If you have been to an electronics store or searched around online recently, you have probably seen various activity trackers being advertised. These little gadgets are quite the upgrade from the old-school pedometers that people used to wear to track their physical activity.
A regular pedometer counts the number of steps you take, but can be very inaccurate because it has a hard time differentiating between real steps and other movements throughout the day like riding in the car. While regular pedometers can still be helpful in allowing you to keep track of daily physical activity, the new activity trackers are a true upgrade for lots of reasons.
What makes these activity trackers so cool? They are able to more accurately track steps and they are also able to track intensity, so they do a pretty good job at tracking overall physical activity and calories burned throughout the day. Another neat feature is that they sync with your computer or smartphone so that you can get all sorts of graphs and information at the end of each day, week, etc. You can even wear it while you exercise!
One of the main reasons I love these activity trackers is because they typically do a great job at motivating people to be more active throughout the day. Did you know that you should be getting 10,000 steps per day (about 5 miles)? Wearing an activity tracker can help you see how many you are currently getting, and also motivate you to take more steps during the day because you know you have a goal to meet! You hear about taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking further away from the store, but sometimes it is hard to be motivated to do that when you don’t have a tangible incentive. The Fitbit website (a popular brand of activity tracker) states that their users take 43% more steps – looks like it’s a great motivator!
While there are many brands of activity trackers out there, Fitbit seems to be the most popular. A few things I love about it:
-Available as a wristband (Fitbit Flex) or a clip (Fitbit Zip). The wristband comes with a built in sleep tracker. A clip option with sleep tracker is available with the Fitbit One.
-Well-priced based on quality and reviews. The Fitbit Zip is about $50 and has much better reviews than other trackers in this range.
-Fitbit syncs with other health and fitness apps including My Fitness Pal, Run Keeper, and Map My Fitness. It also has an imbedded option for entering calories and exercise info.
-Compatible with many different electronic devices. See the list here. Can also be used with a computer.
Have you tried an activity tracker that you would recommend? Did it help motivate you? Leave a comment below!
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