Fitness trackers are IN! You see them everywhere – or don’t depending on what an individual is wearing. They’re tracking steps, stairs, distance, calories, sleep patterns, and goals. If you’re serious about your fitness, getting in shape, hitting your goals, or in need of motivation, you probably own one (and are probably wearing it right now). Many fitness trackers sync up with smart phones to display progress – and if you don’t have one of those, then we REALLY need to talk….actually I just got my first one not too long ago… – and create camaraderie with others who have the same fitness tracker as you.
So, naturally, I WANT ONE! I have signed up for two half marathons to run in the fall and desperately need to start training train. To assist in my research, I reached out to you all to see what you had to say. I asked you which fitness tracker you liked, or which one you didn’t, and why. The results were overwhelming. The results are in and these are your top votes:
Fitbit: 84 votes (29 votes for the Flex, 27 votes for the One, 4 votes for the Zip, and 24 non-specific votes)
From Selma P: “I have the fitbit flex and LOVE it. I can sleep with it on and tracks my activity during the night telling me how well I rest, can wear it in shower, while I do dishes, only needs charging once a week and they send an email telling me when it needs to be charged, can add friends on fitbit site to “compete” against in daily and weekly steps, fitbit has great customer service, I dont have to worry about it falling off my pants and losing it. And, I feel it is very accurate to my activity!”
Jawbone: 15 votes
From Maria H: “We have a basis (mine) and a jawbone up (hubs) and I have to say for accuracy of steps and calories, the basis seems way better. But the up has features I really like-vibrating alarms and wake up features. Basis is super chunky (not that delicate or feminine) and the jawbone is sleek and looks like a bracelet.”
BodyMedia: 11 votes
From Kimberly W: “I’ve used the BodyMedia armband for almost three years.”
Garmin Vivofit: 7 votes
From Constance E: “I scraped my fitbit flex for a garmin vivo. The screen display is awesome and it has the ability to read a heart monitor for working out. Also the battery lasts a year instead of 5 days like the fitbit flex. You can also use it as a watch. Just love it!”
Basis: 4 votes
Misfit Shine: 3 votes
From Renee R: “I love my new MizFit Shine. It is BEAUTIFUL and does the trick. I had a jawbone up which I loved but I am now sold on my Shine!”
Amiigo: 2 votes
Bia: 2 votes
Nike FuelBand: 2 votes
Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor: 1 vote
Polar Loop: 1 vote
From Monica H: “I have the Polar Loop. I love it. It too, tracks your sleep, calories, steps, and goals to achieve based on your personal information. I wear it 24/7 except to charge. If nothing else its a great motivator.”
Galaxy Fit: 1 vote
MyZone: 1 vote
Weight Watchers Activity Tracker: 1 vote
Heart Rate Monitor: 1 vote
Myself: 1 vote
From Chris T: “my tracker- myself! my bikini, my jeans, my scale and most of all- my mirror!”
In addition to all the help provided by your input, I did some personal research, as well. I frequented review websites, such as The Wirecutter, which felt that the Garmin Vivofit was the best (see the article here). Engadget gave FitBit’s One tracker a rating of 90 out of a possible 100 (the Flex came in at 87) – see reviews here. TIME also ranked fitness trackers from worst to first with the Fitbit Force coming out on top. The problem is, the Force has been recalled due to causing skin rashes and blisters on some users; they are currently not selling ANY of them.
My requirements for a fitness tracker swayed slightly – at first, the Fitbit Force was my top contender….however, who knows when it will be back on the market and I need to start training darnit! Then, I considered the Fitbit One. The accuracy seemed to be there, however, I couldn’t easily glance at it when needed as it clips to clothing. The Fitbit Flex bothered me because it doesn’t have a watch face, requiring me to look at my phone to be updated. I do NOT take my phone on runs, nor do I wear headphones when I run. Therefore, anything that had to be linked to my phone for me to view results seemed like more of a pain in the rear than anything. The Garmin Vivofit came into my life and was ALMOST the one that I went with. I liked the fact it has a watch face and I can see results in real-time without having to consult my phone. I didn’t mind that it doesn’t have a sleep tracker – I personally don’t have much desire to track my sleep. Even though it’s a Garmin, though, it does NOT have a GPS tracker to record my distance – which is kind of important when training for a race.
So, which one did I go with?? *Drum roll please……………*
NONE OF THEM!
The one that really caught my eye will be available June 2014. I went with the Garmin Forerunner 15. It really has everything that I’m looking for, including GPS, a backlight (unlike the Vivofit), step counter, calorie tracker, pace monitor, and a watch face. Although it might be a little more expensive than the Vivofit ($130) or the Fitbit Flex ($100), at about $170, it’s worth it for the extra features I’m seeking. And I like the colors and how it looks WAY more than any of the others.
Courtesy of garmin.com
I don’t have it yet, but will be sure to post about my experience with it. Thank you ALL so much for your input on fitness trackers – it really was a hard decision which one to go with.
If you’re trying to decide between several different trackers, think about your goals and what you are hoping to accomplish. I chose the Forerunner 15 for specific reasons, but others can be beneficial depending on what you want to use it for.
{SOUND OFF} What feature(s) do you LOVE on your fitness tracker?
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