, you should be satisfied knowing you've purchased something that's right for you.

I got a Fitbit several years ago, and have had one since. Only, the one I had just pooped out on me (1 too many times through the washing machine). I ordered a new one - a Fitbit Versa - and it’s supposed to be here in about 1-2 weeks now. My husband has had about 4 different bands - 1 was a Fitbit, 1 was a Microsoft, 1 was an android, and the one he has now is an Apple. He said they’ve each had things he’s liked - but it sounds to me like he likes the Apple one best.

I like the data it gives me. MOSTLY - the calories in vs. calories out. I know that if my calories in stay under the calories out I will lose weight. Guaranteed. The data I have over the last 7 years shows that definitively. There’s a lot of other info that’s helpful, but that’s the main one that I look at.

I'm pretty motivated by mine. I shoot for 15k steps a day, and I keep track of it throughout the day to make sure I'm on target. I will say though, I prefer the clip on ones. For some reason, I'm part of this rare group of people who gets pain inside their arm from the wrist based ones (has to do with the wi-fi syncing they say).

I had the Ultra way back when and I really loved it so eventually upgraded to a Charge HR, which is my current Fitbit, and I will be upgrading to a Versa soon. I find it's pretty accurate calorie burn and step wise and I appreciate the extra motivation to be a bit more active during my workday as I have a desk job.

I had several fitbits over the last few years and they are very motivating. I have since changed to an Apple Watch for some of the call/messaging features but would still recommend Fitbit as far as trackers are concerned.

What do YOU want to get from a fitness tracker?

Jumping on this post, is there a smartwatch that people use to track swimming lengths/distance accurately. I want one that I can glance at whilst swimming and see how far I've swam/calories burnt???