I have always had an interest in keeping track of my steps and walking but haven’t wanted to give up the traditional watch since I rely on it a-lot to ensure I am on schedule for what I am working on that day. One of my biggest issues with any fitness tracker is that you have to charge them nightly or at least weekly. I could never understand why we couldn’t have a fitness tracker that can last for a few months or a year. So I started my search for a fitness tracker that would meet my needs.
I ended up with the Gramin VivoFit which has been awesome, it has a battery life of one year and can track my steps and sleep. I realized I don’t need a tracker that keeps track of my heart beat, pulse, text messages and lots of other functions, if I did I would want it to replace my iPhone completely. Why would I need a computer on my wrist and in my pocket.
- The Garmin is water resistant to 5 ATMs so going into a pool or shower wouldn’t be a problem. Which seems to be an issue with me and technology
Many years ago I tried FitBit Charge since it had a small screen and it tracked your steps and heart rate. I didn’t like the nightly charging and even if I got it to last a few days by not syncing it to my phone it wasn’t really helping me to keep up my fitness. The best thing I realized was I was traveling to Puerto Rico and we decided to go in the pool since it was so hot outside. I jumped in and started swimming around, my son mentioned Dad your watch. I knew it wasn’t a problem since it was water proof but my fitBit Charge was right next to it. Well that died immediately and I was mildly upset.
I was continued to be determined to find a better tracker. My research continued and found out the MisFit Ray was waterproof and had a 6 month battery life. I tried it, its lightweight, comfortable and easy to charge without any interface. It worked for a while but I could never get the band to stay around my wrist. I tried different ways of taping it together and even changing the band but nothing was ideal.
As you look for your next fitness tracker, consider what you really need before you go and buy something with features that you aren’t going to use.
For me its the Garmin VivoFit
- Long Battery life
- Reliability of tracking steps
- Easy interface
- Water resistant
What are yours?
