Which fitness band?
Discussion
The counterpoint:
I have had a few fitness bands over the years, going right back to the original Nike Fuel band. They can be useful for sure when starting out on a path to fitness, or if you have a generally sedentary lifestyle and want change it. However, it all comes down to what type of exercise you are doing and how you want to record your sessions. I got to a point where because of the sports and activities I was undertaking (kettlebells, boxing, Krav Maga, football) I had to remove my wrist mounted band (due to comfort, contact or inadvertent button-pressing). What is the point of a fitness tracker that I have to remove when exercising? I moved to a chest worn ECG rather than wrist worn optical HR monitor which is much more valuable as an exercise tracker, but not as an every-day fitness tracker.
TLDR: If you want to count steps then get a wrist tracker. If you want to monitor your workouts properly, get a chest HR monitor.
I have had a few fitness bands over the years, going right back to the original Nike Fuel band. They can be useful for sure when starting out on a path to fitness, or if you have a generally sedentary lifestyle and want change it. However, it all comes down to what type of exercise you are doing and how you want to record your sessions. I got to a point where because of the sports and activities I was undertaking (kettlebells, boxing, Krav Maga, football) I had to remove my wrist mounted band (due to comfort, contact or inadvertent button-pressing). What is the point of a fitness tracker that I have to remove when exercising? I moved to a chest worn ECG rather than wrist worn optical HR monitor which is much more valuable as an exercise tracker, but not as an every-day fitness tracker.
TLDR: If you want to count steps then get a wrist tracker. If you want to monitor your workouts properly, get a chest HR monitor.
mikiec said:
Oura ring,
Not a watch/band but is great. Key features for me were waterproof and measuring Heart rate variability which most bands don’t do. App is great and provides loads of info, especially on sleep and recovery.
Interesting first person I’ve come across that has one. Does it accurately measure distance run / walked / cycled? And calories burnt? Not a watch/band but is great. Key features for me were waterproof and measuring Heart rate variability which most bands don’t do. App is great and provides loads of info, especially on sleep and recovery.
I watch myself due to the health monitoring as well as everything else. Battery life pisses me off but it’s very good at what it does.
mikiec said:
Oura ring,
Not a watch/band but is great. Key features for me were waterproof and measuring Heart rate variability which most bands don’t do. App is great and provides loads of info, especially on sleep and recovery.
Im interested in these. Dont care about activity tracking as I always wear a Garmin when exercising but interested in the sleep tracking in something small like a ring, wearing a watch in bed annoys me.Not a watch/band but is great. Key features for me were waterproof and measuring Heart rate variability which most bands don’t do. App is great and provides loads of info, especially on sleep and recovery.
I use a finger sensors for HRV measurement in the morning so having it do that automatically as well would be useful.
Quite expensive though.
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