Gear Guide: The Best Fitness Trackers

Fitness trackers are relatively new to the health and fitness industry but they are starting to catch on, fast.
Now you might be wondering “what exactly is a fitness tracker?” – and that’s a very good question. Basically, a fitness tracker is a wearable electronic device which contains a variety of built-in sensors that work together to provide you with an overview of your active lifestyle. These sensors measure things such as steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, skin temperature, heart rate and hours slept.
This cache of information is then synced to your smartphone or computer and available for viewing/analysis at a later time. The main difference between these wearable trackers and fitness apps, already discussed here at FashionBeans, is their ability to provide a more in-depth and accurate view of your physical lifestyle, without having to manually input information.
With that being said, some of the devices listed today will actually work in harmony with many of the fitness apps you already have. Below are some of the most recognised, popular and fashionable trackers currently on the market, along with their distinguishing features and where you can buy them.

Fitbit Force

Fitbit is a company solely dedicated to producing fitness trackers, and has been since its inception in 2007. The company offers a range of devices with features catering to every potential user’s needs.
The Force, their newest and most advanced tracker to date, is able to track and record number of steps taken, stairs climbed, distance travelled, active minutes, hours slept and quality of sleep (how many times the user awoke during the night), in addition to acting as a silent alarm.
Its clear OLED display is able to provide instant, real-time access to stats being generated and, when synced with the user’s phone, call notifications (a feature soon to be released). These stats are then organised into easy to read graphs and charts once they have been uploaded online to the user’s Fitbit personal dashboard.
Push notifications sent via the iOS or Android app to the user’s phone notify them of how close they are to achieving their daily goals, and when they have unlocked ‘Achievement Badges’ by reaching, exceeding or setting new records of these goals.
Fitbits answer to social media networking allows users to interact with and motivate each other via personalised messages that can be sent and received. Users are ranked based on a leaderboard type system; the better the users stats, the higher their rank (most steps taken, stairs climbed, etc.).
Inter-app support allows users to sync data from other applications such as Endomondo and Map My Run. Similarly, meal tracking through apps such as Lose it! and Myfitnesspal help to provide more accurate measurements of caloric intake versus expenditure.
The Fitbit Force is available in either black or slate and can be purchased online at Fitbit.com for $129.95.