How to Choose the Right Fitness Tracker

Keeping fit has now been identified as a crucial part of healthy living. Often times, we get caught up in our daily routines and forget this important activity. We must ensure that we are healthy in order to be optimal at all times. A good way to do this is by engaging in physical exercises. Engaging in such activity is a great way to stay fit. Activities like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, taking long strolls or walks, running, and sessions at the gym are good ways to attain or maintain physical fitness.

In This Article
What is an Activity Tracker?
How Fitness Trackers Work
Fitness Tracker versus Smartwatch
Choosing an Activity Tracker
Features to Consider when buying an Activity Tracker

A question that needs to be addressed though is; “How can one track his or her activities, especially as fitness regimes have to be measured frequently?” Technology has helped with that concern, as you can now monitor your fitness activities with your mobile phones and even your wristwatches. Gone are the days when you had to check your weight often to know if you were making progress or not; now there are devices you can use to track your fitness. These devices are called Fitness Trackers. This article seeks to guide you on how to buy a Fitness Tracker that suits you.

What is an Activity Tracker?

An activity Tracker is not just a wristwatch, like some people think. An activity tracker can also be called a Fitness Tracker and is a small device that is linked to an internet network to show you the results of certain requirements such as your heart rate, your body measurement index (BMI), sleep rate, number of calories spent, distance walked or distance covered, brain and muscular activity, body temperature, etc.

Activity Trackers were once devices that could be handled or attached to bicycles, but nowadays, technology has created health and fitness software in miniature devices such as wristbands, finger bands, rings, headbands, trackers that can be attached to dog collars, waist bands/belts, and even sensors in shoes produced by popular Sport Brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma, and so on.

Activity Trackers are basically composed of a sensor to monitor changes in the body system, a small alarm to alert the user when a sharp change in body occurs, straps with which you can conveniently wear the tracker, a GPS tracker for movement and location, and a monitor (or screen) to display the information gotten from the rates that are being monitored. Popular Activity Trackers produced nowadays are smartwatches with straps in different colors and versions from which you can choose according to your taste.

The information gotten from Activity trackers can be shared and stored for use at a later date. Many social media apps allow you to share your fitness data using an activity tracker, and there are even online communities for fitness enthusiasts that allow participation using activity trackers. Activity Trackers in form of wristwatches and wrist bands come in rechargeable and non-rechargeable versions. The rechargeable version of the trackers have a USB port and a cable for charging, while the non-rechargeable versions have batteries that can be changed once they run down.

Activity trackers are now created to be compatible with the operating systems of Mobile Devices (either Android Operating System or Apple Operating System) and most of them have Bluetooth properties, which enable you sync the data received to your storage, like your computer cloud.

How Fitness Trackers Work

A way to maintain your device is to understand how your fitness tracker works. Fitness Trackers measure a range of activities ranging from counting body activities and measuring them to showing you the information measured. This involves sending and receiving signals in multiple ways. Let me give an example; many fitness trackers measure number of steps and calories burned. There are a number of ways this happens;

Many fitness trackers have sensors in them for monitoring movement. Examples include the accelerometer that measures acceleration in every part of the body, pedometers that detect motion and count each step taken by the person wearing the sensor, Electrocardiogram for monitoring heart rate, etc. These sensors work hand in hand with gyroscopes which measure location and orientation of the user. Some fitness trackers have more than 2 sensors that can track more than one information accurately. In fact, the more the number of sensors in the tracker, the higher the accuracy of the data collected. Some sensors use light that penetrates the skin, monitor blood movement through the veins and capillaries of the user, as well as blood pressure.

The information obtained by the sensors are transformed into statistical data using certain algorithms and programs that monitor the raw data and calculate it. Due to the fact that many users of fitness trackers are constantly in motion, the readings of many body changes will fluctuate. And because a high level of accuracy is needed when tracking health information, a sophisticated algorithm is needed. Many manufacturers of activity trackers turn these algorithms into software that can accurately monitor physiological functions. These software work with apps that they are compatible with to display the data.

Fitness Tracker versus Smartwatch

I have often heard this question asked by a number of people; “Is a Fitness Tracker different from a Smartwatch?” and this question is honestly not out of place, as many smartwatches monitor certain functions in the body of the user. One thing I need to point out is that fitness trackers have a more streamlined function of monitoring your fitness activities towards a certain goal. Smartwatches have a wider function which includes showing the time of the day, monitoring physiological activities, displaying notifications and messages, and even receiving calls.

Another difference between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch is that a fitness tracker can work with your smartphone to display the data gotten from various activities using a compatible app, whereas a smartwatch is basically a mini smartphone that can carry out all the functions of a smartphone. These include receiving calls, reading and replying messages, display notifications, controling music volumes, etc. as well as fitness tracking functions.

Also, fitness trackers are usually smaller than smartwatches. Fitness trackers can be in form of wristbands, finger bands, etc. while smartwatches are basically watches (although the sizes of the watches vary in size). The battery of fitness trackers last longer than that of smartwatches. Many smartwatches run down easily and need to be charged often, compared to fitness trackers. A final thing to note is that smartwatches are more expensive than fitness trackers. This is expected due to the number of functions the smartwatch performs. You can rest assured that you will get a fitness tracker of high quality at a very affordable rate.

Choosing an Activity Tracker

It is very important to buy the right product as buying the wrong product can literally frustrate you. You will need to know what particular activity tracker you need for a particular purpose. So when choosing an activity tracker, there are certain questions you need to answer;

• What activities do you want the fitness tracker to monitor? Is it primary activities like heart rate and body mass index (a measure of height and weight to show how healthy the user is)? Or is it activities like number of steps taken, number of calories burned, etc.

• How compatible is the activity tracker with my smartphone? The compatibility of the fitness tracker determines how efficient the activity tracker will be. A device that will not be compatible with your smartphone is of no use. How else would your data be displayed and stored for future use?

• How long does the battery last? It would be quite upsetting if your fitness tracker runs down in the middle of a run. It would be worse if you do not notice that the tracker had run down until you are done with that particular activity.

Features to Consider when buying an Activity Tracker

With the questions mentioned above that can influence the type of tracker you buy, there are certain features you need to consider when buying an Activity Tracker. Some of these features include;

• Smartphone Compatibility: Many Activity trackers are created with the latest technology and are made to be compatible with many smartphones. In fact, some smartwatches have fitness tracking activities. If you are not buying a smartwatch, ensure that the fitness tracker you purchase is quite compatible with your smartphone.

• GPS Tracking: This might not be a feature that is easily noticeable, but it is a feature that you have to take note of. Many Fitness Trackers have gyroscopes (which help orientation and movement), but a GPS is an added feature that helps you monitor your movement using your location, as well as suggest alternative routes for you.

• Brand, Price and Design: This is interwoven as the brand of fitness tracker you want to buy can influence the price. Many brands produce unique designs that can suit your taste according to their different functionality. Also, you should ensure that as much as you are looking for a particular design from a particular brand, you can afford it!

In conclusion, buying an activity tracker is not as stressful as it looks. The truth is there are a lot of fitness trackers in the market with various designs and functions for you to choose from; all at affordable prices. So relax, create a plan that can be monitored and set a fitness goal. And when you do this, get an activity tracker. You will be pleased that you did!

---

Disclaimer: All content, including text, graphics, images and information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.