can i wear a fitbit in the water or is there an equivelant

[havemercy]

I've only just learnt about fitbits! As I saw lots of people including a friend wearing one and finally plucked up the courage to ask her what it is.

I've recently started exercising. I'm starting with swimming as I have painful joints but hope to progress to running as my fitness levels improve.

I love swimming but found counting laps boring and I'm tempted to cheat by adding the odd lap/doing easy strokes

Can anyone recommend me a fitbit that I can wear in the pool please. Thanks in advance

[lljkk]

Swimmovate is meant for swimmers, will count your laps.
Fitbits seem to usually count steps, some try to do heart rate as well.

[havemercy]

Thanks look lljkk. I will take a look at that. Will it measure my heart rate too?

I'm only just starting on my fitness journey. Things have changed so much over the last 10 years! I've been told to work out at 75% of my maximum pulse rate!

[lljkk]

The higher spec poolmate (swimmovate) will do your HR. The problem is that HR straps tend to slip while you're swimming, so hard to capture.

You probably should not work out at 75% of maxHR in the pool - -or rather, your maxHR in the pool is different from your maxHR doing most other sports. So 75% is a different number in the pool. Because people are horizontal in the pool & the water buoyancy changes what your heart does.

This explains a bit (lots of other links available).

[PikachuSayBoo]

The new fitbit flex 2 is designed to be used in the pool and I believe will capture strokes. Not sure it's been released yet but will be any day if it hasn't.

[havemercy]

Wow skim-read that article thanks lljkk. Was a bit complicated for me! But I'm hopeful that I will start understanding these things as I get fitter.

Thanks pikachu, will take a look at fitbit flex. I don't really need stroke capture. I just want to lose some weight and tone up a bit (and lessen my risk of stroke and heart disease). So if the fitbit flex works underwater then I'm happy

[Daisy2315]

We have been looking at the Fitbit 2 for dd as she does a lot of swimming and it looks good.

[MrsMook]

I use a polar M400 mainly for running, and it has lifestyle tracking on it too much like the fitbits. The Bluetooth chest strap doesn't work in the water, and smooth arm movements tend to underestimate my efforts being registered, so I put it on my ankle as it registers the kicks better.

[NightNightBadger19962]

Look at withings activite pop trackers - although it did record my dance workout as swimming, and needed a bit of encouragement to log my holiday swims as actual swimming (if you manually enter what time you were swimming between, it then seems to 'learn' that that type of movement is swimming.

[NightNightBadger19962]

Sorry forgot this was an old thread