The world of wearable technology is finally taking off thanks to Fitbit. Fitbit is the best known activity tracker on the market at the moment. Activity trackers are wristband devices that keep tabs on your exercise rate and fitness, measuring all sorts of reportable metrics to show how well you are matching your fitness. The Fitbit is suitable for everyone from advanced gym goers to those who simply want to get out and about a bit more.
One thing is for sure, Fitbit is there to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Your calorie expenditure and steps walked per day become a point of fascination. The gentle buzz it gives you when you have reached your daily target becomes something you look forward to each evening.
Firstly, the Fitbit is discrete and comfortable to wear. It is held on a flexible wristband that straps on securely to your wrist. It is also easy to clean and maintain, only requiring a battery charge once every 5 days or so. The interface is minimal, very much so on some models, but this is because you are going to be getting a lot of your fitness data from syncing it up with a computer or smartphone.
Once it's all set up, the Fitbit will monitor your movement and activity in detail throughout the day, measuring how many steps your have taken, the distance you have moved, calories burnt and for how long your body has been working at an exercising level. Features on the display will show you how far you are towards meeting your goals. If you are a swimmer, no need to take it off, it will operate perfectly underwater.
One of the more curious features of the Fitbit is that it can report on your sleep as well! This is actually really interesting, you can see how long you are sleeping, what your quality of sleep is like and how many times you wake up. It also makes for a convenient and silent alarm which you can set to buzz to wake you up in the morning.
These are in a nutshell the features of the Fitbit Flex (pictured directly above), which is on the lower end of the product range. However, fitness enthusiasts may find the Fitbit Charge HR more to their liking, which adds further enhancements, most crucially a heart rate tracking feature. This means that calculation of your activity rate can be conducted more accurately, essential for those who want to fine tune their fitness and nutrition regimen.
The Fitbit Charge HR also has a more informative display (see top of page) than the standard Fitbit Flex which mainly can only indicate activity progress throughout the day. The Fitbit Charge HR offers a wider screen with a digital display showing the essential metrics of steps taken, heart rate, calories, and even nice little additions such as numbers of floors climbed. It is straightforward to see exactly what you need to do in order to reach your fitness goals each day. And I nearly forgot to mention the essential quality for any piece of wearable tech, you can tell the time with it :)
So these are two great devices. All fitness fans will get some mileage out of the Fitbit Flex, but for the full bells and whistles there is nothing like the Fitbit Charge HR which packs a lot more punch for the modest extra investment.
Fitbit is easy to get hold of!
If you are based in the USA, here are the links to get hold of a Fitbit Flex or a Fitbit Charge HR.
If you are over in the UK, these are the places to purchase a Fitbit Flex or Fitbit Charge HR.
Fitbit is well and truly the big word in fitness and wearable technology lifestyle right now!
