Why You Should Try a Fitness Tracker
If you are on a quest to better track and be held accountable for your health and fitness, look no further than a fitness tracker. Fitness trackers are small devices (they usually look like digital wrist watches) that can monitor anything from your steps, heart rate, and even sleep patterns. More advanced models can even help you track your overall progress, set goals and help you achieve said goals. Below we will detail out some of the benefits of using a fitness tracker and some of the best ones to look into.
Benefits of Fitness Trackers
Accountability. We all know how hard it can be to stick with something—especially with nothing or no one knowing we set goals for ourselves. That is where a fitness tracker can come in. Many trackers can keep track of your goals and progress and even alert you when you are falling short. It can be the psychological boost you need to stick with your routine even when you are “too busy”.
Tailored Goals. Not everyone is meant to accomplish every goal. You may not be in a place to or it may not be something that interests you. However, having a fitness tracker can allow you to set goals you can attain and that will hold you interest so you actually accomplish them. These trackers can even provide you with tips and tricks so you are checking boxes left and right.
Sleep tracking. Getting your ZZZs is an important aspect of our overall health and fitness. Too many people think burning the candle at both ends is the only way to obtain goals and fit their workouts in, but it causes more damage than it solves. Tracking your sleep allows you to see how well you are sleeping by monitoring your movements. Three full cycles of sleep per night important to maintaining proper energy levels while also giving your brain and body the time they need to recover.
Best Fitness Trackers
1. Fitbit Charge 4. This tracker has a seven-day battery life before it needs a recharge, accurate and fast GPS, large community of users and overall good design. You can even sync this to your smartphone to pull up maps of your runs/hikes. From there you can track pace, elevation, heart rate and calories burned.
2. Garmin Forerunner 245. This tracker includes 11 hours of battery life, accurate GPS, is easy to read in the sunlight, has customizable interface and onboard music storage. The Garmin also features a recovery advisor that will let you know how long you need to rest between your workouts.
3. Amazon Halo. With a seven-day battery life this tracker is so light weight you will barely notice it is there, is an excellent companion app and the tone analysis can be fascinating. This tracker gives you the option to use their $3.99/month service that provides a holistic catalog of health metrics to help you reach your fitness goals.