Favorite Fitbit-type gadget

[geojill]

I just got a bonus for work, and have wanted a fitbit (or something along those lines) for a long time. I have a sedentary job (although I now have a sit/stand desk and stand a good portion of my work day) and only have time for shorter workouts, and so I think it would be a good idea to track my activity level throughout the day so that I am more aware of it. I have an Omron pedometer, but never wear seem to wear it. I've tried a fitbit one and I think it worked for a day then stopped working. Was not impressed.

1.My main goal is something I can track my movement with.

2.My secondary goal is to find one that can track sleep patterns if possible. I do not sleep well, am pretty positive I do not have sleep apnea (have met with my doctor about this but have not taken super expensive sleep study).

3.I want instant gratification - something that I can look at and have it automatically tell me what steps I'm at.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!

[deesharee]

Hi Jill,

I have the Fitbit Flex. I absolutely love it! It meets all three criteria you require.

The Fitbit app is great...

1. It keeps track of your movement
2. The sleep monitor is awesome. It will log how many times you woke up and when you were restless, and includes a sleep graph as well (on the app).
3. I love to see the numbers turn green when I meet my goals for the day, and that little buzz on my hand when I meet my calorie goal... Awesome.

The Fitbit Force has the issues with the nickel... I am sensitive to nickel... I have had no problems with the Flex at all. You can wear it in the shower, but you can't do that with the Force.

I'm very pleased with it. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Www.fitbit.com

[geojill]

Thanks so much, I'm really glad you mentioned the nickel thing. I have issues with it as well and it is good to know up front! I was looking at the flex and the force.

I've always wondered about accuracy on a wristband, though, because of all the arm movements you make throughout the day...and I talk with my hands and would be afraid the extra movements would make it think I was moving when I really wasn't?

[macska]

I've just got a Polar Loop, I still have to get a HR monitor with it to be complete. The jury is still out but it looks promising.

[deesharee]

Originally Posted by geojill

Thanks so much, I'm really glad you mentioned the nickel thing. I have issues with it as well and it is good to know up front! I was looking at the flex and the force.

I've always wondered about accuracy on a wristband, though, because of all the arm movements you make throughout the day...and I talk with my hands and would be afraid the extra movements would make it think I was moving when I really wasn't?

Yes that is entirely possible. But overall, you are burning calories through movement and that overrides the minor inaccuracies that may occur. It's much better than the Body Media. I wore that on my arm. It irritated my arm, and I was self-conscious wearing short sleeves. Someone once asked me if I was sick, because I had that "monitor" on my arm all the time.

The only person who noticed I was wearing my Flex was a personal trainer at my gym. He said his GF wears it and absolutely swears by it!!!!

[marmur1]

I switched up from the Fitbit One to the Flex when it came out because I was interested in the convenience of a wristband. I went back almost immediately because it was only picking up about 1/3 of the movement that my One did. I was doing a ton of stroller walking at the time, so I get that it wouldn't pick that up the same, but once I realized it, I tried pushing one handed so the arm wearing the Flex was not pushing the stroller, but that still only yielded a bit better results. I went back to my One.

Now I have several friends who like the Flex, so I might be in the minority, but jut wanted to share my experience.

[raeven]

I started off with the fitbit flex. I really liked it, but grabbed the force back in mid November. I love it..and so far have not had any reaction. So I guess I'm lucky that way. The flex at least does give you the indicator lights, but I love the instant satisfaction the force gives. My hubby uses the flex and is happy with it though.

I also tried the polar loop mentioned. I found it to be very accurate step wise. It fit pretty comfortably, though I didn't like the huge metal latch on it. Also didn't like their accompanying software for it at all.

Garmin is coming out soon with the vivofit in several weeks that looks promising too. Otherwise, fitbits are well loved.

[raeven]

Originally Posted by marmur1

I switched up from the Fitbit One to the Flex when it came out because I was interested in the convenience of a wristband. I went back almost immediately because it was only picking up about 1/3 of the movement that my One did. I was doing a ton of stroller walking at the time, so I get that it wouldn't pick that up the same, but once I realized it, I tried pushing one handed so the arm wearing the Flex was not pushing the stroller, but that still only yielded a bit better results. I went back to my One.

Now I have several friends who like the Flex, so I might be in the minority, but jut wanted to share my experience.

This is true. I'm a one handed shopping car pusher now. Not very fun or easy...but I do my best!

[Lisa C]

Originally Posted by geojill

Thanks so much, I'm really glad you mentioned the nickel thing. I have issues with it as well and it is good to know up front! I was looking at the flex and the force.

I did have a very bad reaction to the Force after using it for 5 weeks. I never had a reaction to watches before, but now my Garmin HRM irritates the area, so I can't wear it on my wrist now either.

I am not certain it is nickel reaction or not. The FitBit forum has a big argument going on over what it is. Some people with nickel allergies are not having any trouble with the Force, so I can't really say what the problem is. But honestly, I would recommend avoiding the Force until they figure out what is causing the problem. Even though it is probably a small minority of users (so far) it might get worse over time.

Originally Posted by geojill

I've always wondered about accuracy on a wristband, though, because of all the arm movements you make throughout the day...and I talk with my hands and would be afraid the extra movements would make it think I was moving when I really wasn't?

They replaced my Force with a One and I find the One to be more accurate. The one handed shopping cart handling was starting to get to be a pain also. I doubt it would count the hand talking too much, because it waits until you have a few "steps" to start counting, but I'm not positive about that.

The One has all the features of the Force. Sleep tracking was a little nicer on the Force, because it was so easy to turn it on before I fell asleep since it was on my wrist. I loved that it noticed when I woke up. With the One, they have this band you can put it in, but I don't like the band, it is too wide. So I hook it to my waistband, which is fine. But I don't remember as often to turn it on.

I really like that the One can be put anywhere and it works pretty well in different places (I put it on my shoe or on the bottom elastic of my bike shorts when I'm spinning). It also seems to work well on my bra, but I don't use it there often.

I didn't mind the size of the Force because I'm always wearing long sleeves now. But I think in the summer, it might have bothered me to wear it to work with short sleeves. It is a bit bigger than the Flex and more masculine looking.

[slysam]

Originally Posted by geojill

I just got a bonus for work, and have wanted a fitbit (or something along those lines) for a long time. I have a sedentary job (although I now have a sit/stand desk and stand a good portion of my work day) and only have time for shorter workouts, and so I think it would be a good idea to track my activity level throughout the day so that I am more aware of it. I have an Omron pedometer, but never wear seem to wear it. I've tried a fitbit one and I think it worked for a day then stopped working. Was not impressed.

1.My main goal is something I can track my movement with.

2.My secondary goal is to find one that can track sleep patterns if possible. I do not sleep well, am pretty positive I do not have sleep apnea (have met with my doctor about this but have not taken super expensive sleep study).

3.I want instant gratification - something that I can look at and have it automatically tell me what steps I'm at.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!

I've use a Fitbit One (or previous model) for over three years. I've had my current One for almost a year and my previous Ultra for a year before I upgraded and gave it to DH. DH is still using my Ultra which is a little over two years old now. I don't think it is typical for Fitbit One's to only work a day. I think if you were to complain to customer service they would probably replace your One. I've had pretty good luck with my fitbits and they seem accurate 9I've done all sorts of self-administered tests).

There are a lot of trackers out there now. I have stuck with Fitbit because hey work well for me. I do look at the other devices--usually they have such mixed reviews when they come out (as does Fitbit) you wonder if people are talking about the same devices. If you are interested in a wrtist worn device there are a lot of options. If interested in something like a Fitbit One I guess maybe look at the Withing Pulse--it to me just looks like a copy of the One. It does have a pulse taking ability but looks very inconvenient (on their website it shows the pulse outside the clip being held on one hand while a finger from the opposite hand is pressing the pulse sensor. I know some people were excited about this before it came out--but using two hands to do a spot check of the pulse during exercise seems very inconvenient. other than that, it seems to have similar features as the Fitbit One and looks very similar. The reviews I've seen on Amazon and forums were very hit and miss though, but that is true with most activity trackers so far.
http://www.withings.com/pulse