Has your fitness tracker / smartwatch helped you get fitter?

[sarahb083]

I'm thinking about getting a fitness tracker or smartwatch so that I can track my activity levels and hopefully get a bit more active. The sleep scores and heart rate also look interesting. I'm worried that I'll get one, use it for a few weeks, and it'll end up in a drawer. If you've bought one, what has your experience been?

I had a tracker watch and used it for step counting. Did definitely work to encourage me to walk more and made me realise when I wasn’t moving enough. I managed to break it and bought a few, cheaper, replacements that weren’t as reliable. I’m saving for an Apple Watch

At first, it made me try to do my 10,000 steps.
Now when it tells me to move after 15mins sitting on my arse I ignore it🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

I use if mainly to track my running.
I've got quicker but that was normal running progression ifswim

interesting to see heart rate as well.
and to get reminders every hour to stand up and stretch.

with regard to sleep tracking - I don't think it's very reliable. it sometimes tells me I had 7 hours asleep even if I was awake listening to podcasts for hours in the night

I've found mine to be really helpful. I use it mainly to count steps and record my runs. The sleep tracker isn't accurate (fitbit)

Thank you! Any other experiences?

Not here, it doesn't inspire me at all, I do use it though, as a watch, I like the message function and the fact it reminds me I've got something coming up in my calendar!

I have done no exercise for years, and I mean none. A month ago I started swimming 4x a week and walking and I am obsessed with the Apple Watch that I've owned for years! Suddenly it's all about closing the rings and tracking my swims etc. it's making a huge difference to me and keeping me seriously motivated in a way that I've never been before in my life. I would absolutely recommend a smart watch of some kind.

I reckon this depends a lot on the kind of person you are: I'm data driven, I like facts and figures. That means it's a lot more inspiring to me than it would be to someone without an equivalent interest.

I got one about 5 months ago. Gone form lounge lizard to average 8000 steps per day. I’ve moved recently and it’s mostly DIY and being on my feet all day, but it certainly helps me to understand that it’s actually relatively easy to get steps in most day and be active. It makes me feel like it’s worth sticking on some upbeat music and dance like no one is watching for just a couple of tracks to improve activity . So I think it’s good to help with adding up every little bit you can fit in and motivate you just to move.
I don’t use sleep thing though ,I’m menopausal and don’t need a machine to tell me how crap my sleep is🤣

I had a fit bit years ago that barely got used but recently got an amazfit which was about £25 and pretty good for the price. Ive found it does help me move more.it reminds me to move during a work day and has shown me how much pottering I actually do at home so all in all being pretty useful

I have an Apple Watch and there are days when I ignore when it tells me to move more and close my rings. Overall though it’s good to track how many calories you are burning and how much you’ve moved plus the added bonus of getting messages on your watch if you’re phone isn’t to hand.

I have an Apple watch (Series 6) and I love the fact I can track my exercise and my sleep (although the built in app is awful..i bought one for like £2 which goes really indepth even down to how many times a minute i breathe when I sleep so it was worth it.

It gives a monthly challenge which I find really motivating. Mine for this month is to burn 25,000 calories and it tells me how much I need to burn each day to achieve that goal..
I like seeing my rings being closed each day and It gives me the motivation to keep going so I can close them.

You have three rings (Move/Exercise/Stand) and you can set your own goals to something that is manageable for you.

It works for me
I need targets and goal
I started with a Fitbit and the whole ten thousand steps thing
And now have an Apple Watch
Keeps me motivated

oh yes I like listening to music or podcasts whilst running without having to take my phone.

I'm not really interested in being tracked or wearing anything on me but I am intrigued. In my young 20s I was bought a bridesmaid dress and it was too small. I lived alone and became obsessed with weight loss. Back then these things weren't available, but does it encourage obsessive behaviour, and maybe eating disorders?

I love mine. (Fitbit).

It certainly encourages me to be more active, and I really like the fact that all my calls/WhatsApps/messages come through on it even if my phone is in my bag. And I can answer my phone on it if I have my airpods in.

Thanks - sounds like it may be worth getting one. Any features I should look out for? Which watch do you recommend?

I'm worried that the Apple Watch monthly challenges may kill me!

As a pp says, it very much depends on your personality. I am prone to obsessions and I'm not sure that my watch is good for me. DH also has one and doesn't care if he meets his goals etc. He uses it to improve his swimming performance, maintain his walking pace etc, but never does the monthly challenges.

I meet all of my goals every day, and would be very upset if I lost my "streak". The monthly challenges step up alarmingly. Each time I achieve one the next one is harder (predictably!). My current challenge is to run or walk 450 miles this month. That's 15 miles every day, and about 35,000 steps for me. Be warned!

I use it to track my periods as I’m not on contraception, so that’s handy. I’ve always been fit and very active so a tracker hasn’t made any difference to that.

I am also considering getting an apple watch - maybe the cheapest ones available as I think I would only want to wear it during exercise, as a way to measure heart rate, play music, get messages, be safe etc, without taking my phone with me (or depending on which one I get, without having to take my phone out of my pocket).

I don't think I'd wear it all the time but maybe I'd get into all the other aspects of it.

I wish the new one had had some of the rumoured features like blood pressure monitoring, glucose monitoring etc that had been suggested, as I might want to wear it full time if that.

I know some people also use other apps on it, but I don't really know what else they're good for - someone said a haptic metronome for music practice, which could be useful for me, but don't know about all the sleep, meditation, motivation type ones ,or whether there is anything else non-health related that it does.

Nope, just gave me an awful itchy rash

I have used Fitbits in the past which helped, but I always wanted an Apple Watch. Not just for the fitness aspect of it, but for everything else it does too. Finally bought a pair for me and DP in July and we absolutely love them. They are expensive, but honestly, well worth it in my opinion. I love the rings that you have to close, and that you can tweak your goals to suit your needs. I'm much more active with it than without it.

I've used a few Fitbit devices for a number of years now. It has nudged me to become more active, be aware of my sleep, my heart rate, etc.

I has an earlier gen Apple Watch and hated that I had to re-charge it every day (maybe that has changed now?). The Fitbit device I have lasts 4 or 5 days.

I have an Apple Watch. (It was a gift.) I do like it, but it's also nagware. Constantly on at me to stand up, breathe, close my rings. If I'm in the wrong kind of mood I find it quite irritating.

It doesn't motivate me, especially, but I do think it depends on your personality. Some people do find them extremely useful.

I also find all the data about heart rates, oxygen levels and so on freaks me out a bit. But I am also a health anxiety person, so again, that will depend on whether you are inclined to worry about the odd weird reading. (Which you will get, because even the Apple Watch is not 100% perfect at everything.)

can you turn all that stuff off and just use it for exercise? Or if I get one, will I be constantly nagged for not reaching goals (especially if I only use it for when I go out on a walk/run/cycle?)