Activity trackers

[houjix]

Went through 2 Fitbits over the years. An older one before the display style and the infamous Charge 5 that had issues that they chose to basically ignore and push out the Charge 6 as fast as they could.

Been using a Samsung Fit3 for a couple of years as it more fully integrates with my Samsung phone. Has enough "smart" features that I didn't feel the need to go with the more expensive true smart watch.

 

[pourcyne]

I get the skepticism.

Not skepticism, really, just honest curiosity about the appeal.

Also wondering if people think this will actually save their lives. Basing this partly on the fact that my mom had a Life Alert (I know, not the same, but still...) and she died anyway. Alone.

I do ask the same question about other behaviors, like tats and piercings. Or having lots of kids.

End of the day, I'm always asking, "Why???" Just trying to understand motivations. No judgment.

 

[Clonehomer]

Help a geezer out here.

What exactly is the appeal of these devices?

I'm asking, because if I'm tired and sleep well through the night, I know I got enough exercise that day.

To me, It’s for those of us that get busy and without a way to track our exercise wouldn’t make the time to do it. Having the ability to see how often we’re getting our heart rate up is good know if we need to make a larger effort to keep active and healthy.

I guess if you have a set routine that provides you enough exercise and you don’t vary from day to day, maybe it’s not necessary.

As far sleep, I know that there are more factors for me than just whether I got enough excersize that day. Tracking sleep to understand how work stress is affecting you for example, is nice. Forces you to think that maybe it’s time for a long weekend to decompress.

 

[pourcyne]

To me, It’s for those of us that get busy and without a way to track our exercise wouldn’t make the time to do it. Having the ability to see how often we’re getting our heart rate up is good know if we need to make a larger effort to keep active and healthy.

I guess if you have a set routine that provides you enough exercise and you don’t vary from day to day, maybe it’s not necessary.

As far sleep, I know that there are more factors for me than just whether I got enough excersize that day. Tracking sleep to understand how work stress is affecting you for example, is nice. Forces you to think that maybe it’s time for a long weekend to decompress.

Interesting. Thank you for your response.

Another question: Would you seek out genetic testing as a tool to verify your future health or is that too inconvenient/invasive/expensive?

 

[Bigman38]

Not skepticism, really, just honest curiosity about the appeal.

Also wondering if people think this will actually save their lives. Basing this partly on the fact that my mom had a Life Alert (I know, not the same, but still...) and she died anyway. Alone.

I do ask the same question about other behaviors, like tats and piercings. Or having lots of kids.

End of the day, I'm always asking, "Why???" Just trying to understand motivations. No judgment.

I had a heart thing, turned out to be nothing, but the cardiologist said they advise all their patients to have one.

Mostly for me I'm a stats guy, I like seeing the numbers/trends etc. Same reason I track all my walks/runs.

 

[Cybone]

I have had Fitbits for 8+ years and Google’s latest app changes were awful. They, IMO, nerfed a pretty solid app and device. I went with a Garmin vivoactive 6 and am still figuring it out, but really like it so far.

Part of why I dumped my Charge 6 was also due to Google changing the algorithm for calculating steps, I was getting robbed in the tracker.

 

[isucy86]

I had a heart thing, turned out to be nothing, but the cardiologist said they advise all their patients to have one.

Mostly for me I'm a stats guy, I like seeing the numbers/trends etc. Same reason I track all my walks/runs.

Can't remember the golfer, but a device indicated his blood oxygen levels were low and resulted in him going to a doctor right before or during a tournament. Found out he had Covid.

 

[pourcyne]

I had a heart thing, turned out to be nothing, but the cardiologist said they advise all their patients to have one.

Mostly for me I'm a stats guy, I like seeing the numbers/trends etc. Same reason I track all my walks/runs.

That makes a whole lot of sense.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[CascadeClone]

I have an Amazfit Active 2 and its pretty solid for $100. I went "cheap" because I hadn't even worn a watch in years, and wasn't sure if I would like the thing, but am impressed and def would buy again.

Had never had one of these, but wanted to track sleep (has been crap due to dog, starting to snore, etc) and was interested in heart info and steps. It does all that very well imho. Bluetooth to your phone, app called ZEPP for the details on all the above.

Full charge lasts about a week. It will track your food intake, your workouts etc. You can program it to "encourage" you to get your steps, stand up if you've sat too long, etc - as much or as little as you like. I actually don't DO any of that lol, just passively as more of a sleep, heart, stress, and steps monitor.

 

[Die4Cy]

I wear a Garmin vivoactive 5 and while it may not be as versatile as an apple watch, it tracks everything I need to track (steps, heart rate, O2, workouts, workout intensity, stress, and sleep) and has a ten day battery life at a fraction of the cost.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

I tried using a Fitbit for a while, but I got tired of the competition aspect of it all. I now use a Wireless Invasive Fitness Enabler
My WIFE tracks my activity level and makes sure I always have something to do
My WIFE also tracks how much I eat, how much I sleep and regulates much alcohol I consume
My WIFE is also really good at telling me about appointments

The cost of a WIFE is pretty insane though.

 

[Nader_uggghhh]

Help a geezer out here.

What exactly is the appeal of these devices?

I'm asking, because if I'm tired and sleep well through the night, I know I got enough exercise that day.

I bought my Garmin vivoactive because I needed a watch, didn't really care about the other stuff. Ended up using the watch as another data point to hold myself accountable. I don't string together as many poor days of sleep or no exercise. I also use it to target specific heart rates when exercising.

One of the surprises was that it made my sleep hygiene better. I learned how big of an affect alcohol has on sleep among other things. My sleep quality goes down even if I eat too much before bed or get too much screentime.