Wednesday 29 June 2016

Fitbit Flex - Review

I thought I'd do a review of my Fitbit Flex; I've had a fair few people ask me "is it worth the money?" and "what benefits do you get from it?" - all will be answered to the best I can. If I miss something out, just comment and I'll answer!!

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What is a Fitbit?
A Fitbit is an activity tracker that tracks predominantly your steps and distance you have travelled. It also includes how many calories you have burned and how many minutes you are active for.

There are several different types of Fitbit's varying to prices - which suit different needs.

(To see which one best suits you, go to the Fitbit website here and find out!)

I have a Fitbit Flex, I originally bought mine with a pink band but decided to get a cute floral one on eBay - I'll touch on that later!

What compelled me to buy one?
Peer pressure if I'm honest. A lot of people at my previous job had them, and with all the running around I was doing a lot of people said I should get one. I was amazed when I did, I was walking more then 6 miles a day, and that's without doing any additional exercise. I was hitting 15,000 steps regularly and became slightly obsessed with getting the 20,000 step badge at one point. 

Has it had a benefit?
Definitely; its made me more aware of how much I move and if I'm moving enough. If I'm having a lazy day at home I always try to at least do 4,000 steps a day to try and keep my step count up as much as I can. It definitely helps with my weight loss as well with the app as it tells me how much weight I've lost since a certain date. There is also a food tracking and water intake logs on the app too, its definitely helpful for people who like to keep a good track and record of everything.
One of the key features which helps me, is the sleep tracking; I'm a terrible sleeper, and sometimes I don't realise how restless I really am, which explains why I'm always so tired sometimes! It definitely helps give me a good insight to what I'm doing when I'm not aware.

How does it work?
The Fitbit Flex is a wristband that goes on your non-dominant arm, inside the wristband is a little widget that wirelessly syncs to your phone using Bluetooth. If you tap it then 5 little dots will appear. My step goal is 10,000 so each dot represents 2,000 steps I've done - once you hit 10,000 all 5 dots will show and your widget will vibrate once you've hit the goal! It's really as simple that, you can check your exact progress of steps on the app.

How accurate is the Fitbit? 
I'll be honest, unless you move your arms the exact same amount as you move your legs then your fine. The reason I opted for the flex is because I do tend to wear a lot of dresses so the Zip or the One didn't really appeal to me at the time. I noticed this particularly when I was pushing my brothers wheelchair - I did an hour of wheelchair football (which is a lot of running!!) and my fitbit said I had done 4 steps... I don't really believe that. I have looked at purchasing a clip for when I wear jeans and skirts for my Flex as it may give me a more accurate idea of how many steps I had actually done. However, it is pretty accurate considering it is on your arm, so long as you aren't lifting anything!

Pros & Cons?
Pro's are that it makes you more aware of your daily activity and what you are really doing. You can change the wrist bands to cool designs, which are available from Amazon for relatively cheap prices. Its a handy little device, and I tend to forget I even have it on me. Has a really good charge life, normally lasts me a good 4 days before I need to recharge. I also love the food logging and water intake - particularly as I have a bad habit of not drinking enough water!
Cons for me is the accuracy as mentioned above. It does sort of bug me a little. It isn't as such an issue for me, but I'd also like to have a Fitbit I can wear whilst swimming as the Fitbit flex is recomennded not to get wet - so I feel like I lose some of my active minutes when not wearing this for swimming.

I'd like to upgrade to another Fibit at some point towards the end of this year as I would like to have the flights climbed segment as well as I do tend to use stairs a lot - I'm not overly fussed on the Heart monitor Fitbits though! We'll see!

I hope this was helpful for those debating or contemplating a fitbit!

You can Purchase a Flex or view some of the other Fitbit's Available on the Fitbit Website

Fitbit - Flex £79.99

However, I bought mine from...

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