Check out this piece written by one of our incredible Marketing Interns, Melissa Guimond!

Wondering what all the hustle and bustle is about the fitness trackers & how they're changing people’s lives? Do you want to become more active and be more conscious of your health? Wearable technology companies such as Fitbit have all different versions of wearable fitness trackers that can be extremely helpful in reaching your goals!

These trackers come in a range of sizes, features, colors and prices. When it comes to reaching your fitness goals, steps are just the beginning. Did you know that these devices track every part of your day from activity and exercise, to food, weight and sleep! Be sure to pick an option that accounts for the things that are important to YOU! We’ve broken down some of the most popular features so that you can get a better idea of what you’re looking for, and pick a wearable that supplements your lifestyle!

Heart Rate Monitoring:

This feature measures your resting and current heart rate while wearing the device. Many also measure beats per minute, as well as how long you are in Fat Burn, Cardio or Peak heart rate zones. This can we a great feature to keep track of your resting heart rate, and to measure how hard you are pushing yourself during various forms of exercise and physical activity.

Sleep Tracking:

Many wearable devices have the cabilility of estimating your sleep stages using a combination of your movement and heart-rate patterns. While you’re sleeping make sure to wear your device, so it will be able to track the beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate. This is known as heart rate variability (HRV), which fluctuates as you transition between light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep stages.

Alarms:

 Brands such as FitBit offer a unique, silent alarm feature. While in your Fitbit app you have the option of creating alarms that will vibrate your wrist to wake you up. To set this up, go into the Fitbit app. Click on the top right-hand icon, then click on the name of your device (i.e. Alta HR). Then go to silent alarms and can set alarms. These alarms are a great way to wake you up without waking up others around you with noise.

Interchangeable Bands:

Devices such as the Apple Watch and many Fitbit trackers allow the wearer to switch out the watch band if desired. Bands come in a variety of colors, styles, and even materials! Switch out the rubber band that comes with your device with a metal or leather option for a more fashionable look!

Here are our top three picks for the best overall Fitness Trackers of 2018!

Apple Watch Series 3 (starting at $329):

What We Like:

     • Stylish!

     • Interchangeable bands

     • Heart Rate Sensor

     • Water Resistant

     • Wifi Enabled

     • Bluetooth

What We Don’t Like:

     • Short Battery Life

     • Pricetag

 

Garmin Vivosport ($169.99):

What We Like:

     • Fairly Priced

     • GPS Enabled

     • Heart Rate Monitoring

     • Stress Tracking

     • Long Battery Life

     • Bluetooth Enabled

What We Don’t Like:

     • Smaller Watchface

     • No interchangeable bands

 

FitBit Versa ($199.99):

What We Like:

     • Middle-of-the-road Pricing

     • GPS & Bluetooth Enabled

     • Heart Rate Monitoring

     • Long Battery Life

     • SIlent Alarms

What We Don’t Like:

     • Not quite as stylish as the Apple Watch, but feel free to switch the watchface to one of the options in the app quickly and easily!