7 features to look for when buying a fitness tracker

Key Takeaways

• Compatibility, sturdiness, and water resistance are primary considerations.
• You want an correct coronary heart fee sensor, and doubtless GPS.
• A super machine has options like a blood oxygen sensor in addition to readiness and restoration scoring.

Delving into health tech can generally be as intimidating as adopting a match life-style. Smartwatches and different health trackers can value anyplace from underneath $50 to effectively over $1,000, and it isn’t all the time clear what advantages you may get from spending the additional money. Fortunately, my real-world weightlifting and working expertise has taught me what options are genuinely helpful versus simply good perks.

1 Health tracker machine compatibility

Your telephone dictates your choices

In the mean time, any health tracker price shopping for might be paired with a smartphone, largely for setup but in addition for syncing issues like music and notifications. In that regard, it is completely important to test compatibility — whereas units like Garmin and Polar watches are appropriate with each iPhones and Android, you’ll be able to’t use an Apple Watch with an Android telephone, or a Google Pixel Watch with an iPhone.

In order for you the liberty of switching manufacturers at will, it is higher to choose a multiplatform tracker, even when which means sacrificing deeper platform integration. You will nonetheless get all of the notifications and health information you are after.

2 Health tracker sturdiness and waterproofing

Choose one robust sufficient in your actions

One of many key variations between price range trackers and costly ones is their ruggedness. Low-cost fashions are primarily made out of plastic, which can be adequate for a run across the neighborhood, however not a wilderness hike or banging in opposition to barbells and different health club gear. Excessive-end trackers have a tendency to make use of numerous aluminum, titanium, or metal, and can also use sapphire instead of common glass to guard in opposition to scratches and cracking. It’s best to insist on the hardest doable supplies for those who interact in actions like mountain climbing or mountain biking.

In order for you the liberty of switching manufacturers at will, it is higher to choose a multiplatform tracker, even when which means sacrificing deeper platform integration.

Water resistance is all the time a should, though the diploma you want goes to rely in your life-style. In the event you’re solely involved about getting caught within the rain, one thing with an IP54 score will suffice. If you wish to go swimming, you need to demand one thing with a real waterproof score. The Apple Watch Collection 9, for instance, helps swimming to a depth of fifty meters (about 165 ft), whereas the Garmin Epix Professional has a 10ATM score, which means it may well deal with diving as deep as 100 meters (about 330 ft). Do not try diving with a tracker that does not particularly help it, since depth stress can doubtlessly destroy your machine.

3 Health tracker coronary heart fee sensing

The muse of all fashionable trackers

Whereas early health trackers centered on movement — the obsession with “steps” being one end result of this — an important sensor on any fashionable wearable is its coronary heart fee (HR) sensor. This gauges each the depth of your actions and a tough estimate of calorie burn. The previous is usually segmented into “zones,” which solely actually matter throughout cardio-focused exercises, however the latter may also help you bulk or minimize for those who pair it with a calorie-counting app similar to Cronometer or MyFitnessPal. You want a calorie surplus to bulk, and a deficit to chop.

Some units, like latest Apple Watches and Fitbits, can moreover monitor for indicators of atrial fibrillation (AFib), i.e. an irregular coronary heart rhythm. In the event you get an AFib warning, contact your physician instantly — false alerts are doable, however some individuals have legitimately had their lives saved by early detection.

Associated to HR expertise is ECG/EKG (electrocardiogram) sensing, however I point out it right here simply to say you’ll be able to safely ignore it. With some merchandise, it is the one means of checking for AFib, however you’ll be able to solely ever carry out an ECG studying by sitting nonetheless and holding two fingers in place. You possibly can be affected by AFib however miss out on it throughout your ECG classes.

4 Correct GPS in health trackers

Hold observe of distance, pacing, and navigation

In the event you plan to run, hike, or do absolutely anything else outside, you may need one thing with a GPS radio for location information. Multi-band GPS is preferable for max accuracy, though not strictly crucial, since some accent makers work magic with algorithms. A lot of merchandise additional help location networks, like Galileo and GLONASS — GPS is by far an important, nonetheless, particularly for those who dwell in North America.

We’re stressing accuracy as a result of, at a minimal, poor monitoring can throw off your route, distance, and pacing data. In the event you rely in your watch to navigate, you might get misplaced, and that is legitimately life-threatening for those who’re climbing by mountains or deep forests. In actual fact, you need to in all probability deliver a devoted GPS handheld and/or a paper map if there’s any concern about making your means again to civilization.

5 Blood oxygen (SpO2/Pulse Ox) health tracker sensing

Catch important well being and health points

This alternative is likely to be controversial amongst my fellow tech journalists, for the reason that common particular person can ignore blood oxygen information and be completely tremendous — Apple is continuous to promote loads of Apple Watches within the US regardless of being pressured to disable oxygen sensing in its house nation. I am together with the function as a result of for those who concentrate, oxygen ranges is usually a useful indicator of health and general well being. Blood oxygen ought to usually sit at 95% or increased, and if it is repeatedly nearer to 100%, which means you are in nice form. If ranges often slip beneath 90%, you need to in all probability see a physician and rethink any dangerous habits you might need, similar to smoking. Low oxygen in a single day could possibly be an indication of sleep apnea.

6 Coaching readiness/restoration scores

Understand how arduous you’ll be able to push your self

One of many belongings you be taught from pursuing health long-term — I have been weightlifting for over a decade — is that the efficiency you’ll be able to put out on any given day is dependent upon a mixture of things, together with sleep, eating regimen, temper, and the way worn you might be out of your final exercise. Corporations are more and more making an attempt to quantify this, supplying you with a way of whether or not you need to shoot for a brand new private report or again off briefly. In some instances, you may even get a advice on what number of hours you need to wait earlier than hitting trails or the health club, although that ought to all the time be taken with a grain of salt.

7 Lengthy health tracker battery life

It is not nearly comfort

My each day (non-review) wearable is an Apple Watch Collection 6, and my largest grievance has all the time been battery life. It may possibly get me from morning to bedtime on a single cost, however on exercise days, I generally find yourself with lower than 10% left, and that is with out utilizing GPS. If you wish to keep away from charging twice a day, or make the most of options like sleep monitoring and silent wrist alarms, I extremely advocate shopping for a watch that guarantees multi-day battery life. It is successfully obligatory for those who get pleasure from lengthy out of doors expeditions or coaching for triathlons or ultramarathons.

Even when your health routine is not that demanding, lengthy battery life is usually a godsend when touring. It means not having to hold a separate watch charger throughout shorter journeys, and with the ability to get from level A to level B with out as soon as switching on a low-power mode.

FAQ

Q: How a lot ought to I spend on a health tracker?

The reply to this is dependent upon how critically you’re taking health and/or how demanding your actions are. In the event you solely need primary monitoring that encourages you to get off the sofa, one thing as low cost because the $100 Fitbit Encourage 3 ought to do. We would not advocate going a lot decrease than that, since you may in all probability be compromising in vital areas like software program and construct high quality.

In the event you’re dedicated to reaching a tough objective like working a marathon or deadlifting 400 kilos, be ready to spend extra on a tool with superior accuracy and sturdiness, plus options like GPS and restoration/readiness scores. You needn’t lay our a fortune, however $200-300 is an efficient baseline. You possibly can simply find yourself going increased, particularly if you would like one thing that doubles as a general-purpose smartwatch.

If health is a central a part of your life or the actions you get pleasure from could be tough on electronics, you have to be spending not less than $300, and chances are you’ll find yourself dropping $700 or extra if you would like one thing with top-shelf sturdiness and battery life. You do not essentially should spend $1,000 on one thing just like the Garmin Enduro 2, however do not skimp — you would possibly wince on the considered shopping for a $700 accent, however higher that than having to interchange a $500 one which broke.

Q: Do I want GPS on a health tracker?

We might advocate the function for those who train outside, however in any other case no. In case your actions solely contain issues like yoga, energy coaching, or indoor cycles and treadmills, there’s nothing to be gained from location information. Keep in mind that one of the best trackers have a tendency to incorporate GPS regardless.