My last post was about my life-long struggles with fitness and weight, but I didn’t even mention my new Fitbit! That seems like a bit of an oversight, so here we are. I definitely feel like my Fitbit has helped me keep motivated while starting my running journey (that sounds cheesy as hell, but I don’t know how else to put it?) I like having all the tracking information it does for me, as well as how intuitive and extensive the app is.
Let’s start at the beginning, though, shall we?
The Fitbit Charge 3 costs $199.95 regular price, but frequently seems to be on sale for more like $159, which how much I bought mine for from the Fitbit website.
I bought the Charge 3 to replace my last smartwatch, which I didn’t feel was doing a great job tracking my steps or runs, and also wasn’t even trying to take my heart rate, even during workouts or when i specifically went and asked it to. Which seemed like a bit of a failing. Besides, my Moto360 was getting very old and had been a bit stutter-y and weird for a while.
I decided not to get the more smartwatch-y Versa because I don’t really need my watch to control my music or have special apps, plus I like the slimmer look of the Charge 3 more, and it saved me a little money.
I love that it’s pretty comfortable to wear. I thought the silicone band might make it sweaty and sticky, but it doesn’t unless I’d be sweating anyways, and since the whole unit is swim-proof, it’s super safe and easy to wipe down and keep clean. Because let’s be honest, if you sweat under it, it does get a little stinky from time-to-time. And it comes with two size bands to make sure it fits pretty much all wrist sizes. I wear the larger bands almost as small as it goes, so the range goes from a couple inches smaller than my wrists to 2-3 inches larger. And you can get fancy fabric, leather, and “sport” bands if you so desire as well.
The battery lasts for days, and whereas I used to charge my Moto360 nightly, this one I like to wear overnight for sleep tracking, but I’ve had great success just chucking it on the charger when I hop in the shower. It never dips below 50% battery, and charges up quickly in the 20-30 minutes I have it off. And I don’t usually even shower daily.
There are lots of watch faces, even though the little display is only white-on-black, so you can easily find one to match your aesthetic and needs. I like having one on that shows a bit of information on the main screen, like time, date, and a cycle-able widget that you can tap to see various stats like daily steps, heart rate, calories burned, floors climbed, etc.
I mentioned the app earlier as well, and I do think it’s quite good. As well as collecting all your daily stats, it gives you graphs to see your progress over time, tracks your sleep patterns if you wear it to bed, and you can also use it to track water intake, food and calories, period and menstrual cycle data (if that applies to you), and weight. You can set goals for all kinds of things as well, such as steps, distance walked/run, floors climbed, calories burned, cups of water consumed, and fitbit will help you celebrate goals met and email you weekly with your stats and successes. It’s all very helpful and encouraging if you’re anything like me and love stats and gold stars for your efforts. I suggest setting your goals realistically so you can achieve them to start and making them harder when you can consistently hit those first targets so you don’t get discouraged!
I’m not sure what else there is to say. You can start exercise tracking from the app or watch if you’re about to go for a run or a hike or something. I like using the app because it gives you a map and a bit more information after you’re done you’re workout, but I also see the benefit of using the watch for easier to see updates during your workout of your heartrate, current pace, laps or distances covered, etc. Basically, its great that there are so many options to use these tools in the way that makes the most sense for you.
You can also set up the app on your phone to forward notifications to your watch and set a few simple canned replies for messaging apps. And straight from the watch, you can set timers and alarms, which could be helpful if you don’t always have your phone handy, whether working out, or just living your life. Maybe you want to make sure you know when your half-hour work break is over, or when your chicken will be ready to take out of the oven, for example.
So, tl;dr. I like the Charge 3 a lot. I think its very useful, especially for anyone trying to get fit, start working out, or just be more cognizant of their health and wellness. It’s a little bit of an extravagance, no one needs a fitbit, but if it interests you and you think you would use it, I do think it’s worth getting.
Let me know your thoughts on whichever fitbit you use, and leave me any questions you may have. Thanks for reading!
Kaffinated Ramblings 