As a health professional, the emergence of the Fitbit over the last couple of years has been largely positive. Fitbit’s modus operandi is to “motivate you to reach your health and fitness goals by tracking your activity, exercise, sleep, weight and more”.

The Fitbit encourages the lay person to become far more aware of their daily activity habits, the volume of activity required to achieve healthy and recommended levels, and the number of consumed calories. As a non-user, I wanted to summarise the pros and cons of the Fitbit from 3 avid users: Klaus, an ex-servicemen baby boomer with 10+ years gym experience; Karen, a 50-something professional Dog Groomer who enjoys dog-walking and cycling; and Kate, Restart’s very own Gen Y Exercise Physiologist who enjoys Pilates, Boxing and high-intensity circuit training.

For each case study participant, I asked the following questions…

– What are your 3 favourite aspects/features of using your Fitbit?

– What is your least favourite aspect of your Fitbit (if you have one)?

– How has the Fitbit added value to your life from a health perspective?

 

Klaus – Fitbit Model: Charge HR

 

 

What are your 3 favourite aspects/features of using your Fitbit?

– Simple and effective way to measure daily activity, water intake and food intake.

– I also find it beneficial for measuring my sleep patterns. I like the how it can measure the quality of my sleep; whether I’m achieving deep REM sleep, or more shallow restless sleep.

– When used in conjunction with a calorie counter (I use Allan Borushek’s Calorie Counting handbook), I’m able to get excellent feedback on my daily calorie intake, and from this acquire information on whether I need to do more activity to be at a calorie deficit for the day.

What is your least favourite aspect of your Fitbit (if you have one)?

My Fitbit developed a split on the wristband just above the screen area. The Fitbit was still within warranty period, but I chose not to chase up a new monitor.

How has the Fitbit added value to your life from a health perspective?

It’s a way of tangibly recording your achievements regarding leading a more active lifestyle and developing healthier eating patterns. The Fitbit has made me much more accountable for my daily habits, and thus has been an integral part in me losing 32kg in 10 months!

Karen – FitBit Model: Fitbit Flex 2

 

 

What are your 3 favourite aspects/features of using your Fitbit?

– I love the steps, this has been a great motivation for me to get moving. It has also encouraged and shown me that I am not as inactive as I was originally led to believe or I personally felt. The steps are also good, at the end of the day I may be close to the 10k goal, therefore this motivates me to get out and achieve the goal.

– The Active Minutes is another great feature, this measures time you are active, for example swimming or riding a bike. The minutes do not include steps, but are measured as active minutes that are continuous for 10 minutes or more. Once again a great way to see that you are moving and exercising.

– Hours slept; this feature shows the time you went to sleep and when you woke up, it measures sleep quality, times awake, times restless and total minutes awake and restless. This feature allows you to monitor and gauge what is impacting on your quality of sleep.

What is your least favourite aspect of your Fitbit (if you have one)?

I love the Fitbit Flex 2 however if I was to pick one thing I don’t like it would be that I have to add in the water that I drink, and work out the calories that I consume. Being lazy I don’t do it, I suppose that will be a very advanced Fitbit Flex 2 to be able to do this automatically. However if I wasn’t so lazy, this would be a great feature that would allow you to positively see the amount of water you drink, plus help to lose weight, (if that is the goal).

How has the Fitbit added value to your life from a health perspective?

I feel that Fitbit Flex 2 has added value to my life, by ensuring I am more active. I suffer from a sore neck, arm and knees and being more active has definitely helped these areas and as a result my pain and discomfort and been reduced.

 

Kate – Fitbit Model: Charge HR

 

 

What are your 3 favourite aspects/features of using your Fitbit?

– It syncs easily to a very informative app featuring a dashboard that records and compares heart rate, steps taken, floors climbed, km total walked and calories burnt in a 24 hour period.

– On the app you can also input and track your daily exercise, water intake, calorie intake and sleep quality. My Fitbit has a heart rateFitbit  monitor built in so it’s great for tracking your HR during exercise to ensure you are reaching your intended HR targets/zones.

– The Fitbit itself is light, slim, easy to read. It charges quickly and the battery lasts up to 3 days for me.

I also enjoy how you can connect with other Fitbit wearing friends on the app to compete for prizes and see their daily results.

What is your least favourite aspect of your Fitbit (if you have one)?

I don’t like to wear it at night time while i sleep and this is the only way you can track your sleep patterns. Therefore I don’t utilise this aspect of the device. 

How has the Fitbit added value to your life from a health perspective?

It vibrates when you reach 10,000 steps in a 24 hour period. You can also set reminders to get up an walk every hour for 250 steps. Great for those who have sedentary jobs or lifestyles and need a gentle reminder or congrats for reaching a goal. 

Wearing it makes you more accountable for the amount of steps and formal exercise you are completing daily. It acts as an incentive to reach goals as you enter your data into the app at the end of the day and get a visual representation of your efforts and where you need to improve. 

Through the app you can also set goals whether it be for weight, hydration, sleep and body fat %. 

 

If you are considering purchasing a Fitbit, hopefully the above information has been useful. The underlying message is that in most cases, more movement is better, and through the feedback and variables that the FitBit offers, this seems to be more achievable due to the support, motivation and knowledge gained from this clever little gadget!

Yours in movement,

Luke Rabone