As health and fitness have started to become a bit part of our daily culture thanks to the media, new fitness gadgets are becoming the next big thing.
I’ll go a bit further into these later on, but to give you a sneak peek, the best fitness tracker for tracking calories burned is the Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband.
And if you want a tracker with a smaller price tag, but fewer features take a look at the Wesoo K1 Fitness Watch.
You see, fitness has always played a significant role in everyday life but with the rise in Facebook, Instagram, and other forms of social media it has become even more apparent.
Part of this massive rise is celebrity endorsed fitness products leaving us wanting to look and feel how they do when they are strutting their stuff in their bikini talking about the latest workout they just did.
Now we can all have our own opinions about these ‘products,’ and I find it extremely frustrating on a personal level that these ‘fad’ products are still a thing but hey if we pay Christiano Ronaldo to drink it we will make millions 😉
I think it’s great people are starting to get into fitness and look after themselves a bit better, and the amount of different gadgets and gizmo’s out there making it simpler to get a workout done is fantastic.
You only need to type ‘exercises for home’ into Youtube, and millions of results will come back – so the amount of information out there is insane.
What’s even better is that we can now use different pieces of equipment to track our progress and our daily activity.
Tracking our progress is a great way to keep us motivated and give us daily information on what and how we are doing.
The fitness trackers market has become a massive part of many peoples lives, you only have to walk through your local supermarket, and you’ll spot lots of people wearing them around their wrists.
But these gadgets aren’t limited to fitness trackers worn as watches you also have apps on your phone, smart watches, heart rate monitors and loads of other ways to track your fitness and progress.
These watches have many different features, recording and monitoring loads of analysis from your heart rate, calories burned, activity level – oh ye, and if your lucky, it may tell you the time as well 😉
But with such a choice out there how do I choose the one right for me, with not only a selection of stats that are given but with different designs and colors (most important thing) and the prices, it can be challenging to make the right choice.
So we have taken the hard work out for you – because we are nice like that 🙂
Here is a rundown of your top 3 fitness trackers and all the bells and whistles they come with.
Absolute Best Fitness Tracker for Tracking Calories Burned
Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband
Fitbit is the go-to company when it comes to fitness trackers and whether you are a seasoned pro or an absolute beginner you no doubt would have heard about them.
Fitbit offers a wide variety of fitness trackers, and as far as fitness trackers go, The Fitbit Charge 2 is one of the most popular models on the market.
You wear the Fitbit Charge 2 as a watch, so it stays on your wrist, and it monitors your heart rate and calories that you burn throughout the day.
Not only can you track your calories and heart rate but you can also follow how many steps you do a day, floors climbed, calorie intake plus you can also sync it to your phone.
Meaning you can get all your calls, texts and calendar notifications right on to your watch, so you don’t need to worry about tinkering with your phone or indeed missing those important messages you have been waiting for.
The tracker is also able to connect to your GPS and will track your stats in real time as you run or walk on your chosen route so whether it be a scenic mountain or your local park with the dog your tracker will detect everything.
It can also identify fat burn, cardio and peak heart rate modes which is great for when you get started because you can use that as a progression as you keep your workouts consistent.
Not only can it monitor all things fitness related but it can also track your sleep, from how long you have been sleeping each night to what kind of rest it is which is also really important.
Ever had 8 hours sleep but still feel tired when you wake up? It could be because you had only an hour or so of actual sleep and the rest of the time restless – this tracker will help monitor that.
Now we can have a tracker that can do everything – maybe even make us a cup of coffee….?!
But it has to look good, doesn’t it?
This one comes in a whole host of colors and size bands – the actual watch face stays the same, but you can mix and match the watch straps to suit any outfit change.
Fitness Tracker in Second Place Is The…
Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch
The Fitbit blaze smart fitness watch is exactly like that – with its large face it looks exactly like that other smartwatch out there – you know the one I mean.
This watch has many different options from its strap to the different colors it comes in along with the sizing so it can fit even the most delicate of wrists.
The Fitbit blaze offers plenty of your usual fitness tracking capabilities, including heart rate monitoring as it sits on your wrist and is able to detect everything.
Calorie tracking is another excellent feature of this watch and monitors how many calories you’re burning throughout the day – which is a great way to track how hard you’re pushing yourself especially if you are keeping your workouts regular.
For example, if you are looking at how many calories you burn in a spin class – if you keep it consistent to the same class each week you can see how hard you’re pushing yourself in a particular class week in week out.
This model also can connect to GPS to track your stats in real time in the place you are out running or walking your furry companion – or on your own – you don’t need a dog – you can take whatever you want out for a walk 🙂
We can also keep track of the time – which helps when this is actually a watch, but it connects to your phone allowing your texts, calls, calendar notifications and also can check emails through apps like Gmail.
The blaze also allows you to pair it with the Fitstar app and get on screen workout programs with step by step instructions so that you can quickly start a new workout or continue on you already started.
You literally have EVERYTHING on this watch, all the gadgets and whistles you need to start getting fit and working on that beach body you have been wanting since 2012.
Third Best Fitness Tracker for Tracking Calories Burned
Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit – Black
Garmin might be a name you associate with a GPS product, but they have also created some really great fitness products, such as this nifty little activity tracker.
The tracker follows the same traditional tracker style but is rugged and offer durability like no other, making it pretty indestructible (not 100% – don’t sue me for that) even for the toughest of workouts.
From mountain biking or hiking up hills or you know, a bit of wrestling, whatever floats your boat, this watch is sure to stand the test of time (no pun intended).
Unlike the other fitness watches that are pretty delicate and should be used for gym/home workouts and everyday walking and running, this watch can stand up to brutal force and weather.
The band is sleek and comfortable and sits on your wrist to track calories burned, steps taken, heart rate and even the intensity of the activity you are doing, which is perfect for those of you who maybe think they are working hard but haven’t yet broken into a sweat or got your heart rate up.
This tracker lets you check your text and call notifications as well as the activities in your calendar.
The most important feature is this particular tracker is compatible with Android phones, iPhones and window phones, so you can sync it up and take control of your stats.
And most importantly screenshot the results and post on social media obviously to get some likes.
The tracker has a function that will vibrate gently to remind you to get up and walk around if you haven’t moved in a while – which I guess can be a plus and maybe a negative.
I would 100% call it a plus – especially for your office and desk job workers, sitting for hours on end staring at a screen cannot just be damaging to your eyes and posture but sitting for long periods of time makes us tired , and very low on energy so getting up every so often is hugely beneficial , not just for our physical health but our mental state as well.
So that little vibration on your wrist every so often might sometimes drive you crazy and make you want to throw your new workout friend out the window, but it’s got your best interests at heart – promise 🙂
Now for those of you monitoring your food each day (FYI if you’re looking to lose weight then everyone should be following their diet each day).
Anyway, this tracker syncs to Myfitnsspal which is the BEST food track app out there and tells you how many calories and macros are in the foods and drinks you are consuming, so if you haven’t already, then download that app, and you can sync this tracker to it.
This basically means that all the steps and calories you burn will sync to Myfitnesspal allowing you to consume the correct amount of calories to your daily activity.
Perfect right?
This probably sounds complicated – it isn’t, but when you get everything connected you will be able to see why you haven’t managed to lose any weight in the last 2 years 😉
Best Value Fitness Tracker for Tracking Calories Burned
Wesoo K1 Fitness Watch
If you are looking for an excellent value fitness tracker for tracking calories burned then the Wesoo K1 fitness tracker is the best choice if you are on a budget, plus how cool is that name?! Sounds really technical right!
This one is perfect if you are new to fitness trackers and possibly don’t want to spend a whole lot of money on your first one – especially if it’s going to sit in the box after the first couple of weeks 😉
It’s an excellent choice because you aren’t short-changed on any of the features of the more expensive trackers, but you’re getting it for a fraction of the price.
This fitness tracker offers a step counter which is a great way to monitor your progression and fitness as you start to step more and more each day.
It also tracks your calories burned throughout the day, whether that be from your workout or from everyday activities at work or home.
It follows your sleep and the actual distance you walk throughout your day.
The only difference between this tracker and the others we have spoken about is that this one doesn’t have a heart rate monitor, but all the other necessary features are there making this an excellent choice for something simple and affordable.
The Wesoo fitness watch connects with your Android or iPhone allowing you to sync all the data to keep it and track it on your phone – monitoring your progression over time, plus, it even has a built-in USB port, so you do not need a special charger to charge it back up.
The watch is available in two different colors, you also get a replacement band with the tracker so you can change the band and color to suit your mood and outfit!
And guess what – it even tells the time – how about that.
Along with alarms and notifications, this fitness tracker really does have it all with all of the main features at a lower price.
Conclusion
There are a lot of fitness trackers out there so it can get really confusing as to which one will be the best fit for you.
Plus with the fact they all near enough have the same features, it’s a tough choice to make especially as some of them are quite expensive.
I think a fitness tracker is a great way to get started with your fitness and weight loss journey – they can be used by beginners who are just looking to start steady with daily walks as well as the more advanced who attend the gym multiple times a week.
With loads of different features on the watches from calories burned, monitoring your heart rate and the fact it can track your steps and distance covered it has all the stats needed for you to check daily and watch your progression soar.
In my opinion, the one minor downside with the fitness trackers is they sometimes won’t be 100% accurate, for example wearing it on your wrist and a wave of your arm can up the step count without even moving your legs! So we do need to be wary of that, but with the ongoing innovations with them, they are getting more and more cheat proof!
All these fitness gadgets are great, they give us an insight into what is actually happening concerning our calorie consumption, heart rate through the day plus how active we are.
Sometimes it can be a bit of a shock when you think you are quite active but the tracker says you are barely hitting 3000 steps a day.
Now there is research and science behind the fact that we need to be hitting roughly 10000 steps a day to stay healthy, but this is very generic.
For someone who is highly overweight and doesn’t move a lot, 10000 steps is going to be very difficult for them to hit straight away, so a massive achievement for them would be hitting 2000 steps a day and upping it from there.
On the flip side, someone who has an extremely active day and job will hit over 10000 steps without even trying, so they would need a bigger goal to aim at.
When it comes to the calories that most of the watches monitor and count up to how many calories you burn during the day, again, this can be very sporadic and not necessarily accurate.
For example, if you did a spin class at your local gym, if you enter that into MyFitnessPal (food diary app), then it will say you have burnt roughly 350 calories, yet your fitness tracker could say something completely different so it can get quite confusing.
But like with anything we have to give it time and because they all sync to your phone you will have all your data and stats in one easy place, making what calories you eat easy to follow as your calories burned will already be on your phone as the day goes on.
Remember your weight loss comes down to nutrients and calories burnt vs.calories consumed. If your calories burnt are higher then you will lose weight, it really is that simple so don’t get caught up massively with all the other features these fitness watches offer you.
Yes its awesome if you hit 10000 steps a day, every day, but if you eat too many calories, you won’t lose weight.
Yes, it is great that your resting heart rate drops lower as time goes on as that shows we are getting fitter, but again if you eat too many calories, you won’t lose weight.
So as much as these watches can give us lots of different information we do need to think how much of this is useful when it comes down to our primary goal of fat and weight loss.
Saying this though it’s incredible to monitor your progression especially if you are new to fitness and need a little bit of accountability – with the vibration each time you haven’t moved for a while then it gives you that little kick in the right direction to get moving and keep moving.
These watched are great – and the fact you can now add all of your phone information to them by syncing it all up makes it a very easy gadget to use in life, not just fitness.
We have the opportunity to add a simple tool to our everyday life that can give us a little bit of accountability when it comes to getting fit and starting and staying healthy for the long run.
Just by wearing it on our wrist day to day, it can actually be a fashionable addition to your wardrobe, unlike some of those heart rate monitors from the old days that strapped around your chest, not the most subtle way to keep track.
With a massive variety of colors and different straps for all of the varieties of watches out there, we can be sure to find a watch that suits you and most importantly you would feel comfortable wearing on your wrist.
So my advice to you if your thinking about getting a fitness tracker and watch in your life then find one that fits your budget first and foremost.
They all offer the same features in their own way – so it will only come down to your own individual budget.
What might be a great way is to compare it to your other fitness gadgets –
That ab DVD,
That treadmill,
Those kettlebells,
They cost you a pretty penny right?
So start with a cheaper version of a fitness tracker – get used to it, STICK at it and use it every day then once you get into using it and not sacking it off after 3 days then you can look to upgrade.