Fitness Tracker Mania! So Many Choices!

What’s the deal with all of these social media posts about progress at the gym, and blogs and photos of healthy eating? Could it be that we are truly moving towards a healthier lifestyle of being more active and eating right? Or is it just another craze and trend that will disappear in a year?

Some tech companies are enthusiastically jumping into this market, with Apple being the most recent. Apple’s Smart Watch features advanced fitness tracking capabilities. This wearable technology is this season’s must have accessory for the summer. After all, the weather is getting warmer, and your friends will be competing with each other to see who can achieve more steps.

What’s right for you will depend on a few key ingredients.

The essential Fitness Tracker ingredients.

Price. How far are you willing to shell out for your new activity tracker? Prices range from $50 for the Fitbit Zip, a clip on tracker that allows you to track steps, distance and calories burned, to the Garmin Epix, a multisport, GPS enabled, touch screen mega sports watch that will run you $600.

Features. What features do you want on your fitness tracker? Do you want something to help you count steps? Or, are you interested in getting as much information as you can out of the device? Today’s fitness trackers can give you information on caloric intake, when you need to stand up from your sedentary job, information on how well you sleep, provide customized meal plan options, and help you prepare for a triathlon with activities. In addition, some fitness trackers will log your workouts, showing you how many calories you burned and how long you worked out for. Are you a swimmer? You’ll want to make sure your device is waterproof. Some fitness trackers monitor your stroke speed and analyze your swimming technique.

If you are interested in learning how many calories you burn and how well you sleep, make sure your fitness tracker includes a heart rate monitor.

Compatibility. Pretty easy one here – make sure your tracker syncs with your smart phone. Most makers have both iOS and Android compatibility, but don’t assume that all of them do.

Apps. This isn’t just about the actual tracker user interface but also about what other fitness apps can work together with your device to give you the most thorough look at your fitness level and goals. Some of these apps are: Runtastic (which has several apps depending on whether you cycle or run), Map My Fitness (which is a GPS enabled tracking app to log your walks or bike rides), and My Fitness Pal (which allows users to track what to eat daily with complete nutrition facts).

Battery Life. The worst thing in the world is when you’re in a Weekend Warrior Challenge with your friends and your battery dies when you’re killing it on steps. Battery life varies from 1 day (on some GPS enabled devices) to 356 days (on devices that use a watch style battery). Most trackers use a rechargeable battery that lasts between 4-10 days.

The most appetizing Fitness Trackers on the menu.

Fitbit. Fitbit is one of the top entrees in the fitness tracker market. Fitbit is constantly churning out new and innovative trackers to fit any price point and fitness needs. The new Charge, Charge HR, and Surge are the newest offerings by the company and are favorited by online user reviews.

Image from www.fitbit.com’s homepage, 5/19/2015.

Jawbone. Jawbone has a major focus in the fitness band business but they also dabble in speakers and headsets. The company does not currently make a fitness watch but can offer a variety of options from simplistic clip on trackers like the Up Move that can do anything the wrist worn devices can do except monitor your heart rate and track your sleep. Jawbone also uses a user friendly and informative user dashboard that syncs with, yup, those same popular apps. Jawbone has a nice feature for you lazy bones out there called Smart Coach, designed to annoy you into motion with lights and vibrations.

Garmin & TomTom. We have some entries in this cook off from GPS makers like Garmin and TomTom. Their offerings tend to be on the pricier side because they mainly offer Fitness Watches with GPS. A note on this – running GPS on your watch is a battery drainer. You’re better off letting a supplemental app on your phone like Map My Fitness handle this for you. This could also mean that you’ll be having to carry your smartphone on a run, which could be a drag.

Samsung, Sony and Microsoft. Technology companies are also getting in the mix. And why not? They already have the technology and trusted brand names. Where they lack is often in the user dashboard and within their app. This can often be fixed by using additional apps also with the device. Let the tracker do its job and sync it with a more comprehensive app.

Nike, UnderArmour, Adidas & Other Sports Brands. These companies are in the sports business so making fitness trackers seems to make a lot of sense. However, realize that these companies are also partnered with high-paying celebrities and spokespersons, and their brand equity is reflected in the products’ prices. If you’re not training for the gold, do you need the “best” fitness tracker on the market (according to brand name)? But, hey, if you work hard and got the cash, by all means!

Hey, we’re not here to rank all the fitness trackers out there or sway you in any direction. There are many more trackers out there, especially online, for you to taste and savor.

Will you be getting your step-on this summer?

Tell us about your fitness tracker on social media!