Does anyone use a fitness band? What would you recommend, a Fitbit or Garmin Vivofit?
I don't think either, alone, will help you that much really. The number of steps you take is largely irrelevant as you need to be able to cover distance quickly/efficiently and work out on your strength for all those obstacles.Therefore, with a smart phone linked to one of the free apps with a bluetooth heart rate monitor such as the Polar H7 or a fitness band with GPS (and ideally heart rate monitor compatibility). Will help you track your runs, compare times and intensity and see areas were you need to improve. And, when in the gym the heart monitor will help you gauge the intensity of your training.However, if you don't think you will ever use this kit post Tough Mudder you can train pretty well without it and save some cash for some PT sessions instead.
If you only plan to use Fitbit for its pedometer capability (and not the sleeping part) is it a wise purchase or a bit of a waste?
The FitBit Zip seems tailor-made for this scenario. It's very small and light, weighing the same as only about 8 paperclips. Also, it does not have a rechargeable battery; instead, it has a battery that lasts up to 6 months before needing to be replaced. This completely avoids the weekly maintenance of fiddling with remembering to remove it to charge, actually charging it, and remembering to grab it to use again afterwards. By utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy, it can frequently wirelessly update a smartphone with data without sapping battery life of either device. Not needing to ever "plug it in" anywhere to sync or charge allows the Zip to be incredibly great at simply getting out of your way, yet the FitBit app and website allow you to gain a great deal of historical data and tracking that a simpler, disconnected, pedometer wouldn't as effortlessly facilitate. I don't work for FitBit, this is just my take on their hitting a fantastic sweet spot of a market segment.
What non conventional use have you used a Fitbit for?
Coffee timer. We had pump coffee pots with lids that opens up vertically, and it was always a guessing game as to how fresh the coffee was. So during one of the hackathons at Fitbit, one of my colleagues took a Fitbit zip and hacked the software to display time since last brew. Using the accelerometer to detect when the lid was opened and shut last, and display hours elapsed since then. A brilliant use of Fitbit flex.
Need a good cheap fitness tracker. Any recommendations?
It needs to track stuff like steps, miles, and calories. In addition to that it needs to replace my watch, my watch is a basic digital watch with stuff like clock, stopwatch, timer, and alarms. It also needs to be somewhat waterproof for swimming. Is this asking too much?
Fitbit for my age?
I think you are too serious an athlete to get much useful data from a fitbit. I think the fit bit is more for old people who need a daily target. I would go with a sports watch instead so you can time your runs. Update. oops. i thought i knew what it was but then i checked the website. oh, my. i think i want one now too. one thing you might want to look at - is it too big for your wrist. Its also so expensive. you really need to compare it to other $200 devices. Check out the website DCRainMaker. He gives great reviews of sports watches. Also how do you listen to your music? does it have bluetooth? I've always had garmin products myself. maybe wait for the new Garmin to come out.
Should I buy a fitbit?
I would say the Fitbit is definitely worth it. I've had one since March and I've found it has made some positive changes to my daily routine, and in turn to my weight and fitness levels. Since I got the Fitbit, I have hardly used the lift in my building, and I tend to get out and walk much more than I used to, sometimes walking instead of taking a bus or just getting off and walking from a stop or two earlier than I would normally.With the Fitbit website helping to keep track of a range of stats in one place, it is easier to see over time how changes to diet, exercise and sleep can each affect your weight and your health.I have tried the calorie counting and sleep tracking functions on-and-off, and found them both useful, but I think that the core functionality of the Fitbit - counting footsteps, floors you've climbed, and calories burned - is what makes it such a valuable product. That, and you can just clip it on and forget about it, or keep an eye on it through the day to see how you're doing in comparison to your goals.(Note that if you're tracking your food intake outside of the US, you'll need to enter all your calorie information manually for each thing you eat or drink, but it will remember those foods for you from then onward.)
Alta fitbit, do you know ?
If you want more info about the fitbit alta check out the video review here: [1]Footnotes[1] Fitbit Alta Review: Should I buy the Fitbit Alta?
Can I use the blaze Fitbit as a stand alone without a device?
Not really certain what you are asking. You can use any Fitbit without a phone or computer but will not have access to stats after midnight when it resets. With the app or website you can reference your past performance, set goals, etc. Hope this answers your question. Edit to add: the stats shown on your Fitbit will not be accurate unless it is set up online to your weight, height, which arm is dominant and which arm you intend to wear it on, and more.
How does Fitbit work?
That’s a nice question, especially if you are planning to buy one.Have you ever heard of a term called Pedometer? No refer this (Pedometer - Wikipedia)In short!! I will say that Fitbit is a smarter pedometer with a lot of popularity because it was the first and most simple product in this ‘Wearable Industry’.Fitbit counts your steps like a pedometer, which means it detects the movement of your wrists for tracking steps.Apart form this, it also has a simple PPG sensor or a heart rate sensor which detects the presence of a heart beat. This helps Fitbit to count the number of pulse detected on your wrist in a minute.So, now you know that how Fitbit calculates your steps and heart-rate. Fitbit uses these two parameters to calculate the amount of activity calories burnt and distance covered while running.Another question that could come up to your mind is “Are they accurate?”.The most obvious and correct answer will be NO. WHY you ask?Well, there is no PPG sensor across the globe which is accurate enough to track correct count of pulses through your wrist, especially when you are working out. It will be great if you could google that how a PPG sensor actually works.Secondly you can never track correct number of steps by only tracking your upper body movements.What if you have been driving a car for a long time? Undoubtedly, these pedometers track those movements as steps.Same will be the case, if you have been walking for a long time in Walmart with that cart in your hands. Well, your hands were not moving but your legs were!! but Fitbit does not know about it and hence they are not counted as steps.