Sunday, May 19, 2013

Review on the FitBit One

I got The One as a holiday gift this last year by some wonderful friends so I have had it for about 5 months now. The One is a wireless activity and sleep tracker. its about half the length of your pinky finger and fairly inconspicuous when you wear it. It comes in two colors black and burgundy. 



You have the option to have a silent alarm - what this means is that when you're wearing the wrist-let with a pouch for the tracker (so it doesn't get lost in the bed) it will vibrate your wrist and wake you up silently which is great if you share a bed so they are not jolted awake by you're alarm. I was skeptical about this feature at first because I'm a pretty heavy sleeper but it works phenomenally well it has never failed to wake me up. 

It's very accurate as a pedometer and it shows you how many calories you've burned and your activity level for the day displayed as tiny leaves - the more leaves the more average of activity you've had that day.It a visual reminder to get up and move around like none other. I had made it a personal challenge for 2/3 of the bar to be shown by the end of the day as well as 10k steps. It also displays the number of stairs climbed as they have a different calorie burning ratio.

The device has one design flaw in that you slide the tracker into a rubberized holder and with consistent use this can lead to it escaping from you. You can replace the holder for $8 online and if you lose the tracker they ship you one back within 7-10 business days. That being said this design flaw was corrected in the new full time bracelet version which is more conspicuous but if you want the peace of mind the newer model might be worth it for you.

You ask how is it wireless? It comes with a USB dongle that serves as your charger and another USB piece you leave in the computer so that it can wirelessly sync the data from your tracker when your close to your computer. Set up is super easy and user friendly for even the tech illiterate.

The best feature about this is the website (which is free - you don't need a FitBit to use this) Your dashboard shows your activity level - number of steps, calories eaten, and the number of steps climbed.  It calculates the total distance you've traveled and your number of very active minutes as opposed to regular walking throughout the day, and the sleep tracker shows how many times you've woken up in the middle of the night - yes even if your're not aware of it. Its odd that for me my average is something like 12 times a night! By changing the way I ate, exercise, and doing a bedtime ritual this number has gone down to 6 and I sleep much better. But probably the best feature is that it tailors you expected caloric intake by your activity level so that's right lady you exercise to earn the right to eat that serving of ice cream after dinner which is so motivating!

You ask how can I use this without having a FitBit one? You won't get the pedometer part obviously but you can enter in your activities for the day and it will generate a calorie budget for you and you can enter in your foods which is very easy.

The food tracker even breaks down your calories, fat, fiber, carbs, sodium, protein,and water which is a great tool for helping you to avoid certain foods as you see how it affects your body.

There's an optional heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose trackers if you have a way to get your numbers so you can use it long term track your numbers which is great. I use the heart rate and blood pressure checker every week when I go to Wal-Mart to check my numbers since it's free.That being said I carry alcohol wipes to wipe it down and then my arm afterwards since I've become a little crazy about germs.

You can choose to get premium which is $50 a year to get special content which includes benchmarks which measures your % to goal and you can compare yourself to friends beyond steps.For food it projects your expected weight change with your eating habits, macronutrient balance - IE what vitamins you're missing out on, distribution of calories by meal. For the activity part it gives you a customized training plan which is not available in any form on the free version and it changes as you progress towards your fitness goal.The last premium feature is the ability to export your data into excel. For me these features we're worth it to me so I haven't sampled them. There is a free trial which I'm saving for about a month before the race. The trial lasts a week. If you've used this feature please leave comments if you liked it.

Apart from the tiny design flaw - which is easily corrected - it is a wonderful device and a great tool to keep track of your physical health.

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