Choosing a fitness tracker is a deeply personal choice. Unlike most gadgets, you're supposed to wear them all the time. And while many of us share similar health goals, our bodies and our needs are highly individualized. The fitness tracker everyone raves about may not work for you and vice versa.
This is what makes buying a fitness tracker tricky. But do not worry. Here are some things to consider when deciding which tracker to buy.
Fitness instructors love to talk about "finding your why", but it's also the first thing to ask when buying a tracker. Why do you want a fitness tracker to start with? Losing weight? Are you training for a marathon? Improve your sleeping habits? Fitness trackers are a motivational tool, but they can't help you if you're unsure of your goals.
Once you understand why, it's easier to determine which specs and features you should prioritize. For example, say your big reason is to train for a marathon. Regardless of skill level, that means you'll need something that can track GPS distance, monitor heart rate, and comes with a long battery life. But if your ultimate goal is to improve your sleep, you might not need a tracker with built-in GPS at all. You'll need a long battery life, maybe an SpO2 sensor and a tracker that can provide detailed sleep information.
Photo by Jay Peters / Means I/O
Fitness spec sheets and buzzwords can be overwhelming. But whatever sophisticated marketing a business might employ, they all boil down to the same basic sensors and metrics.
First of all, all fitness trackers have a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes to detect movement. Some will add altimeters and barometers to measure elevation or how many stairs you've climbed in a day.
For health tracking, almost all modern trackers have a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor. These are green LEDs that shine light through your skin to measure heart rate. There are also a growing number of trackers that include red LEDs or SpO2 sensors to measure blood oxygen levels.
Photo by Victoria Song / I/O Means
More advanced or specialized trackers will include a few additional sensors. For example, if you see a tracker has ECG capabilities, that means it has an electrode. Meanwhile, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 4 has a 3-in-1 sensor that measures heart rate, activates EKGs, and analyzes body composition. The Fitbit Sense also has an electrodermal activity sensor, which measures tiny levels of sweat on your skin to determine your level of stress. Meanwhile, the Oura Ring has body temperature sensors to help determine the quality of your sleep.
