As we look toward the New Year, it’s not about making a new resolution for me, it’s about doing a better job with the one I have! I don't want to work on my fitness haphazardly, but I want to do so more efficiently.
So, I’m on a mission to find a way to combine my pedometer, my running log, my weight management, my calorie counter, and my sleep tracker! Since I manage these separately, I would love to see them all in one place and working with a cool gadget!
The hottest fitness devices are the activity bands. The basic idea behind activity bands is to track all your movements and record them with the objective to keep you motivated! I first came across the activity bands this summer at Disney where I met someone using the Jawbone Up, and I also have friends that are using the Fitbit Force and Flex. It's time to figure out what is best for me!
Different companies have different philosophies; so for starters, I looked at things from the techy point of view and did a one-to-one comparison on the 5 most popular activity bands.
Here is what I found:
Polar Loop
|
FitBit Flex
|
FitBit Force
|
Jawbone Up
|
Nike+ FuelBand SE
| |
$PRICE
|
$99.95
|
$99.95
|
$129.95
|
$129.00
|
$149.00
|
Progress/Goals
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Miles Walked/Ran
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Step Counter
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Calorie
Counter
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Dashboard
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
iPhone App
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Integrates with MyFitnessPal
|
X
|
X
|
X
| ||
Integrates with Heart Monitor
|
X
| ||||
Bluetooth
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
| |
Water Resistance
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Watch
|
X
| ||||
Sleep Tracker
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
Visual Display
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
I was surprised at all the things the tracker can do in one tiny wristband! Now, with the geek side of me satisfied that I’ve picked a noble tool worth using… I need to think about what I really want out of an activity band, how it would make my life easier, and how it would make me more accountable.
What do I really want from an activity band?
Currently, I’m tracking miles with RunKeeper, calories with MyFitnessPal and sleep with Smart Alarm. I’m using these to measure my goals to lose weight, to run at least 3 times a week, and to sleep more. My strategy is to not just tally my miles each week, but to measure calories in and calories burned; and by pushing my body to reach these 2 goals, I will sleep better. I would like my activity band to include these same applications with additional resources to help me be more aware of what I am doing and to achieve my targets.
How do I want an activity band to make my life easier?
First of all, I would like to pull up one app and see the total picture for the day. I would like the band to be easy to use, lightweight, and have basic results at the touch of a finger on the band. I like the idea of capturing the whole day and not capturing moments in the day as with my GPS watch.
And finally; How do I want an activity band to make me more accountable?
I would like to be able to see my goals and progress over the days, weeks, and months. I am motivated through goals and being pushed by friends. It would be great if I my friends and I were using the same brand because it helps to have other people on the journey with you!
Putting the specs plus my desires together, I believe that the Fitbit Force will be the band for me. The price is a reasonable range for this device; I love the fact that it works with MyFitnessPal; my friends are using it; it has a visual display with a clock; its existence on my arm is negligible; the iphone dashboard has all the information I’m looking for; and best of all …
The Force Will be With Me!
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I will be trying out the Fitbit Force over the next week, will run it through all sorts of trials, and will report back on what I think! Stay tuned!
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