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Another FitBit Topic

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Post by Starkanda Wed May 02, 2018 9:41 pm

I'm doing rehab on a wrist injury right now, so I can't do a whole lot in terms of exercises, but I CAN walk. I've been thinking of getting a Fitbit for a while, but really thinking about it now to keep me motivated.

Looking into the Alta HR. I like that it is smallish, but still has a minimal screen to see my steps and time etc without pulling out my phone. HR because, why not?

I haven't done a lot of research, but my coworker uses the little one without a screen and loves it, and stays on track because it buzzes at her to remind her to get steps in LOL.

Is this a good choice? Are there newer/better models I may not know about? I mainly would be using this on the day-to-day, although I have dreams of hiking a bunch (in which I'd be seeking out a Garmin maybe), I am realistic enough to know I am sticking close to home a lot for the forseeable future.

Thanks!
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Post by ONTARIO Thu May 03, 2018 2:27 pm

I have had a Garmin VivoFit4 - do NOT buy it! It was a piece of junk. There is a thread here where I discussed it. I had two. I had one, it failed, sent it back, got another one, and it failed too. It's not worth your money.

I now have a FitBit Charge 2 HR and I LOVE IT! It's a very good piece of equipment. It's very accurate. My main concern when I was looking for an activity tracker (and why I originally chose the Garmin - it does not recharge but has a one year battery) was that I didn't want to constantly charge it. Well, as it turns out the FitBit Charge 2 only needs to be charged about once every 10 days. It will also email you a warning to charge it soon. I charge mine at night when I sleep about three times a month. Also, if you have any intentions of using a third party rewards software system (like Carrot, etc) then Garmin won't work either. FitBit will, however, sync with those.

The Charge 2 tracks:

Steps
Calories burned
Calories eaten (if you input the data)
Sleep
Stairs
Heart Rate
Distance
Weather

Anyway, if I were choosing again I would stay away from Garmin and pick up a FitBit.

ETA: Here is a thread talking about Activity trackers and user's experience with various brands and models

https://primalforums.forumotion.com/t113-fitbit-do-you-use-one

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Post by Starkanda Thu May 03, 2018 10:41 pm

Thanks, that's cool. So the Charge 2 seems to be similar to the Alta HR I'm looking at, but with a couple extra features, the GPS and Relaxation. Have you used these? Would you consider either to be a must-have? The relaxation feature looks interesting, but I really love the smaller profile of the Alta HR.

I just looked at Fitbit's site too, they have a "kids" one coming out called Ace, which looks like a rebranded Alta. It claims to be showerproof, which is handy, and I'm really curious about the kiddy watch faces hahaha, not gonna lie. I might wait and see what that one is all about too, if I'd be willing to sacrifice the heartrate feature I guess.
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Post by Meant2Move Sat May 05, 2018 12:42 am

A friend wore the Alta for several years and loved it. She recently traded it for an Apple watch. If it were me, I'd get one with HR data as that is rather interesting and does provide useful information about improving fitness levels.

I still wear a Fitbit One (they are no longer available to purchase) and will hang onto it for as long as possible as I love the accuracy, but it is very basic. I also have a Garmin vivosmart 3 watch - I don't love it, but have come to terms with it and there are features that I now find super useful that I never expected to use at all, but mostly those are not related to fitness or steps, but instead to notifications from my phone.

I routinely compare steps between the 2 trackers and the watch nearly always gets at least 1000 steps more per day than the One - you get steps from waving arms and other movements. And wrist based HR trackers are known to be up to 40% less accurate than a chest strap HR monitor.

On days when I can respond to it, I do like the "Move" notifications. On days when I'm slammed and can't do anything but stay pinned to my desk, well, it is just another pesky thing. Yes, I could probably turn the reminder off, but I don't. And when I've done something huge, like say walk 74 miles in the past 24 hours, it does irk me when I've been resting for an hour and then the watch says "Move". Yeah, right...

Overall - if you like gadgets at all, get a watch, they are fun and motivational.
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Post by ONTARIO Sat May 05, 2018 12:22 pm

Meant2Move is right.....they do tend to over count steps. Oddly enough, the Garmin was super accurate - when it worked (both of mine started randomly losing step or becoming locked up and not counting at all.). But, yes, the FitBit overcounts by about 1000 steps a day. I have a very accurate Omron pedometer and always wore that along with my activity tracker the first few days I had it so I could measure accuracy. You just need to know now much it roughly overcounts and adjust your daily goals accordingly.

As for the HR info MeantToMove mentioned......it IS a very handy tool. Now that I've had one with it I would always choose that option. I actually realized a lot of things with HR info. First, my resting HR is anywhere between 58 and 62. Yes, that sounds great but..... that is very much linked to my iron stores. My blood pressure has always been on the low side (110/70 - 100/60). My point is that I struggle with anemia - hence the low BP and HR. The FitBit HR feature has actually helped me better manage my iron store purely based on HR info.  The lower my HR the more likely I'm experiencing plummeting ferritin. And how I feel correlates as well. It's quite interesting.

It's also interesting to see how quickly your HR returns to normal after exercise.

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Post by Starkanda Mon May 07, 2018 3:49 pm

Thanks for your input. I decided to pull the trigger and order an Alta HR over the weekend ($30 off and free 2-day shipping for Mother's Day, why not!)

Their app also works on the Windows phone I'm using while I shop for a new phone, so I should be all set Smile
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Post by Starkanda Mon May 07, 2018 3:50 pm

Also, interesting thing about the blood pressure. I too, often have low-ish BP and have been sent home multiple times trying to donate blood because my hematocrit is low. That's something I will be looking at now too!
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