If you are thinking of buying a fitness tracker, you might want to consider these factors first before fully diving into the purchase because fitness trackers are investments you want to keep in the long-run. Therefore, factors, such as the longevity, effectivity, and comfort of the product, must really be put in the mind.
Remember that fitness trackers are for people who want to monitor their bodily processes, such as calorie burn and heart rate by living a healthy lifestyle. If you want a consistent, concise, and comprehensive monitoring of your health processes and progress without relying on your smartphone most of the time, then fitness trackers are for you. The gadget works best with physical activities such as cycling, swimming, hiking, and others since all it needs is for you to wear the gadget and the rest is taken care of.
Take note that fitness trackers regularly show results, but it all depends on the consistency of wearing them.
If you only want an occasional tracker of healthy processes, then you might reconsider buying the item.
Shopping for a Fitness Tracker
Before you open your web browsers and delve into the fitness tracker market, you must first consider what you want and what you need. This means that you need to have a clear idea of the features you need to have, and you know you will fully utilize. Fitness trackers often include heart monitoring, GPS, and several others. Ask yourself: what do I really want and need to keep track of?
Besides, you have to consider your types of activities. Where does your workout focus?
Price
When talking about money, fitness trackers vary based on the features included in the gadget. You can get the simple ones with basic features, such as step tracking, with a minimum of around $40. The prices range up to several hundred dollars, and it all depends on the coverage of services and features the gadget provides. Take note that fitness trackers with built-in GPS cost much more than those that require linked GPS.
Style
This is something you also need to consider highly. Fitness trackers are usually worn most of the time to maximize their monitoring. Therefore, you need to look for the type of fitness tracker that can go with the majority of your OOTDs. Among the most popular is the wrist fitness tracker. It looks like a watch and its bands are customizable with different colors.
Aside from the wrist fitness tracker, you have other options. Surprisingly, there are rings, necklaces, or clip-on trackers. Some styles are subtle and do not scream fitness tracker.
Comfort
As mentioned, fitness trackers are something you would probably wear most of the time, if not 24/7. They should be comfortable enough to wear to sleep, to work, during a sweaty workout, and other activities. You don’t want to purchase a fitness tracker just to take it off because it is uncomfortable, right?
So, what are the COMMON FEATURES OF A FITNESS TRACKER?
- Activity Tracking
This is probably the most common and essential part of a fitness tracker. It ranges from only tracking your steps to monitoring your calorie burn. Make sure that your activity tracking includes a GPS to ensure accurate data on distance coverage. Additionally, you can opt to include an altimeter in your activity tracking to include flights of stairs. Heart rate and calorie burn go hand in hand and if you are into water-oriented activities or activities which might get you wet, make sure to get waterproof fitness trackers.
- Sleep Tracking
What you need to be looking for in a sleep tracking fitness tracker is their monitoring accuracy. The best sleep ones in the market keep track of your sleep stages by studying your heart rate and your movements during your sleep hours. This can help you grasp your sleep patterns and behaviors. However, sleep disorders or other sleep-disrupting factors need to be checked with your doctor to customize sleep tracking that is best for your condition.
- Heart Rate Monitoring
The good thing is, the majority of fitness trackers now come with heart rate monitoring by default. However, there may be issues with accuracy with some. Therefore, we’re looking for quality trackers that are accurate in monitoring from accurate data – those with the most advanced sensor technology. These great HR trackers include VO2 Max and cardio fitness score, stress levels, and more to ensure monitoring accuracy.
- App
When having a fitness tracker, it is typically linked to an app. Fitbit is one of the widely used fitness tracker apps. But you also have dozens of options to choose from, based on your personal preferences and app efficiency.
These are just the basics that you need to know before investing your money on a fitness tracker. Bear in mind that this gadget goes well with the consistency of your activities. Aside from investing money to buy the gadget, you also need to commit to your health goals. At the end of the day, the gadget merely monitors your progress, but you, yourself, create your own progress.