fit bit

[rock n roll kid]

my lady friend wants one for xmas . awfully large variety to choose from . would think basic may be best . showing heart rate , normal & while exercising , steps taken , time spent working out , ect. some of them have alarms , sync to ones smart phone & god knows what else . battery life & ease of use may also be considered.
what is everybody using ? recommendations ?
i exercise but except for heart rate it would be a waste of $ for myself . all of mine is planned on schedule which i do daily & i am older and do not usually deviate from !

 

[Onomea]

I don’t know anything about these, but....

I think don’t buy cheapest for a lady friend. She may think you are a cheapskate. Hey, it is a Christmas present!

Does she exercise with her girlfriends? If so, maybe ask one of them for advice.

 

[kwselke]

I simply use fitness apps on my cell phone, but the phone does not check heart rate.

The apps (I use are free versions of) Google Fit (general fitness), Map My Walk (GPS tracking of walks), and My Fitness Pal (calorie counting) integrate data with online accounts accessible from my phone or my PC. They also share data between each other and incorporate data input manually, from the phone's GPS and motion sensors, various fitness monitors like Fit Bits, scales, exercise devices. Basically you need to find out what she wants to track and get a device that does that.

I use the heart rate monitor on the elliptical machine at the gym if I plan on pushing my heart rate up to 85% of max for an extended aerobic workout. I realize I'm getting old when the machine tells me to slow down when I hit 135 bpm.

If she carries a cell phone with her that may be all she needs. The various additional devices are just adding monitors. The apps are what integrate the data and make it amazing. If she wants to measure calories consumed it requires manual honest
input. I would talk to her about what she wants to do and not simply buy one (even an expensive one) for her.

Check out the first few months of the Health & Fitness thread for additional comments.

 

[Tom S.]

I have the FitBit Charge. Not their cheapest model, but I'm happy with it. One thing about all their models that I've taken note on their user's website is if you have large wrists or wear it around your leg (more on that later), the band will not be long enough. This complaint is common, and FitBit used to send out an extender to those persons who contacted them. They stopped doing that and are in the process of offering a model with a longer band and/or a longer replacement band, but at least in the case of the replacement band, it is expensive and not yet available. There are extender bands available from 3rd parties however at reasonable prices - around $10. Now about the leg: I and others have found that the unit tends to measure steps more accurately when strapped on your leg instead of your arm, especially if using a treadmill. I'm sure it has something to do with the lack of movement if you happen to be holding on to the treadmill. Also, they do not measure flights of stairs accurately if you are on a stair stepper, as stairs are actually measured by change in altitude, believe it or not, and not in upward/downward motion. I'm still bummed out about that - makes doing 100 flights of stairs on a stair stepper seem senseless, at least from a tracking point of view.

The unit works in conjunction with your smart phone. I use an android phone and tablet, and it works with both, but has on a couple of occasions crapped out and stopped working. This is not a problem, as you don't lose any information, and simply closing out the program and restarting it resolves the issue. I have no experience with using it with an Apple product, so someone else will have to chime in here.

The bit needs to be recharged about every 6 days. Recharging is fast and is done using a USB port from my computer. I've never actually timed the recharge process, but my guess would be somewhere between an hour and two. Although the product is water resistant, meaning sweat or light rain won't hurt it, they recommend removal before taking a shower and definitely before a bath.

Hope that helps.

 

[bigwheelzip]

My daughter told me that my granddaughter wanted one for Christmas. She didn't care about the features, just as long as it's pink.

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

I have seen a new one advertised that is a ring instead of a watch. I believe the name of it is "MOTIVE". I saw a picture of it and it looks very nice and fashionable.

 

[kwselke]

My daughter told me that my granddaughter wanted one for Christmas. She didn't care about the features, just as long as it's pink.

Guinea Pig on a Stick is quite low in calories. She needs one that will know that.

 

[Arik]

Battery life is fine. It won't drain in a day and like cell phones you can charge them at night.

The bigger ones allow you to see more of your exercise. It will show calories burned, how much at what heart rate and time frame. It will also track over time and show when you're burning the most and at what exercise. Along with that they allow you to use your watch like a phone. You may be expecting an important email or announcement but can't exercise with your cell phone in one hand and most gym clothes don't have pockets. If you're a runner it can track you're routes vis GPS and you can tailor that based on the information. You may want a shorter or longer or maybe just a harder route... It also continues to work after exercise and you get an idea of how much calories you're burning at rest.

The more important question is how does she exercise? Just like buying guns.... evaluate the reason/use/need and buy based on that. If she only does an hour of walking she may not need the most fanciest one. But if she's counting nutrition, calories while doing cross fit and tracking her progress she may want to know when her strength and stamina peak. When eating something before or after is hurting or helping.

All that being said these things aren't perfect. They're often off a bit but not enough to matter however, it's based on the individual. Wrist thickness, tattoos, hair, how secure or flimsy it holds ... etc



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[bigwheelzip]

Guinea Pig on a Stick is quite low in calories. She needs one that will know than.

Very funny. I'm going send the granddaughter who was in Peru that graphic. She's a nutritionist, and will appreciate the details.

It's another of my seven granddaughters who asked for a Pink Fitbit, although as a high school soccer player she is plenty fit.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I don't know a thing about Fit-bits! But I see the ladies at church with them and that device has a lot more to do with socializing than exercise! That is the important thing to remember!!! An economy model tells everybody that somebody is a cheapskate! It will need to be in her favorite color, and neither too big or small! It can't be too flashy or too dull. It would be like buying a new purse or shoes, and that is a place I fear to tread! The advise above, about getting input from one of her friends, goes right along with the social thing, It tell her and her friends that you are interested in all of their time together.

If you don't get the Fit-bit, you better have a pretty spectacular alternative!

As to my wife, she's not the social butterfly, and doesn't think gadgets are for her. Besides, she prefers Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies, and Pearls to electronics (Diamonds are only for engagement, while her ring isn't that big, it is the only Diamond she'll ever need!) So I do know how to shut the gossips up!

Ivan

 

[Muss Muggins]

I've got the Charge 2. It's only as wide as the band itself, like 3/4" Tracks steps, stairs, distance, calories, heart rate, calories burned and minutes of exercise. If you wear it while sleeping, it will track how you sleep. Syncs with your iPhone so you get a history log. Mine cost about $130. There are more complicated ones, but if this is the first time she's ever done anything like this, she won't need more right away. It'll go 3-4 days on a charge. I was a little skeptical at first, but after a year, I really like the info it provides . . .

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I originally purchased the HR for the wife. I recently got her the Charge2. That's the one to get. I think I paid $150 for it but it's true value is priceless.

Fitbit is a gift from the Gods. The applications are endless. Don't wait for Christmas, buy her one today!

My Fitbit testimony from a husband's perspective over a year ago.

Click here --> Gentlemen, keep your women happy

 

[OGDOUBLEJ]

I bought my wife a charge 2 (NiB on eBay for like $98) it does just about everything and she loves it. Plus the extra bands are cool too.


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[824tsv]

Late to the party but I'm on my second ALTA. First one lasted 1 year, and my second is coming up to 1 year. Friends also finding the same 1 year-ish lifespan. Works ok, its the basic model. No heart rate tracking. I find it's a hit and miss if it captures my running VS walking and I do run longer than the 15 minutes it says it needs to track a run. I like the slim size and light weight but it will be my last one and I don't recommend it.

 

[Leslie Sapp]

Daughter sent me the fit bit graphs of her heart rate during a gunnery run with the MV-22 Osprey. You can easily tell when she was lighting off the .50 cal.

 

[chief38]

We'll see if the Fit Bit is still around in a few years. Just another Gimmick IMO.

 

[Craver]

We both have the blaze. If you set a goal, they can be really useful to get some mileage in. If not, they just show you how lazy you actually are lol. The notifications are pretty much one way, so you aren't going to be nose down in your watch all day. We get ours used in new condition of Craigslist. Save $50-75. We have never had an issue with any model, all used.

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[Craver]

We'll see if the Fit Bit is still around in a few years. Just another Gimmick IMO.

I walk the same everyday. It was basically telling me that my life has become a pattern, I don't wear it any more.

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[ChattanoogaPhil]

We'll see if the Fit Bit is still around in a few years. Just another Gimmick IMO.

Going on two years... before purchasing a Fitbit for the wife I thought the same. Figured it would soon be dropped into a junk drawer and forgotten. I was wrong.

I think if it was just a personal monitoring device it would have ended up in a junk drawer, but the competitive nature among women, particularly at her work, turns Fitbit into a social competition.

Fitbit has an App for smartphones that allows users to join into a group. Everyone in the group can see the number of steps others are doing during the competition period of a week or whatever it is. This maintains interest. It's not uncommon for the wife to happily tell me she's leading the other gals at work or falling behind and needs more steps. And when her Fitbit wearing pals come over to the house (and I haven't escaped out the back door yet) it's not uncommon to hear them talk about Fitbit during the yap sessions. Fitbit has without a doubt kept my wife more active than she would otherwise be.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I have the Garmin flavor. One with the heart rate and all the other good stuff. Like most "smart" devices it can be confusing to sync/operate. To be honest, I don't find it all that useful for daily use. Battery needs to be charged every 3-4 days. I also find the features suspect since heart rate read out works even when it's laying on the desk. Also, it will occasionally tell me I've met a walking goal while sitting at home or in the car. Lastly, it often gets bumped off the time /date screen (which I use the most) by my sleave etc. Then I need to go scrolling to find what I wanted.
Honestly, mine would be in the box with the old cell phones and police scanner if it weren't a gift from a well meaning relative.

 

[67tempest]

I got one from my kids a couple of years ago and I found it to pretty useless. I wore it everyday to keep them happy until I started having issues trying to sync it up. That gave me an excuse to take it off and stick it in a drawer. When the kids asked why I wasn't wearing it anymore I told them it broke. Never heard another from them about it.

 

[e3mrk]

I have a fit bit that clamps on My shirt pocket and it counts my steps each day among other things,The Hospital my wife works at has a program where if I meet the exercise requirements each day at the end of a quarter I get $150.00.Great way to get in shape and free money so I get the best of both worlds.

 

[Tom S.]

I have a fit bit that clamps on My shirt pocket and it counts my steps each day among other things,The Hospital my wife works at has a program where if I meet the exercise requirements each day at the end of a quarter I get $150.00.Great way to get in shape and free money so I get the best of both worlds.

I think my hospital does the same thing for every pound of bacon I eat. Obviously our hospitals have different goals.

 

[Ranger17]

My wife has had a couple different fitbits, now uses an Alta HR (keeping it simple but with the heart rate monitor). This has been the one she likes the most (so far lol) but she does wear it every day. Prob has to charge at least once a week, sometimes more often as they do vibrate when she gets texts so can use more juice on busy days.

My daughter has one of the larger fitbit Blaze models and loves it.

I just have a small fitbit one that i toss in my pocket each day, just to keep an eye on overall steps.

Side note, at least on iphones there are apps you can load that you put your thumb (or maybe finger?) on the home key and you can get your heart rate.