Since starting college, I've been in a constant battle of gaining weight and then loosing. Trying to maintain my weight and with me actually being happy with it has been very difficult. So, I've decided to give in to society and purchase a Fitbit. Now there are so many talks as to whether or not the numbers on a Fitbit are actually accurate. I have been told so many times, it isn't worth it, it's too expensive, and not accurate. Well, I believe that society is false. From a young adult's perspective, it is very accurate and does so much more than tracking my steps throughout the day. These are some of the few reasons why my Fitbit Alta HR was one of the best purchases I've ever made.
1. Tracks my Sleep
This sounds crazy, but when wearing it at night my Fitbit tracks the hours of sleep I got. Not only does it track my hours, but it also tracks when I wake up, when in a deep, light, and REM sleep. It makes me feel more refresh throughout the day, knowing how well I slept the night before.
2. Tracks my Heart Rate
With all my anxiety, I sometimes like to check where my heart rate is at throughout my day. I also use it to check where my heart rate after a workout, to be sure I am meeting my target heart rate.
3. How Much Exercise in a Week
According to the Fitbit App I use to maintain my weight, it is recommended for me to exercise up to five times a week. It tracks what percentage fat I burned, cardio, and peak. Calories burned are also important part of my workouts.
4. Caloric Intake
My dining hall just released how many calories are in the food served through an app called "bite". It now syncs to my Fitbit and allows me to track what I have eaten throughout the day to make sure I am getting a high enough calorie intake.
5. Miles
As much as I enjoy that I love all the aspects of my Fitbit, The amount of miles I am doing per day is a big asset. Sometimes people only worry about how much they are burning or just the amount of steps they do, but miles is something I look at when walking on the beach or even my dog.
6. Calories Burned
Ideally, burning anywhere between 200-400 calories per workout is sufficient for me. This is the one aspect of my Fitbit I needed before making a purchase. Before, I would use my iPhone to track my miles and steps, but now my Fitbit gives me accurate calories I am burning during my workouts.
7. Steps
Finally, I love to know the amount of steps I do daily. Currently, looking at my stats, I average about 11,000 steps per day, which is honestly above what I want to average per day. It is recommended to do 10,000 steps per day to maintain a normal weight, but obviously everyone is different.