When you’ve made a commitment to getting fit or you’ve decided it’s time to start adopting healthier daily habits, a fitness or activity tracker will get you off the couch, increase your endurance, and challenge you to improve your physical and mental health every day. There are many different options when it comes to activity and health trackers. Here’s a look at what’s available so you can choose the right tracker for you.

List of contents:

1. Choose an activity tracker
2. Measuring performance
3. Another feature to look for
4. Smart rings are all the rage right now
5. Connected health

Choose an activity tracker

Everyone has a favorite activity or one they like to do to get fit or have fun. While you may be a runner or like to go for walks, your friend may like to hike or bike. Every activity tracker has basic features to instantly track your favorite activities, and you can use the data to achieve your goals.

Daily tracking

When you’re just starting out and wondering how much activity you do each day, a fitness tracker can give you that information and inspire you to keep moving. The basic features of an activity tracker include tracking steps, distance, exercise/activity, and calories. Most trackers also track stairs climbed and sleep as part of the basic features.

Steps are tracked

How many steps you take per day can affect your fitness level, and it is recommended that you take between 8,000 to 10,000 steps each day. With an activity tracker on your wrist, you’ll know how many steps you take each day. You can also compare them over time over weeks, months, even years to see your progress. Some activity trackers have sensors designed to track how many stairs or how many floors you climb each day. The data will be useful in helping you decide whether you should try skipping the lift more often.

Distance traveled

When you start a new healthy lifestyle, every step you take will add up. An activity tracker will track the distance you walk each day so you can set goals to reach or exceed that distance. Those with built-in or connected GPS can also track your route. You can see the path you walked, ran, or cycled on a graph in the companion app. Some also display related data such as altitude, heart rate patterns, and more.

Calories burned

The journey to better health isn’t just about steps, which is why fitness trackers provide additional data. This includes the number of calories you burn each day. One of the basic features of an activity tracker is that it uses the data it obtains to determine how many calories you have burned from exercise. With that knowledge, you can adjust your food intake or see where you can challenge yourself to burn more. You can also set a calorie burning goal. Many fitness trackers also work with third-party food logging apps. With this, you can log your meals and snacks to calculate calorie consumption in relation to calories burned.

Sleep quality

Sleep is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle. Getting the right quantity and quality of sleep can be a challenge. Wearable activity trackers can help by monitoring your sleep. Most now give you data not only on sleep duration but also the hours you spend in deep, light, and REM sleep stages. You can also get a Sleep Score that can help you determine where and how to improve.

Performance activity tracker

Once you test it with a basic activity tracker to understand how it works, you can upgrade to a performance activity tracker. This advanced activity tracker is great for someone who exercises regularly or is preparing for competition. But more advanced features what they provide can benefit anyone who cares about their health and well-being.

Heart rate monitoring

Heart rate is important while exercising. Reaching peak heart rate levels is essential for burning calories. It’s also important for you to keep an eye on your status so you don’t overexert yourself. You may also want to use this as an indication to increase your speed if your heart rate has not yet reached the next zone. Additionally, many fitness trackers can also monitor your resting heart rate. This is related to your overall health and can alert you to problems if you notice that your resting heart rate is too high, for example. Some fitness trackers can even take EKG readings on demand so you can quickly check your heart health.

Speed

An activity tracker that monitors your speed is important for people training for marathons or other fitness activities. You can set goals to increase your speed and see the improvements over days and months.

GPS

If the activity tracker has GPS, you can track your route on a map, which can be viewed in the app. You can also see additional details about your activity, including heart rate, speed, and more. Some fitness trackers designed specifically for runners will provide more specific data. Some trackers have more accurate GPS satellite positions than others. There are two ways to use GPS with a fitness tracker. Built-in GPS means the tracker itself has this feature, so you can leave your phone at home. With GPS connected, the tracker must be within range of your phone to capture data along with mapping.

Multi-sport tracking

There are so many types of activities you can try. Not everyone is a runner or wants to walk for fitness. Fitness trackers with multi-sport tracking let you choose from a variety of workouts, activities, and sports. This usually includes things like walking, running, treadmill, rowing, cycling strength training, and even swimming for waterproof models. Recently, you will find activities like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), jumping rope, even activities like Tai Chi, skating, martial arts, even gardening, to name a few. In most cases, this is simply for your purpose of keeping track of what you did and when. But for some people, the dedicated sport mode has special tracking features. Swim tracking, for example, might continue on your lap. HIIT training may include rest periods between vigorous sets.

Other features to consider when choosing an activity tracker

The most basic features of an activity tracker are important. The same goes for some of the advanced features mentioned above, depending on how and when you want to use them. But there are also some other considerations you need to keep in mind when choosing a tracker.

What style of health tracker do you like?

Health tracker styles vary. You can find trackers that are separate and look like traditional watches. You can wear that type of fitness tracker to work, school, and everywhere in between. Change the strap to suit your style for a night out.

There are also activity trackers that have the fitness tracker style of a simple band and faceplate. The best part about choosing an activity tracker is that they come in a variety of styles and colors, so you’ll find the one that suits you best.

You should also remember that there are different styles of activity trackers available for the whole family. Kids activity tracker will track basic data such as steps, distance, and sleep. Additionally, some child trackers help encourage healthy habits with regular reminders to brush teeth, do homework, and more. Some have games, even connectivity features.

Shown in activity tracker

You can choose the type of display your fitness tracker has. Most traditional fitness trackers have a rectangular display with scrollable text for notifications. Some have wider faces than others. As you get into bigger sizes, squares and circles, you get more drawn into it smart watch category.

Smart rings are all the rage right now

Another category to pay attention to is smart ringwhich is starting to grow now that other brands outside of Oura have joined in, such as Samsung with its brand Galaxy Ring. Oura, meanwhile, is rolling it out Oura Ring 4 as the newest model in the line. Although smart rings don’t have screens like traditional fitness trackers, they collect all the same data. They work through a connection to your skin, measuring everything from activity to sleep, heart rate, body temperature, stress, blood oxygen, and more.

It represents the most discreet type of fitness tracker as it looks like jewelry on your finger. You need to rely on the app and notifications from the app to keep an eye on daily data. Some require a subscription for additional tracking, others do not. Smart rings can also be used in conjunction with fitness trackers or smartwatches, allowing you to compare data and gather as much information as possible about your health and fitness. The most important thing is when buy any smart ring like Oura Ring is to use the available sizing kit to ensure you get the right ring size.

Welcome to connected health

If you want a way to track your health data but don’t want to wear an activity tracker, there are other connected health devices you can consider. It monitors health-related metrics such as weight and body mass index, heart rate, blood pressure, and/or glucose levels. You can use the companion app to see a complete record of your health and progress. Here are some examples:

Heart rate monitor

Monitor your heart rate continuously with many of the latest fitness trackers and smartwatches. Dedicated heart rate monitor useful for secondary data so you can compare. Some experts believe that chest straps offer the most accurate heart rate tracking. But as fitness trackers and smartwatches develop in this field, you may find one right on the market.

Monitor blood pressure

A blood pressure monitor can give you an overall picture of your heart health. It catches you systolic and diastolic blood pressure whenever you tie it. Use this data to monitor over time, and take notes. This can help you assess your risk of current health problems and future health problems. You can also show the data to your doctor or other medical professional at your next visit.

Smart scales

A smart scale is more than just a scale that calculates your weight. Smart scales do more than just measure and report metrics such as body mass index, muscle mass, bone density, water weight and heart rate. All this data is recorded in the app so you can keep an eye on fluctuations and progress. Learn more with us smart scale buying guide.

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Take the next step

There are so many great ones fitness and activity tracker available so it’s easy to find the perfect tracker for you. Check out all the activity and health trackers available right now at Best Buy.