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fitness trackers - help me pick pls


hornblower
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or talk me out of one altogether if you think they're not worth it or will play to my worst control freak tendencies...
 

 

If I was going to get one, I'd want one that will count Zumba and walking. And maybe yoga? (Does yoga 'count'?)

 

And what about water? I see a lot of cancer patients doing water exercises because it's easier on joint pain which can be a side effect from some of the treatments. 

Do I want heart rate tracking? 

And do I want sleep tracking? 

I'd want it to sync with Android phones &/or a windows laptop. 

If you can link me some specific models that you would recommend I'd appreciate that. I hate shopping and comparing features etc and lately with all the stress I just get bogged down in indecision. 

( oh & please, not Garmin because I'm boycotting them)

 

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I can't help much, but I have one comment. I was on a hike, difficult, very rocky uphill terrain, rock scrambles, etc., totally out of breath. Another hiker, in great shape, was wearing a Fitbit. When we finally took a break for lunch after three plus hours of hiking, her Fitbit had counted steps, but showed she had only 2 1/2 minutes of strenuous exercise. True, she was not panting as I was, but still....

 

I don't mean this as either for or against fitbits and their kin, just my observation.

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Well I would have suggested a Garmin, but that’s out. :p

 

There are some studies that suggest that fitness trackers really aren’t all that helpful from a wellness standpoint. This article mentions the general critiques - https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/are-fitbits-worth-it-the-case-against-fitness-trackers

 

tbh, I have one because running is my jam and I find it helpful for my training, but it’s not a general fitness tracker, it’s a GPS running watch. I also like the smart watch type functions it has. It means I don’t have to carry my phone with me to get my alerts and reminders. And I got my kids one as a present this year that is in the same tracker ecosystem because it’s fun and then we can be “friends†and we’re competitive and I can imagine some people in this family will be walking more just to win. But would I have gotten one if I weren’t a runner? I don’t think so. And if dh and I hadn’t gotten them, would we have gotten the, for the kids? Again, probably not.

 

DC Rainmaker is my fitness gear reviewer of choice, fwiw.

 

Would I get one to track the sorts of things you mention? Probably not. I think you could very well accomplish what you want with a general fitness tracking app on your phone.

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or talk me out of one altogether if you think they're not worth it or will play to my worst control freak tendencies...

 

 

If I was going to get one, I'd want one that will count Zumba and walking. And maybe yoga? (Does yoga 'count'?)

 

And what about water? I see a lot of cancer patients doing water exercises because it's easier on joint pain which can be a side effect from some of the treatments. 

 

Do I want heart rate tracking?   generally, not considered reliable

 

And do I want sleep tracking? .  this is based on movement during sleep.  - it will also detect naps.

 

I'd want it to sync with Android phones &/or a windows laptop. most will, all fitbits will.

 

If you can link me some specific models that you would recommend I'd appreciate that. I hate shopping and comparing features etc and lately with all the stress I just get bogged down in indecision. 

 

( oh & please, not Garmin because I'm boycotting them)

 

 

 

I have a fitbit alta (it was the cheapest I could also use as a watch.  skinnier than others.)

yoga can be added manually (as opposed to auto detect) - but it counts as exercise.

swimming can be added.  some are waterproof - the alta is not.  my sister swims because of arthritis. (and walks with a cane.)

there are a lot of exercises in the (can't think of the name) that you can go in and manually add to your "I did __ today".  just click on the exercise, then your start and stop time.  it will auto calculate it.

 

here's a cheap knockoff - good for kids, or just seeing if you want to have one.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZY8NCDH/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_55?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ALO9XF7VCV3N0

 

the fitbits also have interchangeable bands. - some are pretty snazzy. (you can even use it as a pendant on a necklace.)

you can manually add food and water consumption to the fitbit app.  (I have it on my laptop and my phone.)

has movement reminders

 

be sure and check prices - amazon was cheaper than costco.

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Zumba and walking could both be monitored with a simple pedometer-based tracker.  You wouldn't need any of the more expensive features like GPS, unless you want that added precision of knowing the exact distance of your walks (and elevation gain, if that's applicable).

 

Yoga is tougher.  I'm not sure there is a fitness tracker that could monitor yoga since they either use a pedometer (I would think the gentle motions of yoga probably wouldn't trigger it much), a GPS (you're not covering distance in yoga) or a heart rate monitor to measure exertion (I guess this depends on what type of yoga?).

 

I haven't found sleep tracking to be particularly useful.  I tend to know without the aid of technology whether I've slept well or not!  But most devices have it.

 

Heart rate monitor is really up to you, depending on what you do and your goals.  I try to get in 4 hours of aerobic activity per week for medical reasons, so for me, knowing that I'm actually training in that zone is important.  Is that important to you?

 

If you decide you don't need a heart rate monitor, I would recommend Misfit Shine.  I'm very impressed with their quality and customer service.  It's easy to use, and it's water-proof for swimming.  

 

If you do need a heart rate monitor, then Polar is good.  Mine is so old, they don't even make it anymore, so I can't recommend a specific model.  

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Oh, I forgot to mention, what initially made me go with Misfit rather than FitBit is the fact that the batteries are replaceable, not rechargeable.  You may or may not like that feature, so I thought I should mention it.  I love the idea of rechargeable devices, but the reality of them is that they eventually stop holding the charge.  I'd rather replace batteries than the entire device, and while this may not be the case anymore (this was years ago) at that time, FitBit devices were lasting about a year, according to their own website.  I wanted one that would last longer than that.  Plus, if the Misfit battery dies when you need to use the device, you just pop a new one in and go.  But with a rechargeable device, if the batteries die right when you want to use it, that's a bit of a pain.  The battery for the Misfit Shine lasts about 4 months in my experience.

Edited by Greta
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I have a garmin vivofit. I’ve had it for a few years so I’m sure it’s technologically out of date. But I love it. Don’t have to charge - battery lasts for a year. Can wear it j to the shower and swimming. Has the time, date, steps, mileage

And calories burned. I especially like the no charge and time date and steps.

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I had a Fitbit for a while. I liked it except that it always needed recharging and if that happened in the middle of the day, well, I lost my count. Also the parts kept breaking. They cheerfully replace them, but it was a hassle. For me, keeping track of the wristband, the fitbit piece, and the thingee I plugged into my laptop. For other people, that might not be a problem, but my hands don't necessarily advise my brain what they are doing with objects with the result that I have spent an inordinate portion of my life looking for things!

 

The things I liked about Fitbit: sleep tracking (because it tracks movement, it's actually pretty helpful in showing when you have fallen asleep) and tracking total steps. I was more interested in "background steps" (ie how much I was moving during regular activities at home or work) than specific exercise time. Both how much you move in general and your dedicated exercise time are important to health, but I already *know* that I have walked for 60 min and jogged 30 of those minutes in intervals or that I have taken a Zumba class for an hour. Steps do not, imo, reflect the intensity of a workout as well as heart rate. 

 

So, I ditched the Fitbit. If I get another, I'll get a Garmin because of the nonrechargeable battery. 

 

What I have now and love is my Polar HR monitor. There is a strap that goes around your chest and it shows up on a wristwatch that you wear (it keeps time when you're not tracking HR), or, if you're working out at a gym, a lot of machines are coordinated with Polar devices and will pick up your HR. I have found it to be quite accurate (ie I compare it to what I get when I manually counting my heartbeats.)  I use it because I have specific goals as to where I want my HR to be especially during intervals. During Zumba, it also helps me to gauge how intense the workout has been.  

 

I go to a university gym where the personal trainers have actual degrees in exercise physiology or related fields, so I feel like I can trust them. My PT there (she has a masters degree) said they are quite accurate and they use them in research studies. I will check to see if it goes in water. Can't recall. 

 

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I have a Fitbit Zip. It’s the one that clips to a waistband or bra. I hate things on my wrist so chose that one. Also, it’s cheap. And it doesn’t do all the extra stuff that I didn’t want (HR, sleep, etc). 

 

I think it can be a useful tool, but can be used incorrectly. It gives you an idea of baseline activity. You can then try and increase that baseline. It helped me to see times when I felt like I was active, but wasn’t. For example, on days I work. I would have thought I was more active there than at home but when I started using it I realized I get very little activity at work. It also helped me to see patterns in activity...for example days that are consistently harder for me to get in steps. 

 

It’s also is ridiculously motivating to get things like the little badges or to see the little fireworks when I hit a goal. I know it’s kind of silly but it still makes me happy. 

 

The article points out some of the downfalls. I think as long as you know what they are and use it as a tool, it’s fine. 

 

My does keep track of several days at a time if it doesn’t sync for some reason or if the battery dies. It has stored data for up to a week at a time. It doesn’t track water exercise, and doesn’t do well at things like biking. It does exercise classes fairly well. 

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I have a Polar A370 that I wear all the time, and I really like it.  I do CrossFit, play field hockey, and hike.

 

It is advertised as waterproof, but I've never worn it swimming; only in the shower.

 

It syncs with my phone and I use the Polar Flow app as well as Map My Fitness.  You can specify what activities you want to track, and yoga is one of the choices on the Polar Flow app.

 

It also tracks sleep, but I'm not sure how accurate it is.  When it tells me I have slept well, I have sometimes felt like I tossed and turned all night.  Other times it seems pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

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I thought of another option while I was out running. If you stuck with fitness tracking via app on your phone (iOS has a health app, I assume Android’s do as well and if not, I imagine there is an app out there to do it) and wanted to add heart rate tracking on, a chest strap is arguably the gold standard over the wrist based ones and those can often connect via bluetooth to your smartphone. Or at least they will to my iPhone and I imagine Android phones are similar. Bluetooth can’t go through water so the downside there being you would need some sort of storage mechanism in whatever you choose if that ends up being what you decide you need.

 

But again, the question becomes of what utility will it be for you and do you need it? If you aren’t training for performance then I suspect the HRM will be of limited utility. Which still brings me back to my original recommendation - stick with the phone, see what you enjoy and go as far as that can take you. Maybe you don’t find water exercise something helpful or enjoyable so that’s never a consideration you need to make. Then if you want HRM, you can try the chest strap and if somewhere down the road you think the watch might help, most of them connect via bluetooth to the chest strap too.

 

That’s roughly how I backed into a running watch - except I got the watch and the chest strap concurrently, but for a couple of years at least, my phone and a couple of apps sufficed.

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hmmm. you guys are full of good ideas so let me pick your brain some more and finesse why I think I might want it. See up to this point, I've never bothered because I just scheduled my exercise classes and I'm pretty active and I figured that was enough. 

Now that nasty breast cancer has made an appearance, the recommendations are for exercise  4 to 5 hours per week at a moderate intensity level, which they define as brisk walking. (exercise physiology people - what target HR is that?) 

 

Large study reviews have identified this as the single most important lifestyle choice to prevent recurrence of the cancer & the consensus is also that it prevents many nasty side effects of treatment. So, ok. I want to make sure I do this and make sure I'm hitting the benchmark in terms of duration and intensity and not just doing 3 hours of gentle strolling and thinking I'm good, kwim? 





 

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hmmm. you guys are full of good ideas so let me pick your brain some more and finesse why I think I might want it. See up to this point, I've never bothered because I just scheduled my exercise classes and I'm pretty active and I figured that was enough. 

 

Now that nasty breast cancer has made an appearance, the recommendations are for exercise  4 to 5 hours per week at a moderate intensity level, which they define as brisk walking. (exercise physiology people - what target HR is that?) 

 

Large study reviews have identified this as the single most important lifestyle choice to prevent recurrence of the cancer & the consensus is also that it prevents many nasty side effects of treatment. So, ok. I want to make sure I do this and make sure I'm hitting the benchmark in terms of duration and intensity and not just doing 3 hours of gentle strolling and thinking I'm good, kwim? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, ok. Fitbits (at least the higher end ones) count "active minutes, which I think is what you are looking for. Time that you are not just strolling, but actively getting your groove on. I think it only tracks if you go over 10 minutes, so a 1 minute dash to catch a bus won't show up, for instance, but a 20 minute brisk walk will. So on my dashboard i have regular steps, sleep, etc but also "active minutes". So I think that might be exactly what you want it for. The only ones that can get wet are the flex and the Ionic, but you can manually add your aqua aerobics class on the dashboard, which I would recommend. You glide in the water so it doesn't count activity there very well. 

 

Edited to add link to "active minutes" explanation: https://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/1379

Edited by ktgrok
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I bought a Fitbit Charge 2 and am planning to return it.  First of all, it was huge on my wrist.  An Alta HR would have been slimmer and not so clunky.  And it could be coincidence, but I felt lousy and slept horribly when I was using it.  Like really lousy- completely exhausted and spent.  And it wasn't from trying to up my steps!  lol. :)  It had wifi, and I've never known myself to be sensitive to it, but maybe having it on my body 24/7?  I don't know.  But once I stopped wearing, I felt back to normal.  If I get one again, I would get the slimmer model and no wifi.

 

I did like seeing that I wasn't as sedentary as I thought.  Apparently I rack up a few miles just walking around my house checking on the kids and their school work, and daily errands.  It wasn't hard to get to the 10,000 steps if I did a walk around the block or two.  

 

 

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I would absolutely get one with heart rate tracking in your situation - some chemotherapy and other commonly used medications can have cardiac side effects. The main reason I still wear one is for similar reasons, because I don't really find them hugely motivating.

 

I'm not sure who, other than Garmin, makes waterproof + HR tracking. If forced to choose between the two, I would choose the HR tracking and just not wear it in the water. I'm a bit distrustful of the waterproof claim on the VivoSmart HR anyways - I've had one for three years now, and my first had to be replaced under warranty immediately after I started using it in the pool.

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Now that nasty breast cancer has made an appearance, the recommendations are for exercise 4 to 5 hours per week at a moderate intensity level, which they define as brisk walking. (exercise physiology people - what target HR is that?)

 

Large study reviews have identified this as the single most important lifestyle choice to prevent recurrence of the cancer & the consensus is also that it prevents many nasty side effects of treatment. So, ok. I want to make sure I do this and make sure I'm hitting the benchmark in terms of duration and intensity and not just doing 3 hours of gentle strolling and thinking I'm good, kwim?

 

I get it. I think if you want specific measures then you’re probably talking HRM and, again, I’m not impressed with the wrist-based HRM, but ymmv and all that.

 

On the other hand, you can still gauge your effort without HRM and studies back up the ability for folks to make those determinations without tech using PRE. This might help - https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/Moderate-to-Vigorous---What-is-your-level-of-intensity_UCM_463775_Article.jsp

 

This chart on the Borg Scale from Harvard is maybe more helpful - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/borg-scale/

 

A lot of fitness wearables are basically pedometers with a few more bells and whistles so I’m not sure how helpful they’ll be on intensity level. And also, sometimes I think people tend to think moderate intensity means more than it does. Kinda like how runners tend to run all of their runs too fast. I haven’t seen a lot of data on the ability of fitness wearables to accurately track intensity so that doesn’t mean it isn’t out there, just that I haven’t seen it.

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I would absolutely get one with heart rate tracking in your situation - some chemotherapy and other commonly used medications can have cardiac side effects. The main reason I still wear one is for similar reasons, because I don't really find them hugely motivating.

 

I'm not sure who, other than Garmin, makes waterproof + HR tracking. If forced to choose between the two, I would choose the HR tracking and just not wear it in the water. I'm a bit distrustful of the waterproof claim on the VivoSmart HR anyways - I've had one for three years now, and my first had to be replaced under warranty immediately after I started using it in the pool.

 

Polar does https://support.polar.com/us-en/support/Polar_Products_in_Water_Environment  but there are things that interfere with performance in water such as chlorine. 

 

Also, one thing to remember is that when exercising in water, your HR will be lower for the same level of exertion than when on land. Two reasons: 1) you are horizontal, making it easier for the heart to get the blood where it needs to be 2) the pressure of the water also makes it easier for your heart to move your blood around. So you can feel like you are working in the "hard" or "very hard" range on perceived exertion and look at your HR and wonder why it is so low! 

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hmmm. you guys are full of good ideas so let me pick your brain some more and finesse why I think I might want it. See up to this point, I've never bothered because I just scheduled my exercise classes and I'm pretty active and I figured that was enough. 

 

Now that nasty breast cancer has made an appearance, the recommendations are for exercise  4 to 5 hours per week at a moderate intensity level, which they define as brisk walking. (exercise physiology people - what target HR is that?) 

 

Large study reviews have identified this as the single most important lifestyle choice to prevent recurrence of the cancer & the consensus is also that it prevents many nasty side effects of treatment. So, ok. I want to make sure I do this and make sure I'm hitting the benchmark in terms of duration and intensity and not just doing 3 hours of gentle strolling and thinking I'm good, kwim? 

 

This question really frustrated me because I am very acclimated to brisk walking so my HR hardly rises.  I could sing with no problem. (You shouldn't be able to sing at a moderate rate but you should be able to carry on a conversation.) . I would guess it's in the 90s at 4.0 mph.  So it wasn't a useful yard stick for me. 

 

Here's what Mayo Clinic says moderate is: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887

 

 

Moderate activity feels somewhat hard. Here are clues that your exercise intensity is at a moderate level:

  • Your breathing quickens, but you're not out of breath.
  • You develop a light sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.
  • You can carry on a conversation, but you can't sing.

I think the best way to figure it out for yourself is to use a Borg scale and figure out what your HR is when you are labeling it "somewhat hard" and all the things above are true. 

 

My Zumba classes tend to work as a HIIT workout. My average is at the high end of my moderate range and there are several peaks well into my vigorous range. I have to add jogging intervals into my walks to get my average HR in a decent range. 

 

Also, you might want to join us in the Welltrained Bodies monthly threads. People check in with their exercise, eating, sleeping---whatever the particular goals are that they are working toward. I find it helpful as a little reinforcer for having exercised to come write it out. 

Edited by Laurie4b
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