Do You Have a Fitness Tracker?

I have a Fitbit One.

I like it. I wear it clipped onto my undershirt (I don't wear a bra generally... I know, I'm a weirdo).

I like that I don't have to swing my arms for it to know I'm moving.

It syncs via bluetooth with both my phone (windows phone) and laptop, which I like. I use the vibrating alarm in the morning and it has TOTALLY CHANGED the way my morning starts... it's so much nicer to be gently buzzed awake than to hear a screeching alarm startle me out of sleep!

I like that it tracks my sleep as well.

I didn't pay for mine directly... I chose it as a credit card reward, but I really like it and it was worth the "cost" of not getting something else.

I also like the program/app that runs with it that lets me set my goals and keeps me on track etc. I'm not trying to lose weight generally. I actually like it because it reminds me what I'm doing and when I SHOULD eat something or drink some water, and when I've had a lazy day and probably should say no to a big slice of cake!

Yes, I started using the MyFitnessPal app, then got a Fitbit for Christmas. I finally synched them, and it's pretty slick. I track food and what type of exercise I do on MFP on my phone, and it tells the FitBit.

I do agree that it's odd, steps aren't all created equal - for example, you could really work hard at yoga or doing push-ups or planking, and it wouldn't really count for steps (which adjusts your caloric count).

So, basically, they're tools to use, but YOU have to be the one to use them well!

No but while messing with my new iPhone I see it has some deal that tracks my steps. No idea it does that!!!

It's pretty cool and now I do watch it to monitor my steps per day!!

I had a Jawbone UP24 and now wear a MisFit Flash (gave my MisFit Shine to hubby). I like the MisFit better. In 6 months I went through 3 Jawbones, they just stop holding a charge. This is a very common problem if you google it. Only issue I've had with my MisFit is that with the Flash it occasionally pops out if you press it at the wrong angle. This happens more with my kid's Flashes than with mine (they were on sale for $25 so everyone got one, lol). It doesn't really look like a tracker, it looks like a watch, is comfortable, waterproof, and I don't have to charge it (uses a watch battery). Can't say any of those things about the Jawbone. Only downside I've found is it doesn't log my workout classes accurately - I'm panting and sweating like a pig by the end but it gives me less steps than equivalent to a 2 mile run, and since I run I know I worked harder than a 2 mile run. However I don't know if the Jawbone (or any other tracker) would do better at this as I never wore my Jawbone to fitness class.

I like my Fitbit. The food tracking system I can access with it is very easy to use. And I like that it cheers me on. I also like the silent alarms (vibrating alarm) when I reach my goals. I also like that I can set an alarm to wake or alert me that it's time to go get my kids.

Cons are that the wristband can break or fall off too easily. And if you take off your Fitbit and place it on a hard surface, that no-longer silent alarm can scare the bejeesus out of you as the thing vibrates across the surface. :)

I have the fitbit flex and have not ever had a prolem with it falling off. That said, this is my third one as my previous two quit working/malfuncitoned. Both times they were replaced for free, but i started NT weearin in the shower etc.

I like the step tracking as a way to see how active I've been but I really don't use it in terms of motiavting me to do anything - I'm super busy and it kind of give some positive reinforcement that I truly do "run around like an idot" all day long.

One of my favorite features is the sleep tracking - it's so cool to see how well or how poorly I selpt each night (and how little).

As others have mentioned I also like the silent alarm in the morning.

I got my daughter a jawbone for christmas and find it much more inconvenient. Perhaps I haven't set it up right, but it took awhile to set up and I can only get it to sync with the app on my iPad when I physically plug it in - it doesn't sync wirelessly as far as I can tell. I was totally unable to set it up on her android device.

SO by far I like the fitbot better.

i have a garmin. it's great most of the time. sometimes the site has issues, though. and i had to have my husband set mine up- it's just too complicated for me.
i'll probably look for something simpler the next time around.
khairete
S.

I've had a Fitbit for over a year and I really love it. In the past, where I might have slacked off for a day or two, now I feel motivated to meet my steps goal. It helps that I'm linked up to a few friends and we all compete with each other.

I have not lost mine, but several people I know have. A friend just showed me the newest model which has a better wristband - much less likely to fall off.

Yes and no. I don't have a "true" tracker. I have apps on my phone that I use that track/report my actual exercise (running). And the iphone 6 iOS 8 has a feature that tracks your steps daily...

But I don't have an independent device that I wear (like the Up, or FitBit or any of those).

They actually are not very accurate, and there was a story posted online just yesterday of a *study* where someone wore multiple devices simultaneously and recorded how much they differed in their reporting/registering of activity. There were wide variations across different activities.

I think that if the idea of them motivates you to be more active, then that isn't a bad thing. The question is whether or not you need to spend $100 (or whatever) to have that amount of motivation. Seems to me, you could buy a $10 step counter and get the same effect.

I do like my running apps (I use both WalkTrackerPro and Runtastic) as they save my runs (calories burned, time of day, length of run, pace, etc) and also send them to my FB and MyFitnessPal. It helps with motivation WHILE I am out on a run to know that other people will see how I did, or even that I went (or not).

My husband had the Fitbit and loved it, but it kept falling off of his arm and eventually he lost it. Now he has the Jawbone UP and loves it. It doesn't fall off, and it does basically the same thing as the Fitbit. My oldest son also has the Fitbit and it doesn't fall off, so maybe they've improved the clasp. At any rate, they both love having them. Whatever you get, enjoy!

No, I do not. I just work out everyday, mixing up my workouts.

I have a Fitbit Flex and I LOVE it. No issues at all. It has been so motivating to see exactly how much activity I am getting in every day. :)