My wife has a fitbit. She likes to regale me with info on the miles she’s moved and the floors she’s ascended. I’m pretty active on my own and have questioned the real value apart from a way to get you interested in moving.
I’m thinking of an activity tracker of some kind for Christmas. I read a wee bit on the Microsoft Band this morning and it looks awesome but pricey.
I think that my primary use for one would be as a heart rate monitor. I recently read of an interval training method whereby you push until you hit 85% of your maximum hear rate and rest until it drops to 65%.
I have a fitbit, and a Timex Triathlon with HR monitor. It is a very, very good unit. The rep I spoke to said I could swim with it, but I will admit to being terrified to jump in the pool with the Timex. The robot is fine in the water.
Jawbone has announced the UP3 which will include heart rate monitoring and promises future function expansion through firmware updates. Only for iPhone on launch with Android capabilities due 2015.
Moto 360 also has heart rate monitoring for Android folk.
I use a combination of things for tracking actual activities (going for a run or a bike ride, etc.). I don’t wear a tracker all the time, but have a lot of friends who do.
I use a cheaper Timex watch/chest strap (entry level) but it is simple enough that I’ve had it and used it for quite some time. I use a Garmin GPS watch but it doesn’t have HRM integration. This is kind of comical, as I wear two watches during a race or whenever, but why replace a perfectly good GPS watch with a new one a year later when I bought the HRM.
My wife wants a tracker, and she is extremely deliberate about these kind of purchases. The Garmin Vivofit seemed to fit her needs best, and seemed to offer the best information for similar cost units.
I think they have a good use, but just didn’t want to wear it all the time and instead use them just during specific activities. Something her and I have talked about is that some people use the tracker’s data as a way to get healthier, and that’s good, but sometimes it becomes a way to give yourself moral self license to eat worse or not change other habits. Personally, I think it is possible to use these constructively, but it is also possible to do something less constructive with one also.
Fitbit has announced the new Charge HRwhich monitors heart rate. No exact date for when it wil be released but you can sign up to be alerted. I’d be shocked if it wasn’t available in time for Christmas. The regular Charge (replacement for the Force) is alreafy available but without heart rate monitoring.
My husband plans to trade in his Fitbit Force for one of the Microsoft Band activity trackers, but I probably won’t due to the dismal battery life of 48 hours (vs 5-10 days for the Fitbit Charge)
I don’t know which model Garmin you have, but except for the entry level model they can support HRM. Some models are sold two ways, with or w/o a HRM strap. If you got the “w/o” version, you can buy the HRM strap separately. You may need to pair it before first use, but instructions on how to pair it are in the (downloadable) manual. Poysyn, absolutely use that Timex in the pool.
While otherwise would be great, it is a Forerunner 10 - ridiculously base model. I was given a different GPS/HRM as a gift that turned out not to work well, but the Forerunner 10 was in stock when I returned it and I thought that it worked well enough so I didn’t worry about it too much. I do like it though and it works pretty well for the activity I do. I typically only use the HRM for specific events (races and workouts that are based around hitting target HRs).
… how about with regard to “heart rate monitoring being notoriously unreliable”?
Do you agree such that some models are better than others in that area… or do you disagree such that maybe any heart rate monitor is going to work as well as any other?
Perhaps the style makes a dif… wrist vs chest vs ??