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Lately, people have developed an interest in wearable fitness devices since these are the trend in the technology field. These devices arrive in the form of very small hardware that has an application for monitoring and tracking fitness metrics. For instance, they will track the distance run or walked, calories used, and in some cases track your heart rate and sleep patterns. Primarily, this term is now being used to refer to electric monitoring devices synced to a computer or smartphone for data tracking. These wearables will get users wearing them on various body parts like glasses, wristbands, smartwatches, and even bracelets.
Types of Wearable Fitness
- Fitness tracker: This is the modern-day successor to the pedometer. A fitness tracker will monitor the steps you take, calories you have burned, your heart rate, and other fitness metrics. The difference between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch has become very narrow. However, fitness trackers are a bit cheaper since they have relatively fewer features than smartwatches. In short, they focus mostly on functionality as opposed to aesthetic appeal.
- Smartwatch: This is the most common wearable fitness device that most people familiarize themselves with. Smartwatches can track different metrics like the distance you have walked or run, calories consumed, and other fitness metrics. They however offer more than monitoring and tracking services. Connecting your smartwatch to your smartphone, for instance, allows you to operate your phone remotely. You will be able to send and read messages from your watch eliminating the need to hold your phone. On the flip side, this could be a great distraction during workout sessions.
Why should You Choose wearable fitness?
The main reason why you need to opt for wearable fitness devices is the fact that they allow you to indulge yourself in self-care and easily track your fitness levels. With a fitness tracker, it becomes easy to record your heart rate, the calories burned daily as well as the steps you have taken. With self-tracking, you will be able to stick to healthy diets, exercise much better, and also sleep better.
Features to Consider When Buying the Best Wearable Fitness
Awareness is growing of the need to keep fit and as such, people have become more health conscious. Fitness trackers have become useful tools to monitor your health and activities. Choosing the best fitness tracker is paramount for that matter. Here are some of the things to consider when choosing one:
- Design: When it comes to design, you will appreciate that fitness wearables arrive in several sizes, styles, and shapes. Most of these trackers are made to be worn on your wrist while others come with a clip allowing them to be hooked onto your clothing. Smartwatches, for instance, have a similar look to conventional watches. Fitness bands, on the other hand, have a close resemblance to bracelets but without a display. The variation in designs allows the user to pick whatever appeals to them.
- Battery Life: Despite what you choose for a fitness wearable, it will run out of battery. Common sense dictates that it will need to be recharged before being used again. This is where battery life comes in. you will need a device that can retain battery power for a long period. Battery life, however, depends on the display (touchscreen, screen size, and color), GPS tracking, and the number of sensors among other factors. Most fitness wearables have a battery life that ranges from several days to weeks.
- Display: This is an integral part of fitness trackers as it shows all information and allows the user to interact with the data. Low-budget trackers offer a screen size that doesn’t exceed an inch while the advanced ones have larger displays of above 1 inch. This display will often be fitted with either OLED or LCD panel. The displays can also be categorized into color or simply black and white. Almost all these devices come with the support the touch functionalities. These high-end features help to improve the user experience.
- Accuracy: Fitness wearables use different mechanisms in tracking your activity levels. You will realize that most of these wearables use accelerometers in detecting your movements. These trackers could also use gyroscopes as well as altimeters to develop a clearer picture of your activity levels. All the same, you will get varying results performing the same exercises while wearing various fitness trackers. The accuracy of your fitness wearable depends on the algorithm it uses as well as the model of the fitness wearable.
- Water resistance: This is another crucial factor to consider when buying fitness wearables. Some of these trackers are splash-proof and should never come into contact with water. Others are waterproof and can be worn in the swimming pool or the shower. A fitness wearable with an IP68 rating, for instance, can be safely immersed in water at a depth of 1 meter or more for a certain amount of time. Be sure to be on the lookout for this waterproof rating before buying. Please note that the fact a fitness wearable is waterproof does not necessarily mean that it will be able to rack your swimming sessions.
- Heart rate sensor: Fitness bands and smart watches measure the heart rate by simply scanning the flow of blood near the wrist. This action is performed by illuminating the blood with LEDs. The color green is agreed upon for the simple reason that it is well absorbed by red blood. It, therefore, means that optical sensors will gauge the blood flow and heartbeats very accurately. From this, you will get heart rate notifications telling you where there is an issue with the heart rhythm. You will then be able to share that information with your healthcare provider.
- GPS: It is also good to ensure that your fitness wearable has an in-built GPS even though this is pricier. With such, it becomes easy to track metrics regarding your training sessions such as pace, elevation, distance, and a whole lot more. It is a very useful feature if you are looking to cycle or jog without carrying your phone. The only disadvantage of the GPS is the fact that it drains the battery of your tracker.
What is the best wearable fitness?
The best fitness tracker should help you to develop healthy habits. This is done by the provision of gentle encouragement to take a few additional steps like going for a run or taking the stairs as opposed to elevators. It is basically about making those small changes that will add up to making a huge difference to your overall health in the long term. It is for this reason that we have narrowed down the 5 best options of wearable fitness trackers that you can consider. Go through this list and see what aligns with your needs!
Our Top Picks
Apple Watch (Series 7) with a Sport Band
One of the features that allowed this fitness tracker to find its way to this list is the display which has a good screen area. For this reason, it becomes very easy to see things than in the previous versions of this tracker. Again, for Apple watches, this one has the best crack-resistant crystal. You will also appreciate its IP6X dust resistance as well as its swim-proof design which allows it to continue tracking your activity even underwater.
You will be able to take this tracker anywhere and use it anytime you like. As such, you will get notifications for instances of irregular heart rhythm. Better still, you will be in a position to measure the blood oxygen with the powerful sensor and application. With the sleep app, it becomes very easy to get to your sleep goals very effortlessly. Another great feature about this fitness tracker is the fact that it allows you to sync your ideal podcasts, music, and even audiobooks.
Features:
- It has 20% more screen area
- Features a crack-resistant front crystal
- Powerful sensors for your blood oxygen levels
- Instant payments with the Apple Pay feature
- Notifies you of irregular heart rhythm
- Allows you to sync it with your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks
- It is waterproof and safe for swimming pools
- A clear display for an easy operation
It is a bit pricey
Garmin Vivoactive GPS Smartwatch
This smartwatch doubles up as a fitness tracker with so many benefits. With this device, it will be possible to track your energy levels, respiration, sleep, hydration, menstrual cycle and so much more. It, therefore, means that you are capable of monitoring any health condition in the body effortlessly. It has also been integrated with easy-to-follow and animated workouts. These include strength training, cardio, and yoga. This is a resourceful accessory that will help to ensure that you remain at your optimal health level.
Other than the health benefits, it will be very easy to download songs right on your watch. These include playlists from Amazon Music, Spotify, and Deezer. You will also be able to personalize the watch with so many free watch apps and widgets for a feel that you like. Better still, the Garmin contactless payment option allows you to pay for your purchases right from your watch. The battery life is something that stands out for this watch. It lasts for 7 days on the smart watch mode and 5 hours in the music or GPS mode.
Features:
- It has extensive health features
- Comes with easy-to-follow animated on-screen workouts
- Allows you to get smart notifications from the convenience of your watch
- A good battery life of up to 7 days
- Helps you to easily monitor any medical condition
- The smartwatch allows you to download songs to your watch
- Enjoy easy-to-follow workouts on your watch
- It’s possible to pay for your purchases from your watch
The heart rate monitor is not completely reliable
Fitbit Inspire Fitness Tracker
This fitness tracker is going to inspire you on a daily basis so that you can develop healthy habits. It is an encouraging companion that will motivate you to get to your fitness and weight goals. The journey to burning calories, therefore, becomes very easy. Another great feature about this fitness tracker is the fact that it connects to iOS, Windows, and Android devices so effortlessly. You will therefore not encounter compatibility issues when sending data to your phone or laptop.
If you would like to track your activities even in the swimming pool, this one will be a great pick. It has been rated waterproof up to 50m. You will also be able to track your heart rate 24/7 with this tracker to make sure that your health is always in check. We also have to mention something about its battery life. You realize that you can use this tracker for up to 5 days before you can recharge it again. It also comes with more than 15 goal-based exercise modes all that aim at keeping you fit.
Features:
- Activity and sleep tracking features
- This fitness tracker is waterproof up to 50 meters
- A battery life of up to 5 days
- Real-time pace and distance with the phone’s GPS
- Features an intuitive touchscreen for a simple operation
- It keeps charge for up to 5 days
- Automatically records your workouts
- You can take it to the swimming pool with no worries
Synchronization issues
Fitbit Charge 5 Fitness and Health Tracker, One Size
This wearable fitness tracker allows you to optimize your workout routine in so many ways. It comes with a daily readiness score feature that will reveal to you whether you need to exercise or focus on recovery. Additionally, it prides itself on a daily stress management score that clearly shows the response of your body to stress. It has been equipped with a health metrics dashboard where you can see the state of your health. Remember that this tracker is not meant to treat any medical condition. Instead, it is meant to offer you information meant to help in managing your well-being.
This tracker has been used in seeing real-time distance and pace without having your phone. It uses its in-built GPS during your outdoor activities. You will then see a map of every workout route in its Fitbit app. You will enjoy seeing your stats in the new color touchscreen that is brighter than most trackers in broad daylight. Better still, it has a battery life of up to 7 days that vary with use among other factors. If you are looking to track the calories you burn and your heart rate 24/7, this is the tracker for you.
Features:
- It has a stress management feature that keeps you updated on your stress levels
- Records your skin temperature variation
- It features in-built GPS to display the distance you cover
- Premium membership has personalized insights and advanced analytics
- Helps you to optimize your workout routine
- Effectively shows you the response of your body to stress
- Offers you the information need to manage your health
- Real-time pace and distance information
The screen gets scratched easily
Fitbit Sense Smartwatch Advanced with Tools
No products found.
This tracker features a scanning app that will detect your electrodermal activity. As such, I could indicate the body’s response to stress. The in-built skin temperature sensor on the other hand will log your temperature every night so that you can see how it is varying. With this tracker also, you are in a position to assess the heart for atrial fibrillation which is a heart rhythm abnormality. If any cases are observed, you will be able to share the information with your healthcare provider early enough.
This wearable tracker uses its in-built GPS during hikes, runs, and rides in seeing the pace and distance covered without necessarily using a phone. You will also enjoy its in-built mic and the speaker that allows you to receive calls in a hands-free manner. Another amazing feature about this fitness tracker is the battery life. After charging in just 12 minutes, the battery can last up to 6 days depending on the activity. It is also water resistant which means that you will be able to take it to the pool with no worries.
Features:
- Perfect for detecting electrodermal activity
- Helps you assess your heart for atrial fibrillation
- Maximum operating altitude of 28000 feet
- A good battery life of up to 6 days
- Gives you notifications on low and high heart rate
- Uses its in-built GPS to track your activity
- It has an in-built mic for hands-free call receiving
- The battery will serve you for up to 6 days on a single charge
The ECG app is available to select countries
Conclusion
Wearable fitness devices have been evolving over the past years. This can be attributed to changes in lifestyles and work routines. You are aware that these tools are now measuring your running or walking steps, sleep time, the calories you have burned, heart rate, and other metrics. Precisely, these tools are giving information regarding the general body fitness and composition. Nowadays, wearable fitness trackers are all over. However, getting what suits you might be an uphill task. This is the reason why we compiled this article to help buyers towards making the right choices. This piece has important information anyone needs to know when buying these devices!
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