Best Fitness tracking device?

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jenniator
jenniator Posts: 475 Member
edited May 2018 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone,

I've gotten my motivation to finally get back to the gym. For the past two weeks, I've been doing a variety of different things like strength training, the elliptical, exercise bike, rower, and my newest obsession which is group lessons. I really love the group lessons and it has been motivating me the most. I've already tried, Kickboxing, Body pump, Sh' Bam, Pilates, Yoga, HITT, and a Butt/legs/Stomach class. I still want to try BodyCombat, Zumba, Body Jam, Body Balance, and a few more.

With all the different activities I've been doing, it's impossible to know how many calories I've been burning and the best that I can do is make a rough estimation. So I've been wanting to get a fitness tracker to give me a closer estimation. Only I'm not sure which type to get since I don't really know anything about them. I know that there are one's that go on your chest or wrist. Which one is more comfortable and better overall? I would also appreciate recommendations on the best brand/type.

My Aunt has already recommended the Fitbit Charge 2 to me. She said that it's one of the best since it's easy to use and it's really good at estimating calories for a variety of different workouts. I also heard that the Fitbit Alta HR was good, but that the Charge 2 was still a better option. I haven't heard anything on the chest one's and I don't know anything about them.

Replies

  • HilTri
    HilTri Posts: 378 Member
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    I had a Fitbit, Garmin vivo smart HR, Garmin 910 and now I have a Garmin Fenix. They all tracked my steps pretty well. The Fitbit was no good for swimming laps. I found that none of them were any good at tracking classes like P90x. The Fenix provides a bunch more data that I find useful. It is far better than the rest for tracking my running and cycling. I track my strength training using the recommended MPF strength training in the cardio section.

    It really comes down to the extent of data that you want. Good luck.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    The biggest thing to remember is that activity trackers are meant to be worn all day. They’re meant to track your overall movement. If you choose to go with a true heart rate monitor with a chest strap, it’s best used for steady state cardio. It won’t be accurate for things like yoga and strength training.

    I had several diffeeent types of Fitbits...the first generation Charge was fine, but probably my least favorite. I’m now using an Apple Watch and love it.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    jenniator wrote: »
    ...strength training, the elliptical, exercise bike, rower, and my newest obsession which is group lessons. I really love the group lessons and it has been motivating me the most. I've already tried, Kickboxing, Body pump, Sh' Bam, Pilates, Yoga, HITT, and a Butt/legs/Stomach class. I still want to try BodyCombat, Zumba, Body Jam, Body Balance, and a few more.

    Given that range of activities there is no consistent, reliable, method of estimating calorie expenditure. So the correct answer is don't bother.

    Notwithstanding that, I'm sure you'll get the usual recommendations; FitBit, Garmin, Polar, along with the urban myth about chest steps being more accurate
  • vallary14
    vallary14 Posts: 215 Member
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    I had the first Alta and now I have the Alta HR. I do like it because of the features and slim style. For some reason it doesn’t track rowing as exercise as is, I think you can adjust that though. I’ve heard good things about the Versa too if you like a smart watch. Fitbit also has the Fitbit coach which is awesome if you want to workout at home, I think it’s about $30. annually.
  • jenniator
    jenniator Posts: 475 Member
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    Thanks for the advice everyone! :)
  • hipari
    hipari Posts: 1,367 Member
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    I previously had Fitbit Charge HR, the ”first version” of what is now Charge 2. When getting a new model, I considered between the Charge 2 and Alta HR. Definitely wanted to keep working with continuous heart rate tracking to get a better calorie count and to see where my heart rate levels are (often my resting hr is the first indicator that tells me to slow down and stress less). Eventually I chose Alta HR because it’s slimmer and I also purchased some different wristbands, it looks more like a slim watch and less like a chunky activity tracker. Style is important ;)

    I understand the Charge 2 has more features, like stairs tracking, so between those two I’d say it depends on what is more important to you.
  • Sel118
    Sel118 Posts: 11 Member
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    I recently bought a cheap fitness tracker from Amazon only £28 and it's actually been pretty good and seems accurate. It really motivates me to do longer walks and do some exercise, I wouldn't be without one now! I have been looking at buying a nicer one, the Garmin Vivoactive 3 seems to have everything you would need from a fitness tracker, but I'm hoping to get a fitbit Versa in future. It doesn't have GPS so if you like running without a phone it might not be the best idea. The Moov Now is pretty cheap and apparently coaches you at the same time which sounds good.
  • rowlandsw
    rowlandsw Posts: 1,166 Member
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    Most everyone I know has a fitbit. The downside is the one guy i know says the calorie burning is a bit off at least on his. I was going to get the 50.00 fitbit but the reviews are so bad for it.
  • thinbybday
    thinbybday Posts: 32 Member
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    I use a step tracker/ heart rate/ sleep tracker ring called Motiv. I love it. I don’t like having stuff all over my wrists all the time.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    I had a Jawbone, Fitbit, and now a Garmin Forerunner.

    The older version Jawbone worked great for step counting and sleep tracking. Awesome app. The Up3 was a piece of junk.

    Then I got a Charge HR. Worked for a little over a year then died when it got wet in a rainstorm. Honestly though, the battery life by then was already pretty crappy. Fitbit wouldn’t replace it because it was just over a year old.

    I’m now on a Garmin and love it. I primarily run which is why I chose the Forerunner. My friend has the Vivofit and that tracks lots of different exercises.

  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    I like the fitbit charge hr, except the band is not replaceable and i broke one. The charge 2 has replacement bands.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    ...Then I got a Charge HR. Worked for a little over a year then died when it got wet in a rainstorm. Honestly though, the battery life by then was already pretty crappy. Fitbit wouldn’t replace it because it was just over a year old...

    That's kind of surprising. In their early days, Fitbit had beyond great customer service. I bought a Fitbit Ultra when they came out, and it got drowned when I forgot I had it clipped to my swim trunks and didn't notice it until I had been in the lake for about a half hour. I called Fitbit and they shipped a brand new replacement to me even though it was entirely my fault. There were a lot of similar stories of Fitbit being generous with their replacement policies around that time.

    I did the Fitbit, had an Apple Watch for a year, now have a Garmin 935. Waterproof, tracks daily activity and many different types of workouts, also has some smartwatch features (calendar integration, ability to view texts, phone calls, etc.). The Garmin is my favorite by far.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    ...Then I got a Charge HR. Worked for a little over a year then died when it got wet in a rainstorm. Honestly though, the battery life by then was already pretty crappy. Fitbit wouldn’t replace it because it was just over a year old...

    That's kind of surprising. In their early days, Fitbit had beyond great customer service. I bought a Fitbit Ultra when they came out, and it got drowned when I forgot I had it clipped to my swim trunks and didn't notice it until I had been in the lake for about a half hour. I called Fitbit and they shipped a brand new replacement to me even though it was entirely my fault. There were a lot of similar stories of Fitbit being generous with their replacement policies around that time.

    I did the Fitbit, had an Apple Watch for a year, now have a Garmin 935. Waterproof, tracks daily activity and many different types of workouts, also has some smartwatch features (calendar integration, ability to view texts, phone calls, etc.). The Garmin is my favorite by far.

    I had heard about the awesome customer service too which is why I called them when it died. They asked for the purchase date then offered me 20% off a new one from their website. I was a little bummed, but I’m happy to have my Garmin now.

  • DennyB1964
    DennyB1964 Posts: 31 Member
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    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    I had a Jawbone, Fitbit, and now a Garmin Forerunner.


    I’m now on a Garmin and love it. I primarily run which is why I chose the Forerunner. My friend has the Vivofit and that tracks lots of different exercises.


    I have the Vivoactive hr, and I really do love it. Since it also has GPS, it's a bit more - about $150 on Amazon, which really isn't bad for what it is. I just checked the Garmin website, and it looks like they stopped making it and are up to the Vivoactive 3 (for $250).
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
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    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    zdyb23456 wrote: »
    ...Then I got a Charge HR. Worked for a little over a year then died when it got wet in a rainstorm. Honestly though, the battery life by then was already pretty crappy. Fitbit wouldn’t replace it because it was just over a year old...

    That's kind of surprising. In their early days, Fitbit had beyond great customer service. I bought a Fitbit Ultra when they came out, and it got drowned when I forgot I had it clipped to my swim trunks and didn't notice it until I had been in the lake for about a half hour. I called Fitbit and they shipped a brand new replacement to me even though it was entirely my fault. There were a lot of similar stories of Fitbit being generous with their replacement policies around that time.

    I did the Fitbit, had an Apple Watch for a year, now have a Garmin 935. Waterproof, tracks daily activity and many different types of workouts, also has some smartwatch features (calendar integration, ability to view texts, phone calls, etc.). The Garmin is my favorite by far.

    I had heard about the awesome customer service too which is why I called them when it died. They asked for the purchase date then offered me 20% off a new one from their website. I was a little bummed, but I’m happy to have my Garmin now.

    I had a bunch of Fitbits in the past and they had great customer service... until last year it seems. After much frustration, I made the switch to the Garmin Vivoactive 3 and love it.

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