What's Your Fitness Tracker of Choice

[NidianSmith]

Looking for a cheapish fitness tracker that is also waterproof. Want it to track sleep and also activities not just daily steps.

[2Cent]

The Moov Now is a nice one. It has great battery life and can do everything you asked for. Missing features are GPS and heart rate. Those are only available on more expensive devices. Alternatively you could try to use your phone for a lot of these tasks.

[Monkey Uncle]

I have to choose between two notches on my belt every morning when I put my pants on.  If I have to go with the looser notch, I know it's time to get in some more steps.

[soccerluvof4]

Well if you have a samsung phone I would really recommend Samsung Health. Works great

[big_slacker]

So you don't want my fitness tracker of choice, which is a Garmin 935. For me this is great because I can do a 4-12 hour ride without the battery dying, more accurate HR tracking, load routes and get turn by turn, tracks pretty much all sports including swimming, etc.

For cheaper I'd start with this article. The aforementioned Moov is there as well as others:

http://www.techradar.com/news/best-cheap-activity-trackers

[fattest_foot]

I have to choose between two notches on my belt every morning when I put my pants on.  If I have to go with the looser notch, I know it's time to get in some more steps.

Been working out consistently since 2009 and my tracker of choice is Excel. It misses out on steps and sleep, but it's pretty flawless otherwise.

[aceyou]

Excel. 

Each column is a day.  I briefly write down what I did for:

cardio
stretching
lifting
diet
vitamins
when I went to bed and woke up the night before. 
How did I feel that day.

It only takes a minute or two.  Do that for a month or two, and you'll quickly start connecting dots...

"when I do x,y, and z, I feel great the next day". 
"Every time I get x hours of sleep I feel great, every  time I get less than y hours I feel shitty". 

I like things to be more manual, because it forces me to think critically about myself, which I think is the biggest benefit to tracking.

[DumpTruck]

fitness trackers are no necessarily accurate. They take in a lot of assumptions. Making choices based on that info may not be best case for everyone.

Best bet is to be sore everyday. Your body is burning calories to rebuild muscle. Avoid processed food, if it's in a box don't buy it. Whole food plant based lifestyle for the win. Limit alcohol and drug intake and you're golden.

[GuitarStv]

Excel. 

Each column is a day.  I briefly write down what I did for:

cardio
stretching
lifting
diet
vitamins
when I went to bed and woke up the night before. 
How did I feel that day.

It only takes a minute or two.  Do that for a month or two, and you'll quickly start connecting dots...

"when I do x,y, and z, I feel great the next day". 
"Every time I get x hours of sleep I feel great, every  time I get less than y hours I feel shitty". 

I like things to be more manual, because it forces me to think critically about myself, which I think is the biggest benefit to tracking.

+1

Body weight, resting heart rate that morning, brief description of exercise, sleep and how you feel were the metrics I always used.  I did this for years and it was a great help while boxing and wrestling.  Later it was tremendously useful while planning weightlifting routines.  More recently it has been a big aid for cycling.

No need for a fancy app, but knowing where you are performance-wise and being able to look back to track your progress is beneficial.

[EmFrugal]

I also have to agree with all of those who are pro Excel. Fitness trackers are great for long distance runners, bikers or professional athletes who really need to log mileage or hit a performance goal. For the general population that is looking to get healthy, I really recommend just keeping a journal whether on pen/paper or via spreadsheet.

I don't think tracking your steps, sleep, etc via an electronic device is the best way to get or stay healthy. The key being stay. So many people buy fitness trackers with initial enthusiasm for exercise and then burn out and the tracker becomes this device on someone's wrist that doesn't mean much.  I think focusing on exercising consistently throughout the week, going to sleep and waking around the same time each day, and keeping a rough log of how many veggies you're eating provides much more impact.

If you're looking to give this as a gift to kick start someone who is sedentary, then maybe it's worth looking in to, but I personally don't like them (this is coming from a non-distance, avid exerciser).

[jms493]

My employer gives out fitbits.  Therefore I use this one.  Steps, Sleep, Activity, HR.  That's what i use it for.  The steps keep me from being a lazy ass.  I dont like finishing the day with a low step count.

[soccerluvof4]

My employer gives out fitbits.  Therefore I use this one.  Steps, Sleep, Activity, HR.  That's what i use it for.  The steps keep me from being a lazy ass.  I dont like finishing the day with a low step count.

I also have to agree with all of those who are pro Excel. Fitness trackers are great for long distance runners, bikers or professional athletes who really need to log mileage or hit a performance goal. For the general population that is looking to get healthy, I really recommend just keeping a journal whether on pen/paper or via spreadsheet.

I don't think tracking your steps, sleep, etc via an electronic device is the best way to get or stay healthy. The key being stay. So many people buy fitness trackers with initial enthusiasm for exercise and then burn out and the tracker becomes this device on someone's wrist that doesn't mean much.  I think focusing on exercising consistently throughout the week, going to sleep and waking around the same time each day, and keeping a rough log of how many veggies you're eating provides much more impact.

If you're looking to give this as a gift to kick start someone who is sedentary, then maybe it's worth looking in to, but I personally don't like them (this is coming from a non-distance, avid exerciser).

I have to agree with having it motivates me as well as opposed to when I didnt. Even if its not 100% accurate all the time knowing I have set limits on steps and time for lifting etc... Keeps me motivated.  Everyone is different and is motivated by different things. My fitness tracker motivates me in a big way and may I add has for 3 years

[Laserjet3051]

1) Waist circumference and 2)cycling/skiing/surfing with strong buddies. If I get dropped in the first few minutes of the climb (or down the double diamond or paddling out to the lineup), I know I need to train harder and feel like shit for a while for being competitively unfit. Best (and cheapest) fitness tracker.

[shawndoggy]

strava.

[SpartyStash]

Looking for a cheapish fitness tracker that is also waterproof. Want it to track sleep and also activities not just daily steps.

I'm using a Garmin Forerunner 35 (FR35) as my activity tracker.  I went with a Garmin mainly because I had a Garmin Connect account (that's where I keep track of everything) and several other Garmin devices (Garmin bike computer, Garmin running watch).  The FR35 has a GPS and can track running, walking, indoor running, cycling, steps and I think indoor cardio.  It also has an optical heart rate monitor which is nice.  I usually download/charge it every other day (~1-3 hours of GPS tracking activity per day).  It would probably last 3-4 days between charges based on my usage.  The battery will not last as long as a Garmin 935XT.  Overall, the FR35 works for me, it's probably a bit on the higher end for a "cheapish fitness tracker", but I think the features (GPS, optical heart rate) are worth it.
 
During the November black friday sales, it was $150 (REI), but I think it's gone up a bit in price since (~$170). 

A really good website/blog for activity electronics is DCRainmaker.  He has a lot of reviews on his site (including most fitness trackers).   

[scissorbill]

My golden retriever.  Not exactly frugal but he reminds me when it's time take our daily walk.

[big_slacker]

I think I agree with most here that unless you're fairly serious about tracking things over time (like HR over a specific portion of a course, Power, training load, etc.) a spreadsheet *AND* learning to listen to your body in various ways is more important.

But I agree with the below that if you want to buy a fitness tracker, DC Rainmaker is thorough AF and a really good resource!

Looking for a cheapish fitness tracker that is also waterproof. Want it to track sleep and also activities not just daily steps.

I'm using a Garmin Forerunner 35 (FR35) as my activity tracker.  I went with a Garmin mainly because I had a Garmin Connect account (that's where I keep track of everything) and several other Garmin devices (Garmin bike computer, Garmin running watch).  The FR35 has a GPS and can track running, walking, indoor running, cycling, steps and I think indoor cardio.  It also has an optical heart rate monitor which is nice.  I usually download/charge it every other day (~1-3 hours of GPS tracking activity per day).  It would probably last 3-4 days between charges based on my usage.  The battery will not last as long as a Garmin 935XT.  Overall, the FR35 works for me, it's probably a bit on the higher end for a "cheapish fitness tracker", but I think the features (GPS, optical heart rate) are worth it.
 
During the November black friday sales, it was $150 (REI), but I think it's gone up a bit in price since (~$170). 

A really good website/blog for activity electronics is DCRainmaker.  He has a lot of reviews on his site (including most fitness trackers).

[sol]

Belt.  Mirror.  Sometimes, a bathroom scale.

It's just as easy to get overly obsessive about tracking your personal fitness as it is to get overly obsessive about tracking your personal finances.  Take a breather.  Get it all on autopilot, then evaluate your progress monthly, or even quarterly.  You know what you need to do, and documenting your successes and failures is NOT the hard part of implementing real change.

[Wings5]

I use a Garmin Forerunner 220 with a heart rate strap. I like that I can look back and see how my cardio health is; I've taken the data to my doctor to show him what my real-world numbers look like.

Pretty helpful and not too expensive.

[Retire-Canada]

I have to choose between two notches on my belt every morning when I put my pants on.  If I have to go with the looser notch, I know it's time to get in some more steps.

I have the same fitness metric. :)

[10dollarsatatime]

I love my fitbit charge 2.  I've had fitbits in their various incarnations for years.  Switched to a gear fit 2 for a few months and didn't like it, so that's when I got the charge 2.  It does sleep and heart rate, both of which I need to track.  It has the added bonus of telling me who is texting or calling, so I know if I can ignore the buzzing or not.  (I'm on call.  I have to pay attention.)

The gear fit 2 does basically the same things.  I just like the information layout/app integration better with the fitbit.  Also, the watch band is loads better.  I  nearly lost the gear fit a couple of times when the clasp popped open and I didn't notice.

[Milizard]

I have the cheapest of the cheap--1st generation vivofit my DH found for $35 last year. I wanted to tell the time, plus was curious about how many steps I was getting.  It's not the most accurate,  but I am often surprised by days I get incredibly few steps, and it does make me reevaluate what I'm doing on those days.

[BookLoverL]

My brain. Occasionally a notepad. My ordinary analogue watch if I need to time something.

Sure, I sometimes forget precisely what I did, but I generally remember enough to know if I'm getting better. And I certainly know if I skipped my workout.

Regarding weight (I am in the healthy BMI range and happy with my weight), if my pants get too loose, I need to eat more snacks, and if they start feeling tight, I need to cut back. I weigh myself on an actual scale about once a month.