If you feel like skipping your gym day by sleeping in, you can do it guilt-free with a fitness tracker on your wrist. Do you think it’s counterproductive? Quite the opposite, really. The activity tracker is an intuitive tool to push your limits, while also notifying you about break times, last-minute sleep, heart rate, and activity metrics to ensure your body is ready for that extra Pilates class. Check if it is.
Compared to smartwatches, trackers don’t care as much about phone connectivity. With complex sensors and chips out of the way, it will be able to offer more features in the health and exercise space, such as accessing a variety of exercises and syncing data with your favorite sports apps. We spoke to two fitness industry professionals about how you can leverage trackers to better understand your body and ultimately achieve your fitness goals. Scroll through to see what they had to say.
Both Jamie Bassi, a personal trainer and owner of Fit Squad DXB, a personal training company in Dubai, and Sanja Velimirovic, a personal trainer with 15 years of experience at DubaiPT Personal Trainers, share their personal recommendations. Listed below. .
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1. Overall Grand Prize: Fitbit Versa 4
Strong Points
- Built-in GPS and 24/7 heart rate tracking
- Access over 40 exercise modes
- Sleep score by sleep stage
- Hourly travel reminder
- Connect to your phone via Bluetooth to make calls and send text messages
- Works on iOS and Android
Cons
- Some features require premium membership
Bassi has been loyal to Fitbit for six years and says it should work with any Versa model. We chose his Versa 4, a 2022 model with a large AMOLED (active matrix organic light emitting diode) display and a larger screen. This means it’s easier to read in a variety of locations, such as on a treadmill, under a barbell, or on a sunny day. Bassi feels it’s lightweight on the wrist thanks to the soft, flexible sports band that supports it, making it comfortable to wear while sleeping. Versa 4 goes beyond basic step and sleep score features to see skin temperature stats, snoring alerts, irregular heart rhythms, and active zone times. Here, your tracker will beep to let you know that your training is taking effect, and you can add more reps to stay in the zone a little longer. With built-in GPS, you don’t need your phone to track your runs, rides, and hikes. This charge will last you an average of 6 days.
Bonus: Buy in 0% installments and pay AED 54.08 for 12 months with your chosen bank.
guarantee: Amazon offers a 1-year extended warranty on the Dh40 and a 2-year extended warranty on the Dh66.
2. Best for heart rate monitoring: Polar H10 heart rate monitor
Strong Points
- ECG measurement possible
- Works even without a smartphone
- Sync with gym equipment via Bluetooth and ANT+
- 400 hours battery life
- swim proof
Cons
- Don’t break heart rate zones
- When the battery is discharged, it needs to be replaced
Velimirovic recommends a dedicated wearable heart rate monitor if you’re doing high-intensity training to lose weight or stay healthy for your sport. She says viewing her heart rate helps her stay in the fat-burning zone during exercise. Without the hassle of a smartphone, the Polar H10 heart rate monitor wraps around your chest and accurately reads your heart rate with an ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor. Syncing the device with her Peloton bike and other cardio equipment lets you know when to push yourself when you hit the fat-burning zone, but you don’t necessarily have to carry anything with you during your sessions. The tracker’s built-in memory safely stores your one-time sessions until you’re ready to sync or view them in the Polar Beat app. Since it only monitors heart rate, the battery life can be up to 400 hours.
guarantee: The manufacturer offers a 2 year warranty. Amazon offers a 1-year extended warranty on the Dh23 and a 2-year extended warranty on the Dh33.
3. Best for Samsung users: Samsung Galaxy Fit3
Strong Points
- 1.6 inch large screen
- Over 100 exercises with automatic tracking of popular workouts
- Up to 13 days battery life
- Lightweight at 18.5 grams
- Water resistant to depths of 50 meters
Cons
You can be one of the first few to try out Samsung Galaxy’s Fit3 tracker right away when it releases later this month. Weighing just 18.5 grams, the latest device is as independent as a fitness tracker can be. Don’t be fooled by the lightweight design. The slim 1.6-inch AMOLED screen displays over 100 exercises and features features that show you stress, steps, sleep quality, calories burned, and more. Much more. When you’re running or walking, Fit2 automatically detects your exercise type. Pair with your Galaxy smartphone to unlock a variety of smart features, such as pausing music and checking notifications. Plus, you get 13 days of hassle-free training on a single charge.
guarantee: Amazon offers an extended warranty of 1 year for Dh18 and 2 years for Dh29.
4. Best budget: Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 8
Strong Points
- Idle alert to wake up and act
- Water resistant up to 50 meters
- 150 fitness modes
- Get advanced running stats in Pebble mode
- 16 days battery life
Cons
- Users accustomed to Zepp app should switch to Mi Fit
- Sleep tracking could be improved
With over 200 built-in display surfaces and a 1.62-inch screen, Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 8 offers excellent value for money. The fitness tracker auto-detects 150 different activity and sport modes. It can also be worn while swimming at depths of up to 50 meters. The band also features sleep, heart rate, SpO2 (or blood oxygen level) tracking, and solid performance with 16 days of battery life. This upgraded design allows you to remove the strap and clip the tracker itself to your shoe, providing advanced running statistics. All you need is a running clip accessory. Reviews say it’s a decent upgrade from the Mi Smart Band 7, but note that the tracker is no longer compatible with the Zepp app or Alexa. They added that while sleep tracking is unreliable, other basic features are reasonably accurate compared to various tracking devices.
guarantee: Amazon offers a 1-year extended warranty on the Dh12 and a 2-year extended warranty on the Dh19.
5. Perfect for fitness beginners: Fitbit Inspire 3
Strong Points
- Tells you when to exercise
- Read your heart rate, stress level and sleep stages
- Automatically track popular exercises
- Premium membership is free for 6 months
Cons
- Some features are subscription-based
- No GPS
The smaller Fitbit Inspire 3 is compatible with iOS 13 or later, Android OS 8.0 or later. If you sit for too long, this tracker will remind you to start exercising. With 20 different workout modes, you won’t have to struggle to choose. Fitbit automatically detects your activity. The best part is the addition of a Daily Readiness Score that lets you know the intensity of the workout your body is ready to tackle based on your heart rate, stress level, and sleep. This purchase comes with 6 months of his Fitbit Premium membership with access to detailed reports and analysis of the Fitbit application. Reviewers use it in the pool, running, and biking, and they guarantee automatic tracking. I also like that it’s his Fitbit model, which is lighter than most models. The tracker doesn’t have GPS, but you can use your phone’s location services.
guarantee: Amazon offers a 1-year extended warranty on the Dh23 and a 2-year extended warranty on the Dh38.
Are fitness trackers worth paying for?
Some trackers will tell you if you’re ready for your next session by looking at your sleep, stress levels, and heart rate.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Today’s mobile phones are equipped with enough sensors to track basic metrics, letting you know how far you walk and how many calories you burn. But if you want more accuracy and less dependence on your smartphone, Bassi says a fitness tracker is the way to go.
“For example, if you want to lose weight, a fitness tracker can help you increase your activity and maintain consistency over seven days a week. , you can set a daily step goal, and the tracker will tell you how many more steps you have to go,” he explained.
Similarly, Velimirovic talks about how the tracker can be an eye-opener for casual users, and emphasizes getting enough physical activity during the day. “It’s like a fitness diary for our lives. It’s important for us to know how much activity we’ve had, how much time we’ve slept, and how much water we’ve taken in,” she says. I did.
Trackers are also important in determining the recovery period. Bassi says, “If your body doesn’t have enough time to recover, it slows down your progress and affects your results.” With a fitness tracker, you can check the quality of your sleep, which helps you understand why you’re feeling tired. recovery is just as important as other parts of fitness, such as nutrition.”
Plus, viewing your heart rate can help you stay in the fat-burning zone during your workout, says Velimirovic. “If weight loss is your goal, you have to increase your heart rate to burn calories. The zone where fat is burned is between 60 and 75 percent of your maximum heart rate.”
What features should you look for in a fitness tracker?
You might be wary of investing in a gadget with features like a smartwatch. But many people don’t realize that what they need is a streamlined activity companion, free from the distractions of texts and phone calls.
Bassi said: “The purpose of a fitness tracker should be to track only your activity. Answering phone calls and checking text messages are not necessarily things a fitness tracker needs to do. Step count, heart rate monitor, Look at the four main features of the sleep monitor: how many calories you burn?
These four features are readily available on everything from expensive gadgets to budget trackers, so your final choice will likely be determined by their accuracy. Bassi advises choosing a device with a valid warranty, as some trackers may not be accurate right out of the box.
We also recommend trackers with a water resistance rating to help you keep them on even in the shower.
Our recommendations are independently chosen by Gulf News editors. When you shop through links on our website, we may earn affiliate commissions as we are part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.