Fitness trackers contain useful technology that can track your heart rate and activity levels to encourage more activity in your daily life. The best gadget is one that is able to keep track of your heart rate, workout data (distance, speed, time etc), and calories burned. It's important to make sure that your fitness tracker is accurate since you want to be able to get precise data to understand your physical activity metrics.
Most fitness trackers can strap to your wrist to wear regularly. They are designed as a watch with a pulse sensor but more research-based devices are chest straps. The good thing with owning a watch-style fitness tracker is having a stylish accessory that you can monitor easily.
You will find a series of different models and brands available and it can sometimes be hard to determine which fitness tracker best meets your needs. Interestingly, these smart watches are compatible with both iOS and Android systems for convenient activity tracking. Whether you are looking for a sophisticated high tech fitness tracker or a simple but gorgeous one, this is a must-read article.
Stay tuned to learn more about our top five fitness trackers!
Top 5: Fitness Trackers Review For Running, Weight Loss, Heart Rate Monitoring & More
Product Image & Rating (Out Of 10) | Product Name | Price |
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9.8 | ||
9.6 | ||
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8.6 | ||
8.5 |
This Fitbit Charge 3 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband features a PurePulse continuous monitor that will automatically track your heart rate to keep you in the loop regarding your cardiovascular health. The tracker will also calculate the calories burned throughout the day as you undertake your physical fitness regime. You will love the simplified heart rate zones that focus on fat burn, cardio as well as peak.
It is constructed with a splash proof material so you can comfortably exercise in the rain with this tracker. You can also view the incoming calls, texts, social media alerts, calendar notifications, and any reminders you've set on your phone via the OLED display. Moreover, it will automatically track how long and well you sleep. With this data, the tracker can help you sleep better as well as wake you up with its subtle silent alarm that vibrates on your wrist.
You can benefit from the personalized Cardio Fitness Score which you obtain by analyzing your fitness level. When exercising indoors or outdoors, you can utilize the GPS connected to the tracker to view the real-time stats right on your wrist as you workout.
You can undertake personalized guided breathing sessions that are planned as per the heart rate data collected. The heart rate tracking technology featured is super accurate and the results displayed will be impacted by your physiology, location as well as varying movements.
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This Runme Fitness Tracker is built for those who love to do a variety of activities. It has multiple sport modes including walking, running, cycling, hiking and more. The data is accurately recorded as you go about your daily activity. It has GPS connectivity that allows you to access other devices like your smartphone on which a map can be clearly displayed for directions when running or hiking outdoors.
This might be the best fitness tracker as it has a 65mAh Li battery that only takes a few hours to fully charge, and it will last up to 5-7 days on that charge. This IP67-rated water resistant wristwear also features a large 0.96" OLED touchscreen display so you can clearly view the data even under bright sunlight.
Since it's IP67-rated water resistant, you can freely wash your hands, take a shower, swim, or workout in the rain hassle free. The remote camera shooting function comes in handy when you want to take photographs of memorable places or yourself.
The wrist sense function allows the tracker to monitor your heart rate so you are aware of your health quality throughout.
The sedentary alert will make your life more efficient since it notifies you to get up and walk around. You can also be alerted to things like incoming calls, messages, and other notifications like emails. With the silent vibrating alarm, this fitness tracker will wake you up in a calm way. Furthermore, its sleep monitoring function will allow you to analyze your sleep quality. This is because it will tell you for how long you slept and how well.
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The TEYO Fitness Tracker will record all activities you undertake on a daily basis accurately. It will display information regarding the steps you make, distance traveled, calories burned, time consumed, and the speed you are running/walking at. This makes it possible for you to plan ahead for a quality lifestyle with adequate physical fitness.
This smartwatch features a heart rate monitor that measures your pulse while working out. This keeps you in the loop with your health status despite the intensity of your workout. You can also do a blood pressure test with this fitness tracker on a 24-hour-clock real-time.
It will effectively analyze the quality of your sleep by monitoring how deep and light you sleep. With this information, you can improve your lifestyle by sleeping better at night.
The USB charging function makes recharging this smartwatch quite convenient and efficient as you do it directly. It should be fully charged after only two hours of plugging in so you don't have to spend much time waiting.
You can get this watch in a maximum size of 9.4 Inches so it fits well on your wrist. It is made with several holes that you can adjust so as to get the proper fit for yourself. This will ensure that the watch is comfortable when on your wrist.
You can get notifications of any incoming home calls, text messages, app notifications, intimate ring, vibratory awaking, and sedentary remind. This means you won't miss any special event you should attend to.
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This Mgaolo Fitness Tracker wristwear features an advanced heart rate sensor which monitors your pulse automatically on a 24/7 basis. So you can monitor your heart rate when undertaking workout routines with varying intensities. With this data, you can significantly improve your lifestyle by adjusting your workout plan as per your needs.
With this Mgaolo tracker, you will be able to automatically detect the quality of your sleep as the tracker will do an analysis of your sleep quality. The watch will keep track of your sleep and wake time in order to help you set the silent vibrating alarm. This way, each time you wake up you will be refreshed both mentally and physically.
You will be able to keep track and count of each step you make while also calculating the distance you run or walk. The watch also displays information regarding the calories burnt after completing each workout plan. The device is, therefore, more suitable for anyone looking for a way to track daily workout activities while making the process more effective with the blood pressure sensor.
You can receive smart notifications in your email, call, text as well as social media alerts to help you keep up with your social and business life.
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You should get this BETIMESYU Fitness Tracker to record your daily activities with accuracy. The watch will precisely record each step you make, the distance covered, speed, calories burned during workout, and the amount of time you were physically active. With this data, you can come up with a more effective workout plan depending on your fitness level.
It features an optical heart rate sensor that will always keep count of your pulse for 24 hours of healthy living. This extraordinary wrist-wear also comes in handy when you want to determine your energy consumption while doing exercises of varying intensities.
Innovatively built, this tracker comes with a waterproof and dustproof standard material so you can undertake any activities like swimming or showering without worrying about damaging it.
The watch will intelligently detect the quality of your sleep by analyzing how long you sleep, as well as your REM cycles. With this information, you can monitor your nights to make sure you're rested for your days.
You can also rely on this fitness watch to track the status of your 'blood pressure' or 'blood oxygen'. Once you press the specified button, this data will be directly displayed on the screen of the phone you've connected to the gadget. This should enable you to know what changes your body is experiencing.
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Buying Guide
There are a lot of prestigious fitness tracker manufacturers out there and each brand comes with innovative features that make it superior over others. As such, when buying a fitness tracker you should consider how beneficial the high-tech functions can be to your lifestyle.
For instance, all the above reviewed models have a super-long battery life so you can workout without time limitations. What's more, these are all the latest smart wrist-wear brands so they come with a sleep quality monitoring function. This will help you adopt a healthier lifestyle as you sleep better and the silent vibration alarm should help you wake up on time. These fitness trackers will display data showing your sleep quality.
best fitness tracker
In addition to the pros and cons listed in this buying guide, picking any of the above top five options means you won't miss an important call, text, or email even when you're out of the office. They will also alert you when you set a reminder or receive a notification from other platforms like social media.
While all these can be classified as the five best fitness trackers, we must admit that the Fitbit Charge 3 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband won our hearts. It is built with an extra large OLED display screen so you can clearly view your statistics even under direct sunlight. It comes with a Cardio Fitness Score function and GPS connectivity for more efficient but convenient use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you track using a fitness tracker?
Over the past several years, fitness trackers have evolved to allow you to keep track of many different pieces of data. Whereas you were once able to pretty much only count the number of steps you took in a day, today you can measure more advanced things, such as the number of calories you burned or even how long you sleep at night.
Not all fitness trackers offer the same features and tracking capabilities. Some are only available on more advanced models. Below is a list of some of the metrics you may be able to track, depending on the model you choose:
- Daily steps
- Active minutes
- Number of minutes spent exercising
- Exercise routes
- Flights of stairs
- Number of laps swam in a pool
- Heart rate
- Heart rate zones
- Calories burned
- Sleep
- Female health
Should I get a fitness tracker?
Whether you should get a fitness tracker is a personal decision. You'll want to think about how you would use it and whether you feel it would be a worthwhile decision for you.
Many people find that using fitness trackers can help keep them motivated to be active. Since you'll be able to look down at your wrist and instantly view how many steps you've taken so far and other information about your activity levels, you may be more motivated to move more and see the numbers increase.
The apps for many fitness trackers can also be used to set up competitions with your friends, which can also increase your motivation to be more active. You may choose to set a step goal and see who can reach it first each day or see who moves the most over the week.
Since most fitness trackers will send activity alerts, it can also help you make sure you're getting enough movement every day. If you haven't reached a certain number of steps towards the end of an hour, you'll receive a notification to get up and move around.
A fitness tracker can also be a very useful tool in working to maximize your workouts. Since they can track your heart rate, you can work to ensure that it remains in the ideal range to achieve the best results from your workout.
You can pair your fitness tracker with your smartphone (or view information online) related to your activity levels. This can help you track your progress overtime or set goals and create a plan to achieve them.
Many fitness trackers can also be paired with your phone to notify you when you receive a call or a text message. Smartwatches also offer fitness tracking capabilities, so you could add other features, such as the ability to make phone calls, to your fitness tracker if you purchase a smartwatch option.
Will a fitness tracker work without a smartphone?
Yes, fitness trackers will work without a smartphone. You just won't be able to view the data related to your activity levels on your phone, but you should be able to view it through an online website.
Can fitness trackers be used to track laps for swimming?
Some fitness trackers can be used to track the number of laps you swim, but you will want to confirm that the model you are interested in offers this feature.
How long does the battery on a fitness tracker last?
The battery life of each fitness tracker varies. The battery in some basic models may last close to a week, while some other models will need to be charged every day or two.
The different features offered by the tracker can have a big impact on the battery. For example, trackers with color touchscreens will have a much shorter battery life.
How is a fitness tracker different from a pedometer?
Pedometers are designed to track the number of steps you take. They are often more accurate at doing this than a fitness tracker, but this is the only thing they are able to do.
In addition to counting the number of steps you take, fitness trackers can track lots of other information including how many flights of stairs you climbed, the route/total distance you traveled on a run, your heart rate, the number of calories you burned, how much restful sleep you get at night, and so much more.
Fitness trackers can also be paired with a smartphone where you'll be able to view graphs and charts showing your workout patterns and progress over time meeting activity goals.
What can I use instead of a fitness tracker?
If you're looking for alternatives to fitness trackers, there are a few different options you can consider.
Pedometers
Pedometers are designed to track the number of steps you take. They are more accurate than most fitness trackers at doing this, but do not offer the ability to track any other metrics. Pedometers are significantly less expensive than most fitness trackers.
Health and Fitness Apps
There are numerous health and fitness apps available to help you set goals and make progress towards reaching them. Some of these apps are free, while others will require a paid subscription.
- Fitness apps: These apps offer many of the features that fitness trackers offer. They'll let you keep track of your daily steps and view graphs and data related to your step totals and workouts. You may receive a free version of a fitness app with your smartphone.
- Meal tracking apps: A meal tracking app can help you monitor your daily caloric and nutritional intake. These can help you stay within your calorie goal for each day by imputing each food you eat. You will need to manually enter all of this information, though, as the apps cannot determine what you're eating on their own.
- Workout apps: There are also apps designed to help you work out. Some may offer different workout videos to help you work on different areas of your body. Other apps can be used to develop a workout routine to help you meet a specific goal.
Heart Rate Monitor
Heart rate monitors either strap around your chest or your wrist and can track your heart rate. These monitors are typically more accurate than fitness trackers at measuring your heart rate, but they can't do anything else.
How can you increase your motivation to exercise?
If you've noticed a decline in your motivation to get up and moving, there are many things you can try to increase your motivation and drive. Below are a few ideas that many find to be very helpful:
- Set specific goals for yourself
- Find exercise activities that you enjoy doing
- Find a workout/accountability partner
- Don't compare your results with others
- Track your workouts and progress
- Give yourself rewards for making progress towards your goals
- Set a consistent time to work out in your schedule
- Use a fitness tracker
Will a Fitness Tracker Help Me With Weight Loss?
Although it does not force you to be active, a fitness tracker is a handy device that can collect data on your activity levels and encourage you to be more active. Tech enthusiasts might love a fitness tracker more as it provides you with readily digestible data that you can use to better your fitness level as well as improve your health. It will also allow you to know how long you workout and sleep as these influence how healthy you are. Overall, fitness trackers can drastically improve your lifestyle and encourage healthier choices.
Which Fitness Tracker Is the Best?
It is hard to narrow down this decision to a single brand since manufacturers and users have different approaches into what they want to achieve. This is why we have included the brands we highly recommend in the conclusion but included five top models to give you a clue of what you should be looking for. This article is a guide meant to make your shopping experience less stressful.
Do Fitness Trackers Automatically Detect When a Workout Begins?
Not necessarily. Some of them like Fitbit will automatically begin counting your steps when you start walking or running. However, you have to press a 'start recording' button when using other options that lack this digital feature. This is usually done by installing a sports app that will display varying statistics as per the fitness activity you're undertaking.
Are There Fitness Trackers For Running?
All of the products that we listed are good for running!
Do Fitness Trackers Have Heart Rate Monitors?
Yes, most of them do these days. Of course you want to check the product features to make extra sure that's the case.
Final Verdict
Before settling on a fitness tracker in the market, be sure to look out for the durability of the make material and its duality. This will shed more light onto whether the tracker is waterproof or not. This will in turn determine if you can go swimming, diving, running under the rain, or take a shower with the tracker on your wrist.
Be on the lookout for more advanced features as technology is evolving every other day. However, you should know that most high-tech devices are considered high-end so you must be willing to invest more.
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