The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: BabyStash on February 05, 2018, 09:10:34 PM
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I'm interested in buying a Fitbit. I hardly walk or bike anywhere, but I want to change that. I am competitive though, and a few of my siblings have them and do challenges with each other. I hope to do more walking and biking when the snow melts. I live in a rural area in Canada. The closest town is 7km no grocery store, but there is a variety store, post office, library, hardware store. So I can see myself biking to town more often. I found a Fitbit on Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) for $50. I downloaded the ap on my phone. But I don't like carrying my phone around with me all the time.
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Sounds like you want one and are attempting to justify it.
I wouldn't since it's more crap to clutter up life and time and something to throw away when it breaks. Plus the phone is paid for.
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That's a negatory space captain, especially with that much high-interest debt.
Complainy-pants: I don't like carrying my phone with me everywhere.
Mustachian: There are a million free phone apps that let me track any aspect of my fitness I could possibly imagine!
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20k at 8%??? https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/
1) The first rule of becoming more active is to not buy a bunch of crap to be more active. It’s just a passive way to feel like you’re doing something when your not. Instead throw on your boots and go for a walk. Or google body weight exercises you can do in your house for free with household things you already own.
2) The effectiveness of fitbits is questionable https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/20/494631423/weight-loss-on-your-wrist-fitness-trackers-may-not-help
3) You don’t need to carry your phone. Use the MapMyRun website to calculate your distances when you get home. And consider using a paper and pen method to log your activities. It might motivate you more if it’s somewhere you see it daily, rather than something you have to log into.
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I lost 50 lbs and never once tracked my daily habits.
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Do it the old fashioned way. Pick several walking routes you like and measure them, by car or by using your phone. Carry your phone a couple days at work and see how much you usually walk there. Now with simple math you can estimate your daily walking. Record it on your calendar.
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I'll tell you what my wife tells me whenever I want something fitness related -- make it a habit for three months before you buy it.
The logic works because, as a threshold matter, it's silly to think that buying something will change your behavior. You have to change your behavior first.
Then, once you've changed your behavior, you realize you didn't need that consumerist gizmo in the first place.
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ReadySetMillionaire - that's genius.
OP, park your car and put the keys in ice. And pay off that debt.
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I tried this fitbit thing and found that it didn't add value to MY life. However, you may find that it does add value to yours. And isn't that what this is all about, determining what is of value to you and spending your resources there?
Oh and that debt...you get a facepunch for that right there! You should be asking the community how to better tackle that!
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I was in the yes camp until I saw the debt.
I use mine instead of a watch so it isn't more stuff.
They fail at about the 1 year mark so I'd want to know exactly how old the used one is.
Consider the cheaper models, new. I have seen older models at tjmaxx for 30$.
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Denied.
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I agree with ReadySetMillionaire.
I started running this fall, and finally decided to ask for a fitbit for Christmas. I didn't buy it for the steps, though. I requested the slightly more expensive one that monitors heart rate. In my situation:
1) I had been consistently running three times a week for several months and was confident I would keep it up.
2) I was noticing that I felt like crap quicker than expected and wanted to know whether I was being a wimp. Turns out I'm just that out of shape and my heart rate was actually getting up to dangerous levels for a novice (80-90% of max heart rate). So I really appreciate the heart rate monitor when running. I can see when my heart rate is creeping up too high and slow down before I feel like garbage. I can run longer and I feel better afterwards.
3) The steps are totally not accurate. It thinks you're taking a step anytime you move your arm. I'll stand at my kitchen chopping veggies and it thinks I've taken 100 steps...no. Putting my phone in my pocket and monitoring steps that way is better. It's what I used to do before I got the fitbit. As for the challenges with your family? My friend does those, and when she's behind for the day, she just waves her arm around in bed until she beats their number. Not exactly a great fitness routine.
For the record, the moral of the story is not to go spend more money on a fitbit heart rate monitor. The moral of the story is to build your habits and use your (more accurate!) phone step count to motivate you. If you still really want it and see how it could be useful after you've built the habit, and you've made progress on the debt, maybe.
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Does it need to be the Fitbit brand? There are many other brands that can be had at a lower cost.
Same with smart phones. You can buy a Samsung Galaxy or Apple iPhone or you can shop Motorola/Asus/Blackberry/Sony/Lenovo/Huawei/etc.
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Reward yourself with the Fitbit after you have paid off the debt. 8% is high. I like my Fitbit but others are right about them failing after a year. I also don't pay for phone data so I use it instead of a GPS app to track running miles. And I don't have any debt besides my mortgage.
I'm not sure if this works in Canada, but in the US you can link your Fitbit to your Walgreens account and get points for your miles. You also can sign up for Achievemint and get a reward once in a while for selling your data. Between these things you might get $20 or $30 back in a year.
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Wow this forum is much better than the Facebook group I'm in. I deserved s face punch and no one there gave me one. It's all "if it improves your health than go for it". I decided to just use the phone for the fun challenges with the family or for walking to town. I'd take my phone with me when walking on the road anyways. You guys are right; Buying a gadget won't change behaviour. I hope to pay off that debt in a year. If I still desire it at that time then maybe I'll get it.
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Personally, I have one because my health insurance (United Healthcare) bribes me to use one. I get deposits into my HSA based on my activity levels up to a max of $3/day ($57 in January).
My girlfriend has one and it helped her lose 50lbs over the course of about five months. It was far from the only reason she was able to do that (she also did some interval training and 3x/week weightlifting, plus she maintained a constant calorie deficit with food as nutrient-dense as possible), but it helped. Being able to cross the 10,000 step goal literally every day since owning the thing (with the exception of two days where she was injured and could barely move) helped her stay the course.
Sleep tracking is also nifty, and helps keep us honest about how much sleep we're both getting. It's not perfect; it thought I took a two-hour nap when I went to go see the new Star Wars in December.
A hundred bucks or whatever is nothing compared to the long term benefits of say, dropping 50lbs, but spending that hundred bucks won't magically put you in better shape. It has to be part of a larger effort. Only you can know whether that's true. I like the strategy someone mentioned of developing the habit before you buy a tracker. Look on Craigslist at all the barely-used fitness equipment available. It's really easy to buy stuff in the name of fitness, pat yourself on the back for being so responsible, and then proceed to not use it.
The step count is definitely not 100% accurate, but it's a lot better than the phone apps everyone keeps bringing up. The only way you can make those accurate is to have your smartphone in your pocket during 100% of your waking hours. I certainly don't do that, nor would I want to.
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Someone just gave me one. So I guess I will at least have to try to use it. :)
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Great choice, Razor burn! Glad to hear you're holding off.
A tip for you and everyone else who may shop at Walgreens/Duane Reade...you can link the steps your phone counts to the Walgreens app to get the coupons. I used to max out the points with the phone step counter before I ever had the fitbit. I don't remember how to set it up since it was a while ago, but it's worth trying.
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I voted to pay off the debt first. If you still want it after the debt is gone, then it's a reasonable enough frivolous purchase. At 8% though, OMG, no one should be telling you to "go for it" on any spending that isn't essential, yikes!
I am on my second fitbit and I LOVE it, but like another poster I have incentive through the "wellness" thing at work to use it. We get HSA money from our employer based on activity and it's easier to track with a fitness monitor. We actually won a cash prize last year (or the year before?) when our "team" had the most steps in the entire company, so that prize more than paid for the cost of it. I'm not sure I'll replace the second one when it dies, but I might. I don't know that they all die at one year though. I had a Fitbit One that lasted for 3+ years before the battery life really went downhill and it quit syncing consistently. I replaced it with a Flex 2 over a year ago and it's still just fine, although it's so tiny that it has to be charged a lot more often. I find the sleep tracking depressing though. I know I'm a crappy sleeper. Seeing it on a graph is just even more depressing.
My husband did get a Garmin with HR monitor for his running. I gave him a hard time about it because it was WAY more than my fitbit, but two years later he's still running consistently. He was a pretty sedentary couch potato prior, so I'm still amazed that he is keeping the running up. He really likes looking at his run data afterwards. If that is what it takes for him to be active, then it's worth it, but we don't have any consumer debt.
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You guys are right; Buying a gadget won't change behaviour. I hope to pay off that debt in a year. If I still desire it at that time then maybe I'll get it.
Unless you are Batman you do not need gadgets. You can do more with your brain and your body than you think is possible. Good luck :)
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Fitness items are often perfect for "putting the word out" as the Tightwad Gazette used to say. Tons of people have gotten Fitbits through gifts, workplace fitness programs, or just misplaced purchases and never really used them...if you keep mentioning you are interested and looking for one I bet it will not be long until someone says they have one in a drawer you can have.
Or if you have family members who still like to give gifts, a Fitbit (or a giftcard toward one) could be a good suggestion.
Do not buy one.
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I can see the desire to get such a gadget. I have some gadgets myself. When I first started running a lot about 10 years ago, I wished for, and got, a Garmin. It was a few hundred dollars. That thing was glorious, though - helped me a lot to track distance, speed, splits, and it was fun to go back and see where I'd been on a map.
Software was glitchy though, then I got injured, and it gathered dust.
Fast forward many years through injury and childbirth and hey, now I'm running again. Several friends have Fitbits and do challenges. My husband started checking reviews on various types of fitness trackers. I then followed his links and realized - pretty much every one dies at about 1 year. So even though at this point, they are only $100 or so, I am not willing to pay $100 for something that will need to be replaced in a year (some last longer, a lot die earlier).
So. I use the app on my phone. There are many. I have friends who enjoy Strava and runkeeper. I use Map My Run/ Map My Walk/ Map My Ride. They are all the same. I have four friends on there, only one that's active. We do a challenge or two every year, but I cannot beat him. Even when I was training for an uphill half marathon...apparently a 225 lb man walking 6 miles burns more calories than a 135 lb woman running 11 miles up hill. Who knew?
I agree that you need to get into the habit first. Use what you have. I do LOVE being able to look up my old runs, paces, etc on Map My Run. My neighbor with the Fitbit? She started getting obsessed with the numbers and had to take it off.
For the record, last year with half marathon training I dug out that Garmin again. It's a beast! I mean, it's huge. People make fun of it. I no longer have the software. I charge it up and use it as a pacer/ timer.
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Fitbits don't cause you to walk or bike. Getting up and walking or biking does. If anything, you should start that for a while and then buy the Fitbit.
Don't deceive yourself into being a slave to your devices and desire for shiny new toys.
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I've used some sort of pedometer since 2013, and a Fitbit since 2014, and love having a pedometer. Using it has given me a lot of information about how my body reacts to different activity levels, and has helped me quantify how my activity levels change based on other things (for example, if my gaming group is doing a Saturday session, I have to go for a long walk early in order to get a reasonable activity level overall for the day -- and I might not think to do that if I weren't going for the steps). It makes me get out and get moving when I wouldn't otherwise, because I want to reach the goal I set for myself. I don't find the Fitbit challenges at all useful or compelling; I just don't care about them, because I'm not a competitive person. For me, it's just about setting and reaching goals, and that's something I could easily do in other ways -- walking a certain number of minutes, for example.
In your case, given the debt, I'd probably do what ReadySetMillionaire suggests and get the habits started and locked in before doing anything that's not attacking that debt. The Fitbit is a useful gadget, but it's not a magic wand. Like you said, buying it won't change your behavior. Take this time to get your habits settled, and figure out what it is that really motivates you. If you're competitive, maybe training for a race would get you going. Maybe joining a running or hiking or biking club is what would do it for you. Whatever it is -- you can do it without the gadgets. :)
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I'll tell you what my wife tells me whenever I want something fitness related -- make it a habit for three months before you buy it.
The logic works because, as a threshold matter, it's silly to think that buying something will change your behavior. You have to change your behavior first.
Then, once you've changed your behavior, you realize you didn't need that consumerist gizmo in the first place.
I wish I could get my wife to understand this...
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Not worth it.
I used a fatness tracker for a while and it didn't do anything beneficial. Yeah, I knew numbers of steps and had charts to look at, but it didn't trigger a change in my lifestyle. There have been a few articles saying that using one of these devices actually does the opposite of the intended effect, you gain weight:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/09/20/494631423/weight-loss-on-your-wrist-fitness-trackers-may-not-help
https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/fitness-trackers-may-actually-make-you-gain-weight/
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It's $50. Sell it back if it doesn't do what you want. I've never personally understood their value because all they do is record data that you could record yourself...and even then the data isn't that useful. They're purely psychological, not actual useful tools in my opinion, especially over the long run. Once the habits are developed, you're not going to care about seeing the data even though you know it exists. The data is only there to motivate you and keep you accountable. You could write this down yourself though.
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A FitBit will not help you log your biking, FYI. I'd recommend Map My Ride for that, and you could also use that for tracking walking/running. (Although not all the time since it's a real battery hog.)
I got the cheapest model as a gift in 2013. It died at a year but I got a warranty replacement then lost the replacement but found an internet fix for the original, used that until the battery cover broke. Currently using a 3-year-old hand-me-down, going strong. Maybe things have changed, but I don't really agree with the "they all die after a year" stuff.
Denied.
Thanks, Stvze Orman.
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An 8% debt is an emergency. I would freeze all unnecessary spending and pay that off like your ass if on fire. By the time that is knocked out you prob won't even want a fit bit.
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I had a Fitbit, and it was useful for keeping myself honest. As long as I was carrying it, I had an incentive to get up from my desk every hour and get at least 10,000 steps a day.
But it died last month (right after the warranty expired, which seems to be common, judging from this thread), and at its price point, I can't justify replacing it every year. If I feel the need to keep track, I'll use a pedometer app on my phone. It's not as accurate, but it'll do.
That said - you have $20,000 of debt at 8% and you're contemplating buying fancy consumer gadgets? Facepunch! Pay that off first!
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I think it would definitely be something to consider once you figure out how to deal with the fact that YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE, AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!
EDIT: I also spent $250 on a fitbit I rarely use. : ( "It's for my health so it will be worth it!"
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No, don't buy a fitbit. The "establish the habit for 3 months before buying stuff" rule stated above is a pretty good idea.
Also, anecdotally, possession of a fitbit and actually being fit seems to be inversely related.
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I haven't seen a fit person wearing a fitbit yet. Take that for what it's worth.
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I saw a fair number of them right after Christmas. Not so much now. ;)
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I recommend the HR 2 over the older model. The battery lasts 7-8 days vs. 3-4.
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FWIW - our insurance company (BCBS) gave us free Fitbits and I wear it every day and it does motivate me to stay active during the day. It also helps me meditate and I need a lot of help in this area. Mindfulness.
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Lol . . . this disposable electronic device (designed to provide me with unnecessary information all the time), is my key to mindfulness and peaceful contemplation. :P
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I used to keep a wall calendar in my apartment. I would mark an X over each day that I exercised. Actually pretty motivating.
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Most of us have smartphones and most of those have step count. They also have excellent calorie trackers like cronometer available for free or very low cost. I don't get the whole fitbit thing and how that helps you go take a walk. Just go take a walk. And eat more veggies.
That said I don't like to totally poo poo electronics. If you are a fairly serious athlete and have specific training sessions that require you to keep HR or Power at a certain level for a certain time, calculate VO2 Max over time, you need GPS tracking longer than a phone battery lasts (endurance racing) and so on you can invest in something. It won't be a fitbit. :)
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Nope.
They're not that great, anyway. But if you still want it after you pay off all your debt, I will confer my blessing. :)
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I have one. It was a gift. I use it sometimes, as a pedometer. Which would have cost $5.
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My wife and I each got one. Mine lasted 6 months. Her's lasted about 2 years. I run harder and sweat more. The sweat corrodes the plastic band. Same thing happened with two different fit bits.
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My wife and I each got one. Mine lasted 6 months. Her's lasted about 2 years. I run harder and sweat more. The sweat corrodes the plastic band. Same thing happened with two different fit bits.
The bands are definitely a weak point, but you can buy replacement bands on Amazon for a few bucks.
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Lol . . . this disposable electronic device (designed to provide me with unnecessary information all the time), is my key to mindfulness and peaceful contemplation. :P
Now you have some insight in how far I have to go......lol
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Th thread below this one is "What's the stupidest thing you're lusting after right now?"
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I was the only one to say to watch the craigslist / kijiji ads, maybe because the fitbit zips appeared at $10, and right now I see Fitbit flex for $15 (including a charger and a newish band) on Craigslist.
Yes, your $20k debt is the emergency at 8%. However, if you have an allowance, say $20 a month to spend on anything you want, the fitbit (used) could certainly fit in there... give up a couple of coffees, or that pair of socks, or whatever. You can likely find $15 in your budget for this short term perk.
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I don't quibble about stuff that makes me alive. If there's even a 1% chance that it will improve OP's health 1%, isn't $50 worth it? I agree that equipment alone won't make you healthy -- that exercise is more about attitude and habits... but if the Fitbit purchase can positively affect attitude and habits, is it really so bad?
I just bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Based on this post, doesn't seem like you had one.
From the poll results, posters are, generally, not objecting to the concept of a FitBit, only to the concept of buying one with $20,000 of debt.
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I have a Charge 2 Fitbit. For the mustachians, this does not work with a older mobile phone (with Windows 8.1 in my case). The app for windows 8 doesn't support a Charge 2. Communcation about this is not clear.
So i now have a 150 euro wristband that only displays 'sync with the app'. I should now by a newer phone to use it.
Getting the app installed on an other phone get you past the message, but you than loose all the trackingdata after a week of not syncing to a phone, so unless you see that person with the other phone at least weakly the data is not retreivable.
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[...]bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Could have bought $150 worth of winter clothes, pile on those layers until you are puffed up like a snowman. Problem solved, you will be toasty warm and get some resistance training while you are at it!
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I don't quibble about stuff that makes me alive. If there's even a 1% chance that it will improve OP's health 1%, isn't $50 worth it? I agree that equipment alone won't make you healthy -- that exercise is more about attitude and habits... but if the Fitbit purchase can positively affect attitude and habits, is it really so bad?
I just bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Based on this post, doesn't seem like you had one.
From the poll results, posters are, generally, not objecting to the concept of a FitBit, only to the concept of buying one with $20,000 of debt.
I object to the concept of a fitbit.
If you want to get in shape, you don't need electronic fitness tracker doodads designed designed to have a relatively short life. You need to exercise. If you want a fitness tracker, keep a pen and paper and write down times/distances that you run or weights/reps that you lift. This is cheaper, just as motivational, just as useful, and significantly less environmentally damaging.
[...]bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Could have bought $150 worth of winter clothes, pile on those layers until you are puffed up like a snowman. Problem solved, you will be toasty warm and get some resistance training while you are at it!
You'll find that even when it's very cold you don't really need that much clothing to stay warm. Exercise will generate a lot of heat. When it's extremely cold you only need a good hat, a face mask, some warm gloves, boots that aren't too heavy, and skipants/skijacket.
Protip - when temperatures are in the -30s (C) and you're out jogging in skipants . . . only wear underwear beneath them. It helps to keep you from overheating as much.
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Use the google fit app instead. Sometimes I don't want to carry my phone and so then I have 2 options: enter the exercise manually or wear it in my fanny pack. Fanny pack sounds so 1980's but it is very practical. I can even wear it under my shirt and forget it's there because its profile is slim.
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These things don't make any sense to me. Why would I need a gadget to tell me I don't exercise enough? woopie doo, I already knew that. I don't exercise because lack of time, not because lack of information. And it just crudely measures your steps right? Doesn't even have GPS (those things look cool, but are $300+).
By an elastic waist belt, <$10 on amazon. Run with your phone. It'll log speed, time, location, elevation, distance, play music and much more! And you have a phone in an emergency. More than any fitbit could do, and you already have one! Strava or Endomondo is free.
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I have found putting the app on my phone and having some friends who will regularly start challenges is very effective at increasing my activity (I am competitive enough that I want to win or at least put in a respectable number of steps when it's on display to others). I really don't think you need the actual device unless you want to do more than just track steps.
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All you have to do is bike that seven miles daily until you saved up enough money in gas to buy a used fitbit at the best price you can find. That way you have the best of both worlds, you didn't really spend any money on it, it didn't affect your debt payments and you now have the opportunity to challenge your siblings in a fun, good for your health contest - win-win.
Just because you have debt, doesn't mean you can't have little pleasures now and then or you'll demoralize yourself to the point of giving up and buying more stuff.
I'm in favor of using an app, but I understand that sometimes we all buy stuff we don't really need. Stop dreaming up stuff you want, stuff doesn't help you lose weight or pay off your debt!
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I have a Charge 2 Fitbit. For the mustachians, this does not work with a older mobile phone (with Windows 8.1 in my case). The app for windows 8 doesn't support a Charge 2. Communcation about this is not clear.
So i now have a 150 euro wristband that only displays 'sync with the app'. I should now by a newer phone to use it.
Getting the app installed on an other phone get you past the message, but you than loose all the trackingdata after a week of not syncing to a phone, so unless you see that person with the other phone at least weakly the data is not retreivable.
Dagobert, you should be able to sync through your computer too. When you bought the Charge it should have come with a little black USB chip -- put that into your computer, download the Fitbit software, and you're good to go. When I first got my Fitbit I didn't even have a smartphone, so that was how I synced it.
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
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I was gifted an iFitness activity tracker for Christmas, and while it records heart rate and steps, I was mostly interested in it for the sleep monitor. I have a regular 6:00 am tai chi class three times a week which involves a 30 minute drive. The iFitness tracker classified my time in the car as "light sleep" and the time in tai chi class as "deep sleep."
I'm not wearing it anymore.
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I was gifted an iFitness activity tracker for Christmas, and while it records heart rate and steps, I was mostly interested in it for the sleep monitor. I have a regular 6:00 am tai chi class three times a week which involves a 30 minute drive. The iFitness tracker classified my time in the car as "light sleep" and the time in tai chi class as "deep sleep."
I'm not wearing it anymore.
iFitness tracker? What brand is that? Not familiar with it. Fitbit's sleep tracking is automatic and excellent.
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
I'm as anti-kludgy-tech-bullshit as the next full-blooded Mustachian, but it is a bit more nuanced than you're assuming.
I'm overall a "good sleeper." My own perception is that I sleep like a rock, falling asleep immediately and never waking up even if there's an end-of-the-world type thunderstorm or an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture complete with live cannons outside by window. This functionality isn't really built for me, but even so it's still useful.
It tracks more than (time you wake up) - (time you go to bed). It tracks movement during sleep as an analog for sleep cycles (and does a pretty good job of it), and most usefully for me, it tells me when I wake up during the night. Because it turns out that I don't sleep quite as well as I thought, I just never ever remember it happening if I wake up for a minute or two and then fall back asleep. The tracking keeps me honest about that.
As for what to do when sleep quality is "bad"? Of course there are variables you can change. I've recently made the switch to side-sleeping for my girlfriend's sanity (I'd been a face-down no-pillow sleeper for the rest of my life to this point, but apparently snoring has become an issue lately and she's a light sleeper). There are a billion ways to "side sleep" and if I can use Fitbit's sleep quality indicators as one point of data as I change variables, it can help me figure out what is ideal.
I'm also a data junky and love tracking stuff, so I'm biased on that front I suppose. I'm a firm supporter of "What gets tracked gets changed." to an extent, at least for my personality type.
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If you really need a fitbit go hang out at your nearest army base and try to buy a used one!
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
I'm as anti-kludgy-tech-bullshit as the next full-blooded Mustachian, but it is a bit more nuanced than you're assuming.
I'm overall a "good sleeper." My own perception is that I sleep like a rock, falling asleep immediately and never waking up even if there's an end-of-the-world type thunderstorm or an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture complete with live cannons outside by window. This functionality isn't really built for me, but even so it's still useful.
It tracks more than (time you wake up) - (time you go to bed). It tracks movement during sleep as an analog for sleep cycles (and does a pretty good job of it), and most usefully for me, it tells me when I wake up during the night. Because it turns out that I don't sleep quite as well as I thought, I just never ever remember it happening if I wake up for a minute or two and then fall back asleep. The tracking keeps me honest about that.
As for what to do when sleep quality is "bad"? Of course there are variables you can change. I've recently made the switch to side-sleeping for my girlfriend's sanity (I'd been a face-down no-pillow sleeper for the rest of my life to this point, but apparently snoring has become an issue lately and she's a light sleeper). There are a billion ways to "side sleep" and if I can use Fitbit's sleep quality indicators as one point of data as I change variables, it can help me figure out what is ideal.
I'm also a data junky and love tracking stuff, so I'm biased on that front I suppose. I'm a firm supporter of "What gets tracked gets changed." to an extent, at least for my personality type.
Maybe you would also be interested in a breathing tracker, you might be breathing really badly all day long and not know it! Or a brain activity tracker, just think about all that lost time when you could have been productively thinking! I would also recommend one of those radiation monitoring badges, just in case.
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Maybe you would also be interested in a breathing tracker, you might be breathing really badly all day long and not know it! Or a brain activity tracker, just think about all that lost time when you could have been productively thinking! I would also recommend one of those radiation monitoring badges, just in case.
If you don't give a shit about your own health, that's fine. Don't knock it for those who actually do care about their own health.
Sleep is one of those things that scientists are still figuring out why it's so important for humans. It dictates our quality of life, our levels of overall fitness, and how successful you will be at tasks in life. We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping. If you don't give a shit about how you sleep, that's fine.
You have no idea how useful the data is, for others. I have improved my quality of sleep by monitoring not just the duration of sleep, but the relative quality and quantity of each sleeping stage. When I am short, I make sure to go to bed earlier and longer the following night, or take a nap. It's all data based, rather than just on how tired you feel.
I have an edge over someone who doesn't have this data, mentally and physically, especially versus before when I had no idea of how my sleep performance was.
It's easy to belittle someone else for something you clearly don't understand. Ignorance is always easier than knowledge, for those who don't understand what they're missing in life and can't figure out why they're always one step behind someone else.
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This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
Sure, your body tells you everything you need to know, that's why most people are becoming obese, cause their hunger mechanism works so well that they stop when they have eaten enough, right?
Many people have sleep apnea, a dangerous sleeping condition, and yet are blissfully ignorant of it. Their body surely most tell them of this, no? People have to pay for expensive sleep studies to see if they have some potentially dangerous sleeping condition that interferes with getting enough rest and sleep. Your brain is not wired to tell you how you sleep, or your quality of sleep. You don't even remember 90% of the things that happen in the night while you sleep. Are you really sure that you know everything there is to know about getting good sleep and enough of it?
Ridiculous response. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping. Do you have any idea how long you really slept, or the quality of your sleep? You don't even care to track even a little bit of something that you spend 1/3 of your life doing? Really???
I'll take any advance in sleep to help me be better physically and mentally. This is one of the least understood areas of life, why it's so important to our health and well being. To ridicule this is just stupendous. Are you really that willfully ignorant of such an important area of life?
This is an area that technology has just barely started to scratch the surface, we need many more advances in the future to tell us how to better control this area. The improvements in our short term and long term health could be staggering, with the right advances in technology. I'm excited just by the first foray into this area, with my fitbit and the data it generates.
It's your life, you can do whatever you want. Don't knock what other people are finding valuable and insightful, especially if it gives them an edge in life versus the competition who don't care about their own health or long term well-being.
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
I'm as anti-kludgy-tech-bullshit as the next full-blooded Mustachian, but it is a bit more nuanced than you're assuming.
I'm overall a "good sleeper." My own perception is that I sleep like a rock, falling asleep immediately and never waking up even if there's an end-of-the-world type thunderstorm or an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture complete with live cannons outside by window. This functionality isn't really built for me, but even so it's still useful.
It tracks more than (time you wake up) - (time you go to bed). It tracks movement during sleep as an analog for sleep cycles (and does a pretty good job of it), and most usefully for me, it tells me when I wake up during the night. Because it turns out that I don't sleep quite as well as I thought, I just never ever remember it happening if I wake up for a minute or two and then fall back asleep. The tracking keeps me honest about that.
As for what to do when sleep quality is "bad"? Of course there are variables you can change. I've recently made the switch to side-sleeping for my girlfriend's sanity (I'd been a face-down no-pillow sleeper for the rest of my life to this point, but apparently snoring has become an issue lately and she's a light sleeper). There are a billion ways to "side sleep" and if I can use Fitbit's sleep quality indicators as one point of data as I change variables, it can help me figure out what is ideal.
I'm also a data junky and love tracking stuff, so I'm biased on that front I suppose. I'm a firm supporter of "What gets tracked gets changed." to an extent, at least for my personality type.
So the main benefit of tracking your sleep using a fitbit (which doesn't actually track your EEG brain waves, but guesses based upon nightly movement - so it's a very reliable indicator at all . . . but I guess that's another post) is that if you choose to change the way you sleep it can tell you if this leads to better sleep? I'm not entirely sure how this would not be pretty evident from how you feel after a couple weeks of sleeping differently.
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#1 - do NOT buy ANYTHING until you have your debt paid off.
#2 - most people miss the utility of a fitbit. Yes - a fitbit. I am extremely fit, but I love my fitbit - not for tracking steps (although that's really nice), but for tracking sleep.
I am bad about managing my sleep schedule, and the fitbit allows me to accurately track how long I sleep, the quality of my sleep, and the different types of sleep (light, REM, deep, etc).
I used to have a Charge HR, which was a piece of junk as the integrated band would fail. I changed to a Charge 2, which has replaceable bands, and it's been ticking along for 1.5+ years now, with perfect function and battery life.
I used to not wear any watch, as I thought my phone was more than sufficient. These days I feel naked without my Charge 2. It's really the best.
I would never in a million years buy an Apple Watch, or any other smart watch. The Charge 2 is really a life changer, in the data it gives you.
Those who never have used a Charge 2, or will never own one, will NEVER understand the utility of it. It's WAY more than a cheesy step tracker.
I don't use the social aspects of a fitbit, or many other features, but the sleep tracking is unmatched. If you value your quality of life, you should get a Charge 2 (after paying off debt) to track your sleep. Most Americans are sleep deprived and do not know it. This is the single 'hack' that will vastly improve your life.
This is another thing I don't understand. What actionable information do you get from monitoring your sleep? I don't sleep enough? Well woho, I could have figured that out by looking at the clock when i go to sleep and when I get up! Is 6 hrs < 8 hrs? Yes, well then I don't sleep enough, big surprise. Problem isn't really knowing it, it's getting the kid's stuff ready and dishes done until 11 pm, I don't see how wearing a gyro on my wrist can help with that.. Are there hordes of people who sit around with nothing to do at night and need a device tell them maybe they should go to bed?
Seems redundant, your body has a pretty good built in system to inform you that you're sleep deprived; it's called "being tired". It works even better that something on your wrist.
And what if it tells you your sleep quality is low? Then what? What do you do with that information? Change your mattress? Put scented candles in your room?
I'm as anti-kludgy-tech-bullshit as the next full-blooded Mustachian, but it is a bit more nuanced than you're assuming.
I'm overall a "good sleeper." My own perception is that I sleep like a rock, falling asleep immediately and never waking up even if there's an end-of-the-world type thunderstorm or an orchestra is playing the 1812 Overture complete with live cannons outside by window. This functionality isn't really built for me, but even so it's still useful.
It tracks more than (time you wake up) - (time you go to bed). It tracks movement during sleep as an analog for sleep cycles (and does a pretty good job of it), and most usefully for me, it tells me when I wake up during the night. Because it turns out that I don't sleep quite as well as I thought, I just never ever remember it happening if I wake up for a minute or two and then fall back asleep. The tracking keeps me honest about that.
As for what to do when sleep quality is "bad"? Of course there are variables you can change. I've recently made the switch to side-sleeping for my girlfriend's sanity (I'd been a face-down no-pillow sleeper for the rest of my life to this point, but apparently snoring has become an issue lately and she's a light sleeper). There are a billion ways to "side sleep" and if I can use Fitbit's sleep quality indicators as one point of data as I change variables, it can help me figure out what is ideal.
I'm also a data junky and love tracking stuff, so I'm biased on that front I suppose. I'm a firm supporter of "What gets tracked gets changed." to an extent, at least for my personality type.
So the main benefit of tracking your sleep using a fitbit (which doesn't actually track your EEG brain waves, but guesses based upon nightly movement - so it's a very reliable indicator at all . . . but I guess that's another post) is that if you choose to change the way you sleep it can tell you if this leads to better sleep? I'm not entirely sure how this would not be pretty evident from how you feel after a couple weeks of sleeping differently.
It uses night-time movement and heart rate to do the sleep tracking. Imperfect as the measurement may be, it's far more unambiguous than how I feel after a few weeks (barring some super dramatic change). Either way, I like having a record of it all, and there's no way I'd manually keep track of even just sleep/wake times. I'm also already wearing the damn thing due to the incentive from my health insurance, so I might as well utilize every aspect I find helpful (which is far from all of it - no way I'm setting it up as a "smartwatch" paired with my phone to the extent that fucking texts are displayed on it).
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Maybe you would also be interested in a breathing tracker, you might be breathing really badly all day long and not know it! Or a brain activity tracker, just think about all that lost time when you could have been productively thinking! I would also recommend one of those radiation monitoring badges, just in case.
If you don't give a shit about your own health, that's fine. Don't knock it for those who actually do care about their own health.
Sleep is one of those things that scientists are still figuring out why it's so important for humans. It dictates our quality of life, our levels of overall fitness, and how successful you will be at tasks in life. We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping. If you don't give a shit about how you sleep, that's fine.
You have no idea how useful the data is, for others. I have improved my quality of sleep by monitoring not just the duration of sleep, but the relative quality and quantity of each sleeping stage. When I am short, I make sure to go to bed earlier and longer the following night, or take a nap. It's all data based, rather than just on how tired you feel.
I have an edge over someone who doesn't have this data, mentally and physically, especially versus before when I had no idea of how my sleep performance was.
It's easy to belittle someone else for something you clearly don't understand. Ignorance is always easier than knowledge, for those who don't understand what they're missing in life and can't figure out why they're always one step behind someone else.
Sorry for my insensitivity, I must be delirious from only getting 63% optimal sleep. I thought my comment was funny, but now I'm not sure... I will have to invest in a humor monitor to get some hard data.
Your enthusiasm is a little persuasive though, maybe I will try to borrow my friend's sleep monitor and see how I stack up.
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Ridiculous response. You spend 1/3 of your life sleeping. Do you have any idea how long you really slept, or the quality of your sleep? You don't even care to track even a little bit of something that you spend 1/3 of your life doing? Really???
I'm in science/engineering, believe me I know and love data. But not data for datas sake. There has to be a purpose and a use for it. Knowing I don't sleep enough doesn't solve the fact that I have things to do at night before I can go to bed, and I imagine this goes for a lot of people. If you don't, and your problem is that you sit up too late good for you. Congratulations. (I suppose this could be a big problem in the RE world with more free time..)
Same with "quality of sleep". If I know, there's not really any action I can take to correct it. What are some things you can do? Perhaps I need to turn in my nerd card, but I'm not wholly convinced by this obsession with tracking and monitoring everything to "hack" ourselves to better lives.
I'm not knocking anything, I just want to know what the use/purpose is. So you're answers are sleep apnea (which yes is real, but pretty limited), and going to sleep earlier if you didn't sleep well one night. And switching from front to side sleeping. Sorry, not sold that this is something that would improve my life (if it does for you then good for you). Are there other examples of actions and improvements you can take based on this data?
I do find your phrasing telling:
"scratching the surface "
"many more advances in the future.. "
"The improvements in our short term and long term health could be staggering,"
It could. Maybe. But for now gathering reams of data about something I can't control holds no appeal to me. I'd do as well with a wristband that yells "Go the fuck to bed!" at 10 pm every night.
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Here's the thing with tech, especially wearable tech: what helps one person doesn't necessarily help another, and vice versa.
I don't find the Fitbit sleep thing useful. I sleep pretty well, my data for the sleep tracker has always been boring, and I just don't have any use for the data. On the other hand, not everyone sleeps well. For someone who wakes up at 3a every night and can't get back to sleep, having information on sleep cycling could be very illuminating, and could lead to them pursuing a different treatment path.
I also don't find Fitbit's "here's how many calories you should eat" thing useful -- it's just not calibrated right for my body and so the data it gives me is bad. I've also talked to people for whom that calorie tracker works amazingly. Touche, Fitbit, you calibrated your algorithsm for a different body type than mine, which stubbornly sticks to the same 10 lb range without fail.
On the other hand, I've found Fitbit's weight tracker useful. In particular, because I can compare activity records and calorie intake records against my weight records, I know that my activity levels have very little effect on my weight -- but my food intake does. Yeah, I know this is normal from reading health and wellness articles on the internet, but it's different for me when I have concrete data telling me things about my own body. That changes my behavior for the better.
I also find step tracking useful. I walk every morning and evening, and have gotten back into running a few times a week; nonetheless, my incidental activity varies widely, to the tune of one to two miles a day worth of steps. Figuring out what drives my incidental activity has literally changed how I run my life, and it continues to do so as I get new data. I was genuinely surprised, for example, at how much activity I got in last Saturday from ripping weeds out of our community garden plot. I thought I was gonna have a sore back but no other significant movement -- three miles worth of steps proved that wrong. That's the kind of information that changes my behavior, and makes me spend more time on a particular activity. I'm already looking forward to more weeding! Look at that, a nice yard and more activity than I would get spending time here on these forums. :)
tl;dr What data is valuable to you depends on what your problems are and how you use data. OP may or may not find a Fitbit useful to them. You may or may not find a Fitbit or some other bit of tech to be useful to you. I think it's great to question others about what they anticipate getting out of a fancy piece of tech before shelling out cash for it, because it leads to a more considered decision. I like it when people do this for me, personally, and I hope OP has found the contributions to this thread have helped them in making their decision. Expressing frustrations about a piece of tech you thought would be helpful but isn't -- legit, please do it, we need to know about the whole range of experiences if we're trying to figure out whether a piece of tech would be useful for us. On the other hand, telling other people that what works for them actually doesn't work for them, or is ridiculous -- not so great, or useful, or helpful. Let's try to only fill OP's replies with things that are useful, yeah?
(Sorry OP to get cranky-ish here. I tried to give my useful/non-useful experiences with the Fitbit above in case it helps some.)
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Here's the thing with tech, especially wearable tech: what helps one person doesn't necessarily help another, and vice versa.
I don't find the Fitbit sleep thing useful. I sleep pretty well, my data for the sleep tracker has always been boring, and I just don't have any use for the data. On the other hand, not everyone sleeps well. For someone who wakes up at 3a every night and can't get back to sleep, having information on sleep cycling could be very illuminating, and could lead to them pursuing a different treatment path.
I'm still stuck on this issue. If I wake up at 3 am every night and can't get back to sleep, what difference does it make if a hyped up wrist watch records this information? How does that help me solve the problem?
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I'm not a sleep expert by any means, but here's what I can think of: Imagine you find your sleep cycles are totally normal, but you're getting woken up in the middle of one. That looks like a sudden environmental cue to me. What's going on in your environment at 3a that could wake you? Alternately, imagine your sleep cycles are getting really short way quicker than they should be -- like your body is treating 3a as 6a. What's going on with your body that could do that? Maybe supplements would help; maybe altering your sleep schedule would help. Knowing that little bit of data could help you pinpoint a solution much more quickly.
Another scenario -- you find that your sleep quality on the tracker is really good when you fall asleep at 11:30 and get up at 7, but it's terrible when you do 10-6. You find this over and over, and you have the corroboration of getting tired on that earlier schedule, even when you're sticking to it like a good little sleeper. Your body has its preferences, and its preferences are abjectly NOT 10-6. You have actionable data then. And you have it in little charts -- little charts that not only reassure you that you're not crazy, but can reassure your boss when you e.g. ask for an 8a start time instead of a 7:30 start time.
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Like I said, I don't use the sleep part at all. I think Valhalla would be better able to describe concrete steps he's taken because of sleep tracking. I like the step tracking, which has had a profound and positive impact on how I approach my day-to-day life. That I can go on and on about.
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I don't quibble about stuff that makes me alive. If there's even a 1% chance that it will improve OP's health 1%, isn't $50 worth it? I agree that equipment alone won't make you healthy -- that exercise is more about attitude and habits... but if the Fitbit purchase can positively affect attitude and habits, is it really so bad?
I just bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Based on this post, doesn't seem like you had one.
From the poll results, posters are, generally, not objecting to the concept of a FitBit, only to the concept of buying one with $20,000 of debt.
I object to the concept of a fitbit.
If you want to get in shape, you don't need electronic fitness tracker doodads designed designed to have a relatively short life. You need to exercise. If you want a fitness tracker, keep a pen and paper and write down times/distances that you run or weights/reps that you lift. This is cheaper, just as motivational, just as useful, and significantly less environmentally damaging.
[...]bought a $1,500 dollar treadmill. Because it's cold as fuK outside and I'm tired of driving to Planet Fitness. If I lose my mustache, whatever.
Could have bought $150 worth of winter clothes, pile on those layers until you are puffed up like a snowman. Problem solved, you will be toasty warm and get some resistance training while you are at it!
You'll find that even when it's very cold you don't really need that much clothing to stay warm. Exercise will generate a lot of heat. When it's extremely cold you only need a good hat, a face mask, some warm gloves, boots that aren't too heavy, and skipants/skijacket.
Protip - when temperatures are in the -30s (C) and you're out jogging in skipants . . . only wear underwear beneath them. It helps to keep you from overheating as much.
Man, that totally depends on the conditions. If it's JUST cold yeah decent base layer, jacket, gloves, smartwool socks, boots, hat and maybe a mask depending on temp.
If it's high 30's, low 40's and rain like seattle area winters it get MISERABLE unless you've got waterproof gear, and to get waterproof stuff that vents and doesn't overheat you can be challenging and often $$.
Final point, I love your posts and like you I lean towards the hardcore side of things. But I also know that not all things are for all people, and I'd much rather see someone spend money on a gym membership they USE than a bunch of gear they don't. :D
BTW-I just bought power meter pedals and am running a Zwift setup for the winter. So much easier to get consistent PRODUCTIVE training vs junk miles/hours when the stars align and I can rush outside for an hour or two? Tech isn't always the enemy and has real benefits if you're using it purposefully.
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These devices are to get you used to wearable tech that tracks you and your movements under the guise of helping you accomplish something. Ita a necessary step to get people to be OK with micro chipping and other tech/brain/human interfaces. Who really owns the data collected when you wear a fitbit?
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These devices are to get you used to wearable tech that tracks you and your movements under the guise of helping you accomplish something. Ita a necessary step to get people to be OK with micro chipping and other tech/brain/human interfaces. Who really owns the data collected when you wear a fitbit?
My thoughts exactly.
The lure is, of course, all the benefits one has ..., but there are always consequences.
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Here's the thing with tech, especially wearable tech: what helps one person doesn't necessarily help another, and vice versa.
I don't find the Fitbit sleep thing useful. I sleep pretty well, my data for the sleep tracker has always been boring, and I just don't have any use for the data. On the other hand, not everyone sleeps well. For someone who wakes up at 3a every night and can't get back to sleep, having information on sleep cycling could be very illuminating, and could lead to them pursuing a different treatment path.
I'm still stuck on this issue. If I wake up at 3 am every night and can't get back to sleep, what difference does it make if a hyped up wrist watch records this information? How does that help me solve the problem?
The difference, is #1 - you become aware you get up at 3am rather than blissfully unaware, like 99% of the people. #2, you figure out what's causing you to wake up at 3am. Is it GERD? Is it drinking too much fluids before bed? Is it eating too much or too little before bed? Is it something you can control?
People don't just randomly wake up at 3am for no reason. The data helps you become aware, and see what you can do about it.
As our bodies age, our ability to sleep changes, for better or for worse. I can monitor how my body reacts when I exercise at different times of the day, when I have the deepest sleep, when I wake up a lot, and how much sleep I get in each stage.
Having this data is amazing, and I can look at my patterns to see if there are things I need to address. My sleep quality has improved a ton since getting a fitbit. I feel far more rested, sharper, and my body feels much better now that I actually have some idea of how I sleep, and things that impact my sleep, and what adjustments I can make.
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These devices are to get you used to wearable tech that tracks you and your movements under the guise of helping you accomplish something. Ita a necessary step to get people to be OK with micro chipping and other tech/brain/human interfaces. Who really owns the data collected when you wear a fitbit?
If you want to go back to the dark days, go live in a cave. Your whereabouts are tracked by many devices. In fact, why are you posting on MMM? Your IP address, your PC / browser info is being leaked online. You shouldn't even be here posting info, willingly giving away your info to strangers!
In all honesty, WTF is fitbit or any random company going to do with my sleep data? I use a junk email for my fitbit that I never check (but I never get spam from them), and I don't use my fitbit to job or run, so no GPS data. So what is there to be afraid of?
Some of this privacy stuff is prudent, some of it is absurd. Fitbit is losing money, if they're making money on all the data they're collecting off of you, they're sucking at it. Concerns about this issue is a non-issue, imho.
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Without knowing your health history or current BMI/weight, I would say yes. If I had to guess, I would say fitbit's will work for 40% of people and circa 60% of people who are "competitive".
I received one as a gift 3 years ago and loved it. I quickly upgraded to one that tells time and date as well as lets me know if someone is calling/texting. I've never been over weight but I sit at a desk job and it motivates me to move around and hit a certain amount of steps each day. I also have about 3 meetings a day for work and it helps me keep track of time when i'm roaming around the company office (which is often). I had lost it for 3 days a couple of weeks ago, and felt naked. If you do happen to be overweight or don't get exercise, this fitbit could save you thousands of dollars in the long run for hospital bills.
Health > $50
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These devices are to get you used to wearable tech that tracks you and your movements under the guise of helping you accomplish something. Ita a necessary step to get people to be OK with micro chipping and other tech/brain/human interfaces. Who really owns the data collected when you wear a fitbit?
If you want to go back to the dark days, go live in a cave. Your whereabouts are tracked by many devices. In fact, why are you posting on MMM? Your IP address, your PC / browser info is being leaked online. You shouldn't even be here posting info, willingly giving away your info to strangers!
In all honesty, WTF is fitbit or any random company going to do with my sleep data? I use a junk email for my fitbit that I never check (but I never get spam from them), and I don't use my fitbit to job or run, so no GPS data. So what is there to be afraid of?
Some of this privacy stuff is prudent, some of it is absurd. Fitbit is losing money, if they're making money on all the data they're collecting off of you, they're sucking at it. Concerns about this issue is a non-issue, imho.
So the only two options are total buy in or live in a cave? That's not a very convincing argument. It's not really about selling data either. I know of at least one case where wearable data was used to convict someone and send them to jail.
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I'm still stuck on this issue. If I wake up at 3 am every night and can't get back to sleep, what difference does it make if a hyped up wrist watch records this information? How does that help me solve the problem?
since the fit bit cant tell time, its not really fair to call it a hyped up wristwatch!
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I'm still stuck on this issue. If I wake up at 3 am every night and can't get back to sleep, what difference does it make if a hyped up wrist watch records this information? How does that help me solve the problem?
since the fit bit cant tell time, its not really fair to call it a hyped up wristwatch!
Downgraded wristwatch? :P
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Does anyone asking about the value of Fitbit data track their spending? What's the value of that? Why not just check your bank balance, which tells you if you're broke or not? Except of course we all know the value of it. Once you have the details, you can see what specifically caused any changes, get yourself back on track (watch your grocery bill, etc) or adapt your expectations if those changes are permanent/semi-permanent (e.g. if you get married, have a kid, they start daycare, you have to go on medication, etc). Maybe you adapt the former to balance out the latter. Whatever is going on, having the detailed information allows you to make better decisions to work toward your goal(s).
Maybe you're sufficiently established in your money habits that you don't budget, don't track in Mint or YNAB or on paper, you just check that your balances are doing what you expect. Maybe you're satisfied with your fitness and sleep habits and don't see a need for that data. That's fine. No one is trying to convince you to buy a Fitbit! Really! Enjoy not having one. But (some of) you are devaluing the choices of those who *do* find value in one, who find the information helps them make changes...whether by identifying patterns or by being a motivational force.
I have a Charge HR--all the trackers that didn't do heart rate seemed like glorified pedometers to me; I would probably get an off brand or $10 mechanical one of those, or just use my phone. A couple things I've noticed since using my Fitbit: I'm really sedentary when I work from home and it gets me down, so I've made a conscious effort to work a walk or run in on those days; sometimes, I'll do laps up and down stairs to meet my "floors" goal even though it's arbitrary; and when I feel really crappy going uphill on a hike or running, my heart rate is up there, and taking a break or slowing down helps me feel better and finish the activity (like a poster above, helps me recognize and accept when I might actually working too hard for my body and regulate so that I'm pushing myself a good amount). Could someone potentially have these insights without the help of a gadget? Certainly. But (a) *I* personally simply *wouldn't* have thought about things in quite the same way without the data in front of me and (b) we live in a society that teaches us to internalize and ignore our physical needs (sleep, movement, etc) for various other goals (work, school, caring for others, etc). Many of us are too accustomed to disregarding our body's cues that we are missing something (tiredness, bad moods, lack of focus, etc). Again, not true for *everybody,* and if you're in touch with yourself, that is fantastic and wonderful, move along. But what you see in this thread is many people saying "yes, this was of value to me" and some others saying "no it couldn't possibly have been." How can you possibly say that for someone else? About something you haven't even tried?
None of this is to say OP needs one or should get one, which I think depends as much on their income as the other factors mentioned. With an income of $100k+ a $20k debt can probably be gone in under a year (or you have much lower-hanging fruit than a $50-$100 gadget to reckon with...or kids). If you're trying to pay off the $20k making $35k, your budget probably needs to be a lot tighter and the cumulative effect of spending the $50-$100 at 8% (effectively, by spending on a Fitbit instead of paying off the debt) is much greater.
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Does anyone asking about the value of Fitbit data track their spending? What's the value of that? Why not just check your bank balance, which tells you if you're broke or not?
No. None. My investments aren't shown as part of my bank balance.
Except of course we all know the value of it.Once you have the details, you can see what specifically caused any changes, get yourself back on track (watch your grocery bill, etc) or adapt your expectations if those changes are permanent/semi-permanent (e.g. if you get married, have a kid, they start daycare, you have to go on medication, etc). Maybe you adapt the former to balance out the latter. Whatever is going on, having the detailed information allows you to make better decisions to work toward your goal(s).
The long term and eventual goal is to get to a point where doing the right thing is simply a natural action. It doesn't require special tools that can fail you, it's not dependent upon external forces that you have no control over. You do it yourself, for you . . . because you're awesome.
Maybe you're sufficiently established in your money habits that you don't budget, don't track in Mint or YNAB or on paper, you just check that your balances are doing what you expect. Maybe you're satisfied with your fitness and sleep habits and don't see a need for that data. That's fine. No one is trying to convince you to buy a Fitbit! Really! Enjoy not having one. But (some of) you are devaluing the choices of those who *do* find value in one, who find the information helps them make changes...whether by identifying patterns or by being a motivational force.
These people are not as weak as they claim to be. I believe that they can be stronger, smarter, and learn to sleep better without a fitbit! And in so doing they'll save themselves some money, and save the planet from a tiny bit of waste! Literally EVERYONE wins!
what you see in this thread is many people saying "yes, this was of value to me" and some others saying "no it couldn't possibly have been." How can you possibly say that for someone else? About something you haven't even tried?
Maybe because I've blown money in the past on things that seemed like they would be essential to living a healthy life that totally didn't pan out, and I'm hoping to both prevent other people from feeling stupid, from growing dependence upon unnecessary things, and from creating more waste that the planet can't handle.
I've never had sex with a porcupine, but would advocate against it. It's possible to use past experiences and failure to extrapolate likely outcomes and base advice upon that.
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what you see in this thread is many people saying "yes, this was of value to me" and some others saying "no it couldn't possibly have been." How can you possibly say that for someone else? About something you haven't even tried?
Maybe because I've blown money in the past on things that seemed like they would be essential to living a healthy life that totally didn't pan out, and I'm hoping to both prevent other people from feeling stupid, from growing dependence upon unnecessary things, and from creating more waste that the planet can't handle.
I've never had sex with a porcupine, but would advocate against it. It's possible to use past experiences and failure to extrapolate likely outcomes and base advice upon that.
Ok, you've advocated. I'm not sure it was effective as I don't think you've convinced anyone (much less most people) who expressed the opposite opinion. You may also have offended some of them/us and pitted them against yourself by calling them "weak" (for example) while knowing nothing about them and their lives. So what now? What's the plan to actually convince people to avoid "growing dependence upon unnecessary things, and from creating more waste that the planet can't handle," per your stated goal? Where do you go from here? Or is the actual goal to make yourself feel better and flaunt your "strength" by putting others down and arguing online? Because in that case your continuing to double down on your points and your approach actually makes sense...
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
Go ahead and convince yourself of that.
I'm not here to sell you a fitbit. For me, being enlightened of information about my sleep has been amazing. I am quite intelligent and diligent, but I don't even remember what time I went to bed last night or when I woke up last night, never mind the nights before that. I don't know of anyone who keeps a log to track their sleep, even if they did, it would be tedious and inaccurate, as how can you recall when you exactly fell asleep?
You remind me of my friend, a Luddite who ridiculed smart phones. He was the last one to get a cellphone, kept a landline even though he always missed out on social events because he was never home when people arranged get togethers. "I don't need a stinking cellphone", he would insist, until he realized he was missing out.
Then he finally got a smartphone, and now wonders he can live without it. "I don't need access to the internet, I can just go to the computer at the library to look up information when I'm out!" he would proclaim. Now he googles everything and is amazed that he can find information on the fly at any time.
So yea, I'm not going to convince you on the benefits of knowing your sleeping patterns. You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
For a one time cost of $90, my Charge 2 has given me amazing information to improve my life over the last 1.5 years. I'm convinced myself it's worth every penny and more. If you can't be bothered to improve your life with this easy information at your fingertips, good for you. Be in the dark, LOL. It will suit you. You'll convince yourself that it's not worth it. You can manage your life just fine without technology. Good luck with your life man. The alternate version of you that's smarter, sharper, more fit and intelligent, won't ever know that you could have become that better version. No one will convince you. And that's just fine...
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Not being able to live without something does not equate to it making your life better.
You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
Wow!
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
Go ahead and convince yourself of that.
I'm not here to sell you a fitbit. For me, being enlightened of information about my sleep has been amazing. I am quite intelligent and diligent, but I don't even remember what time I went to bed last night or when I woke up last night, never mind the nights before that. I don't know of anyone who keeps a log to track their sleep, even if they did, it would be tedious and inaccurate, as how can you recall when you exactly fell asleep?
You remind me of my friend, a Luddite who ridiculed smart phones. He was the last one to get a cellphone, kept a landline even though he always missed out on social events because he was never home when people arranged get togethers. "I don't need a stinking cellphone", he would insist, until he realized he was missing out.
Then he finally got a smartphone, and now wonders he can live without it. "I don't need access to the internet, I can just go to the computer at the library to look up information when I'm out!" he would proclaim. Now he googles everything and is amazed that he can find information on the fly at any time.
So yea, I'm not going to convince you on the benefits of knowing your sleeping patterns. You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
For a one time cost of $90, my Charge 2 has given me amazing information to improve my life over the last 1.5 years. I'm convinced myself it's worth every penny and more. If you can't be bothered to improve your life with this easy information at your fingertips, good for you. Be in the dark, LOL. It will suit you. You'll convince yourself that it's not worth it. You can manage your life just fine without technology. Good luck with your life man. The alternate version of you that's smarter, sharper, more fit and intelligent, won't ever know that you could have become that better version. No one will convince you. And that's just fine...
Careful, GuitarStv doesn't have a cell phone. :P
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
Go ahead and convince yourself of that.
I'm not here to sell you a fitbit. For me, being enlightened of information about my sleep has been amazing. I am quite intelligent and diligent, but I don't even remember what time I went to bed last night or when I woke up last night, never mind the nights before that. I don't know of anyone who keeps a log to track their sleep, even if they did, it would be tedious and inaccurate, as how can you recall when you exactly fell asleep?
You remind me of my friend, a Luddite who ridiculed smart phones. He was the last one to get a cellphone, kept a landline even though he always missed out on social events because he was never home when people arranged get togethers. "I don't need a stinking cellphone", he would insist, until he realized he was missing out.
Then he finally got a smartphone, and now wonders he can live without it. "I don't need access to the internet, I can just go to the computer at the library to look up information when I'm out!" he would proclaim. Now he googles everything and is amazed that he can find information on the fly at any time.
So yea, I'm not going to convince you on the benefits of knowing your sleeping patterns. You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
For a one time cost of $90, my Charge 2 has given me amazing information to improve my life over the last 1.5 years. I'm convinced myself it's worth every penny and more. If you can't be bothered to improve your life with this easy information at your fingertips, good for you. Be in the dark, LOL. It will suit you. You'll convince yourself that it's not worth it. You can manage your life just fine without technology. Good luck with your life man. The alternate version of you that's smarter, sharper, more fit and intelligent, won't ever know that you could have become that better version. No one will convince you. And that's just fine...
Careful, GuitarStv doesn't have a cell phone. :P
The cell phone fad will pass. :P
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Brain implants for everyone!
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
Go ahead and convince yourself of that.
I'm not here to sell you a fitbit. For me, being enlightened of information about my sleep has been amazing. I am quite intelligent and diligent, but I don't even remember what time I went to bed last night or when I woke up last night, never mind the nights before that. I don't know of anyone who keeps a log to track their sleep, even if they did, it would be tedious and inaccurate, as how can you recall when you exactly fell asleep?
You remind me of my friend, a Luddite who ridiculed smart phones. He was the last one to get a cellphone, kept a landline even though he always missed out on social events because he was never home when people arranged get togethers. "I don't need a stinking cellphone", he would insist, until he realized he was missing out.
Then he finally got a smartphone, and now wonders he can live without it. "I don't need access to the internet, I can just go to the computer at the library to look up information when I'm out!" he would proclaim. Now he googles everything and is amazed that he can find information on the fly at any time.
So yea, I'm not going to convince you on the benefits of knowing your sleeping patterns. You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
For a one time cost of $90, my Charge 2 has given me amazing information to improve my life over the last 1.5 years. I'm convinced myself it's worth every penny and more. If you can't be bothered to improve your life with this easy information at your fingertips, good for you. Be in the dark, LOL. It will suit you. You'll convince yourself that it's not worth it. You can manage your life just fine without technology. Good luck with your life man. The alternate version of you that's smarter, sharper, more fit and intelligent, won't ever know that you could have become that better version. No one will convince you. And that's just fine...
You're mistaking me for a person who cares. I don't give a crap if OP get a fitbit. I was just saying I don't understand the purpose of one, and the mountains of data it produce.
You, and others, keep saying *that* a fitbit (specifically sleep tracking) improved your life. But not *how* it did. What are some examples of fitbit told you X so you did Y? What are actions you can take to improve your sleep?
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I didn't call anyone weak, quite the opposite. I believe that their strength (both mental and physical) will allow anyone to get fitter without the need for electronic tracking.
Go ahead and convince yourself of that.
I'm not here to sell you a fitbit. For me, being enlightened of information about my sleep has been amazing. I am quite intelligent and diligent, but I don't even remember what time I went to bed last night or when I woke up last night, never mind the nights before that. I don't know of anyone who keeps a log to track their sleep, even if they did, it would be tedious and inaccurate, as how can you recall when you exactly fell asleep?
You remind me of my friend, a Luddite who ridiculed smart phones. He was the last one to get a cellphone, kept a landline even though he always missed out on social events because he was never home when people arranged get togethers. "I don't need a stinking cellphone", he would insist, until he realized he was missing out.
Then he finally got a smartphone, and now wonders he can live without it. "I don't need access to the internet, I can just go to the computer at the library to look up information when I'm out!" he would proclaim. Now he googles everything and is amazed that he can find information on the fly at any time.
So yea, I'm not going to convince you on the benefits of knowing your sleeping patterns. You'll never be convinced. Doesn't hurt me one bit. I'll just be sharper than you, have a technological edge, and be healthier in my life than you will be. Suits me just fine.
For a one time cost of $90, my Charge 2 has given me amazing information to improve my life over the last 1.5 years. I'm convinced myself it's worth every penny and more. If you can't be bothered to improve your life with this easy information at your fingertips, good for you. Be in the dark, LOL. It will suit you. You'll convince yourself that it's not worth it. You can manage your life just fine without technology. Good luck with your life man. The alternate version of you that's smarter, sharper, more fit and intelligent, won't ever know that you could have become that better version. No one will convince you. And that's just fine...
You're mistaking me for a person who cares. I don't give a crap if OP get a fitbit. I was just saying I don't understand the purpose of one, and the mountains of data it produce.
You, and others, keep saying *that* a fitbit (specifically sleep tracking) improved your life. But not *how* it did. What are some examples of fitbit told you X so you did Y? What are actions you can take to improve your sleep?
Got an example for you. I'm a mountain biker and was training for a 12 hour epic with a lot of climbing. I noticed that I was pretty consistently cramping on climbs at the tail end of training rides. I was thinking I wasn't fueling well enough or maybe just getting old, I was just dealing with the cramping. Then I got a garmin 935 with HRM, plugs into cadence I figured out the issue fairly quickly. Old single speeder now on a geared full suspension bike I was pushing too big a gear at too low a cadence. I THOUGHT my cadence was higher and my HR lower, it was the opposite. I ended up re-gearing the bike and learning to spin better. I'm happy I did as the actual event would have been HELL with the way I was riding previous.
Of course discipline, best practices and being in touch with your body get you 80% of the way there, maybe more. But having some specific data points can do wonders.
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Got an example for you. I'm a mountain biker and was training for a 12 hour epic with a lot of climbing. I noticed that I was pretty consistently cramping on climbs at the tail end of training rides. I was thinking I wasn't fueling well enough or maybe just getting old, I was just dealing with the cramping. Then I got a garmin 935 with HRM, plugs into cadence I figured out the issue fairly quickly. Old single speeder now on a geared full suspension bike I was pushing too big a gear at too low a cadence. I THOUGHT my cadence was higher and my HR lower, it was the opposite. I ended up re-gearing the bike and learning to spin better. I'm happy I did as the actual event would have been HELL with the way I was riding previous.
Of course discipline, best practices and being in touch with your body get you 80% of the way there, maybe more. But having some specific data points can do wonders.
Well cool, but:
1) that's a HR and cadance monitor. The fitbit does none of that. It's a pedomenter on your wrist. It can tell whether you moved during sleep.
2) That's a pretty serious athletic use, I barely understand most of it. I was thinking more in the realm of normal people's daily lives..
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Got an example for you. I'm a mountain biker and was training for a 12 hour epic with a lot of climbing. I noticed that I was pretty consistently cramping on climbs at the tail end of training rides. I was thinking I wasn't fueling well enough or maybe just getting old, I was just dealing with the cramping. Then I got a garmin 935 with HRM, plugs into cadence I figured out the issue fairly quickly. Old single speeder now on a geared full suspension bike I was pushing too big a gear at too low a cadence. I THOUGHT my cadence was higher and my HR lower, it was the opposite. I ended up re-gearing the bike and learning to spin better. I'm happy I did as the actual event would have been HELL with the way I was riding previous.
Of course discipline, best practices and being in touch with your body get you 80% of the way there, maybe more. But having some specific data points can do wonders.
Well cool, but:
1) that's a HR and cadance monitor. The fitbit does none of that. It's a pedomenter on your wrist. It can tell whether you moved during sleep.
2) That's a pretty serious athletic use, I barely understand most of it. I was thinking more in the realm of normal people's daily lives..
I wasn't defending the fitbit specifically, just tech in general. I'm not TOTALLY with GuitarSTV's anti-tech stance, but I'm definitely of the opinion that anyone wanting to be fit and healthy needs to dial in good eating, sleeping and exercise habits IN THAT ORDER before they think about putting a cherry on top with supplements, electronic trackers, etc.
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FWIW, (and cell phone issue aside) I'm not really anti-tech. If you're doing indoor training on a bike for example, having a power meter makes a lot of sense. I can understand how someone might want to track heart rate while jogging to gauge effort. My concern is with people who start to believe they can't live without these gadgets, or who become so dependent upon them that they won't train without.
If you want to get really, really good at something (pretty much anything) you just need to do it. Over and over, little by little, you will excel at it. Focusing on the gear and the technology available first and foremost is like eating the pepper and forgetting the steak.
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Got an example for you. I'm a mountain biker and was training for a 12 hour epic with a lot of climbing. I noticed that I was pretty consistently cramping on climbs at the tail end of training rides. I was thinking I wasn't fueling well enough or maybe just getting old, I was just dealing with the cramping. Then I got a garmin 935 with HRM, plugs into cadence I figured out the issue fairly quickly. Old single speeder now on a geared full suspension bike I was pushing too big a gear at too low a cadence. I THOUGHT my cadence was higher and my HR lower, it was the opposite. I ended up re-gearing the bike and learning to spin better. I'm happy I did as the actual event would have been HELL with the way I was riding previous.
Of course discipline, best practices and being in touch with your body get you 80% of the way there, maybe more. But having some specific data points can do wonders.
Well cool, but:
1) that's a HR and cadance monitor. The fitbit does none of that. It's a pedomenter on your wrist. It can tell whether you moved during sleep.
2) That's a pretty serious athletic use, I barely understand most of it. I was thinking more in the realm of normal people's daily lives..
Some Fitbit models have a heart rate monitor.
I'll chime in here since I have a Fitbit (work pays for it, I just have to pay tax, so why not). Since I've gotten my Fitbit, I move a lot more, especially during the workday. I have a goal set and always try to hit it on workdays. It also has a feature where if I haven't moved for an hour, it'll remind me to get up and move/stretch a bit. I find this quite useful as it prevents me from sitting still so long I start to stiffen up. It's also helped me keep track of things such as weight, calorie intake, and exercise such that I've lost about 50lbs over the last 4 years. I could have done all this without it, but I'd say I've gotten value from it.
All that said, if I wasn't getting one for almost free, there's no way I'd bother. The data is nifty, but not really worth the price it'd have cost me. Especially since I've gone through 3 in the last 5 years, they don't seem to hold up well. For comparison, I still have my old Timex my parents gave me for graduating from high-school in 1996 and it's working fine.
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Forget the Fitbit! Buy the Jawbone Up on Amazon - $8.99! I was thinking about a step tracker for a long time, but didn't want to spend the money.
The company is bankrupt, but the device works great, the corresponding app works great, and heck, it's only $8.99. Also, it's a tiny little device, and you don't need to charge it every day, you just change the battery every 3 months or so.
I'm sold on it. I exercised regularly before, but it's definitely motivating to see the step count go up, and get the little fireworks when you've gotten to your goal.
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FWIW, (and cell phone issue aside) I'm not really anti-tech. If you're doing indoor training on a bike for example, having a power meter makes a lot of sense. I can understand how someone might want to track heart rate while jogging to gauge effort. My concern is with people who start to believe they can't live without these gadgets, or who become so dependent upon them that they won't train without.
If you want to get really, really good at something (pretty much anything) you just need to do it. Over and over, little by little, you will excel at it. Focusing on the gear and the technology available first and foremost is like eating the pepper and forgetting the steak.
Totally agree, we're saying the same thing. Proper fundamentals and then seat time is the key to going from beginner to early advanced in the least amount of time, almost without fail across most disciplines. The rest you can decide on once you're good.
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I got a fitbit as a gift from work one year and it wasn't all that it's cracked up to be. I gave it to my husband and he no longer uses it. It had to be charged all the time (seemed like a lot). It also seemed to track washing dishes as steps. Also the strap broke a couple of times within that year and he had to get replacements. I think a step tracker is a good idea if it will make you walk and move more but the fitbit product is not worth it in my opinion. You might as well just use an app on your phone or if you don't like carrying your phone around just get a simple small step tracker (less expensive).