Fitbit - do you use one

Lol, I don't think it's sad. It means you are using it to help you meet your goals. Keep having fun and I hope your new device arrives soon.

Nothing wrong with walking around the kitchen island! In fact, my daughter's favorite thing to do these days is to have me or my husband chase her in circles around our island. I got over 1,000 steps doing that the other day.

I hope you really enjoy the tracker, Ontario.

As I think I mentioned previously, I've been doing some comparisons between a chest strap heart rate monitor and my Garmin wrist based tracker. I knew before I ever bought the wrist based tracker that they are far less accurate than a chest strap and was OK with it. What I am noticing though, is that the wrist based tracker is least accurate when the heart rate is coming down at the end of an activity. This matters because the speed with which your heart returns to a normal rate is an important measure of fitness, and a way of determining when your fitness is improving (responding to the exercise program). I'm still assessing, but this is a disappointing finding.

Still, as a tool that reminds me to move throughout the day, not just when exercising, I find that wearing a tracker of any sort is helpful.

Family member bought me an ifit a couple years ago.  I didn’t like the 10$ monthly subscription fee required to use it so never activated it.  Still feel kinda bad for wasting the gift and all, but I’m kinda into eliminating items/subscriptions I don’t need.....not adding to them.

I received the VivoFit 4 as a gift on January 27th. By January 30th I noticed the screen would flash a triangle which I learned meant the unit was rebooting. Then the same day the unit started losing steps. This continued for a few days until I returned the unit on February 2nd.

I re-ordered another VivoFit 4 and it arrived February 4th. I wore the unit and by February 6th it was already glitching, rebooting and losing steps. It would lose as many as 600 steps in one hour. I am returning this unit as well.

PROS

The wrist band had a secure clasp - much like a traditional watch clasp
Wrist size small/medium fits well on most women
The unit was a nice size
The screen was colour and easy to read
It can be customized to show different specs and analytics that you choose and the order they display both on the screen and in the app
Bluetooth enabled and daily stats
Daily challenges should you wish to participate
The steps were very accurate
Sleep analytics
Calories
Steps


CONS

Obviously my biggest con is that the unit didn't actually work as promised
You can not update software as updates become available unless you have an ANT+ (that does NOT come with the unit). Otherwise you just have to wait for it to update eventually
No heart rate

Notes: I actually think that should this VivoFit 4 have worked as promised it would have been a good unit. It has a lot of pluses for the price. However, if it doesn't work it's all for naught. Maybe once it's been around a while and the kinks are worked out it will be better. Only time will tell.

I have the fitbit charge 2. I really like it. I mostly check steps and sleep quality. the app is easy to use.

My favorite tracker ever was the BodyFit armband made popular in the early days of Biggest Loser. It actually accurately told how many calories I had burned in a day plus sleep and steps. The negative was the $7 monthly fee for use of the website. They are out of business now, I think.

Pebbles67 wrote:I have the fitbit charge 2.  I really like it.  I mostly check steps and sleep quality. the app is easy to use.

The Charge 2 is what I plan to buy if this ANT stick Garmin is sending doesn't correct the problem. I have heard good things about it.

Anyone have updated thoughts about pedometers? I have never been on board with the idea of one. But maybe it will motivate me to move if I am being watched by an electronic device.

If you get one, get something that is a little pricey, and, if possible try it out in the store to see if it reads OK for you. I've tried a couple of "el cheapos" and they don't work for me.

ShelleyM wrote:Anyone have updated thoughts about pedometers? I have never been on board with the idea of one. But maybe it will motivate me to move if I am being watched by an electronic device.

Do you mean an actual old style pedometer or a fitness tracker like a FitBit? If you're looking for a pedometer Omron is the market leader pedometer company. They are very accurate. I had one and loved it but eventually bought a fitness tracker. I've had both Garmin and Fitbit brands and I prefer Fitbit as I had nothing but problems with Garmin. When choosing a fitness tracker it really depends on what you want/need when deciding on which one to buy.

I am at the point of just trying to decide if I want one at all. brands don't really matter at this point, just the concept.

I love my Fitbit and it is motivating to set a step goal and meet it or exceed it. I also love the sleep feed back

However, my suggestion would be to start with an old fashioned pedometer and see how you like counting your steps. If it’s motivating, then think about something like a Fitbit, I say that as they can be fairly pricey depending on the model, where as a pedometer can be had for relatively nothing in comparison.

I'd agree. I started with a basic pedometer. It helped motivate me to step away from my desk, even if just for a few minutes to walk the halls or make a quick loop around the building. I also liked seeing what my step count was like on walks and hikes that I did. I switched up to Fitbits because I liked that those stored the information in an application (phone or website) so I could look at stats over time.

I had a heart rate monitor but didn't use it all that often because it was kind of a nuisance and was bulky. Knowing that wrist based trackers can be off by as much as 40%, I still wanted one because I like that kind of data, yet didn't need it to be super accurate because I wasn't following a serious training plan. Close enough was good enough. I had a Garmin to start, and it was OK, but switched to a Fitbit for nicer features. I still had my basic Fitbit for steps tracking (far more accurate than a wrist based tracker). Now that the basic One has given up on life and that model can no longer be purchased, I'm just using the wrist tracker. My step counts are higher than the should be, but that's OK. Movement is already an ingrained habit - as much for my mental state as my physical state. Actually, movement is a key element of pain control for my trigeminal neuralgia.

Pick up a cheap pedometer and see what you think!

Thank you!