Fitness trackers, aka wearables, have evolved a lot since the early days of pedometers. I first started wearing a tracker over 6 years ago and I opted for one that not only tracked activity but would also serve as my watch. What I initially gave up style-wise, I gained tenfold in insights regarding my health and wellness habits.
It was in the evening of December 31, 2014, that I strapped on my first Fitbit and I’ve been wearing one close to 24/7/365 ever since. There’ve only been a handful of days when I haven’t worn it and then, it was just for a few hours. Like the days I had surgery in 2017 or when I’d simply forgotten to put it back on after washing my face before going to sleep. Back in the beginning, I was hopeful that tracking my steps and other metrics would encourage me to be more active which would lead to being fitter and weight loss. Given the length of time I’ve been wearing one, it shouldn’t be unexpected that the good, the bad, and the ugly about fitness trackers is a topic I have a special interest in.
Before I go any further, you should know that this is not a sponsored post. The only fitness trackers I’ve worn are Fitbits; I think the current version I’m wearing is the fourth one I’ve own. With each new model, there were added features and/or metrics that would be recorded. My first Fitbit basically just recorded my steps as well as my sleeping pattern. These were the two data points I was most interested in at the time.
There were other features like it had a vibrating alarm function which was cool but it also had a not-so-cool fixed, non-interchangeable black band. Most wearables of the time had a similar look and there weren’t many options (if any at all) for making them look more fashionable. I’ll discuss that in more detail later in this post. Even so, I was hooked. First, let’s go over some of the “good” related to fitness trackers.
The Good
I got what I was looking for. The means to record my level of activity which as a byproduct would possibly get me to move around more throughout the day. I find myself more accountable and motivated to be active because I can “see” the proof that I have been. Also, at the time it had felt like I was going through a rough patch sleeping wise and I wanted some information on that. For a data geek like me, the ability to look back on 6+ years worth of stats on step counts, flights of stairs climbed, hours slept, etc is fascinating, to say the least. Consider yourself lucky that I restrained myself from including a dozen or so graphs to illustrate my points.
As the fitness tracker industry and its products have evolved, so have the health metrics that are reported on. My first wearable didn’t have a heart rate monitor but the second one that I got in early May 2016 did as did the next one. Beyond that, in both of those prior models as well as my current one, I can see notifications of text messages and phone calls I’m receiving on my smartphone. In the year since I bought my current tracker, Fitbit made some software upgrades so that now I get reporting on my breathing rate, heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, and skin temperature variation while sleeping.
According to some reporting, the fact that I’m still wearing a fitness tracker after all these years is not so typical. I’ve read that about a third of those who have bought them stopped wearing their fitness trackers after six months and after a year, the rate goes up to nearly 50%. So why I’ve stuck with it for so long? I think that it’s my left brain’s need for data and stats overriding my right brain’s style sense. I mean, if I going to wear a watch, why wouldn’t I wear one that can “tell it like it is” and snitch on me. With that, I’ll now move onto the “bad”.
The Bad
Every day for the past 6+ years, my fitness tracker has recorded more and more of what I did and how that activity affects me every day. Multiply that by the estimated one-in-five Americans who use a smartwatch or fitness tracker and that’s a whole lot of data just from the U.S. alone. As of early 2021, Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit. As part of that deal, Google has committed to safeguarding the privacy of Fitbit users’ health and wellness data, that it won’t be used for Google ads, and it will be separated from other Google ads data. It has been reported that this acquisition will likely enable Google and Fitbit to produce better products that support health and wellness needs, which is good. One just needs to be aware that more and more of their personal data is being collected and analyzed.
Another consideration is that fitness trackers might just be a waste of money. While they may nudge many to exercise more regularly, the statistics they report on don’t necessarily provide health and wellness information users may really need or understand. Daily step counts, calories burned, or a resting heart rate may help fitness tracker wearers to feel proud about their accomplishments, which is good. However, when people begin to assume that these numbers alone are an indication of their level of health, that’s where they may be misunderstanding the data. Generally speaking, fitness trackers only measure activity and a limited set of vitals, not health.
Like with many other of our tech devices, a wearable needs to be charged regularly (every 3 to 5 days, depending on model and activity level). In comparison, the battery in a standard watch can run for a couple of years before it will need to be replaced. When I was still working, I would charge my Fitbit in my car during my commute. Easy to remember to do. Now that I’m retired, there have been several times that I’ve been caught off guard as my Fitbit goes dormant during the day due to a very low battery level.
Additionally, there are different levels of services that go along with tech devices and that is true with Fitbit. The purchase of one of their wearables does provide you with a lot of data about your activity which can be viewed in an app and/or your online dashboard. There is, of course, the option of paying for a subscription to receive an additional level of personalized health and fitness guidance. After all, making a profit is the uglier side of business. And now, regarding the “ugly”.
The Ugly
As I referenced earlier, a fitness tracker has not always been the most fashionable choice for a watch. At one time, I had 4 or 5 watches that I could rotate through depending on which I thought went best with my OOTD. I knew that I’d be giving that up with my first Fitbit. That was the one with the non-interchangeable black neoprene band. It wasn’t an easy choice to make but my left brain won out in that tug-of-war.
Not long after, I discovered that a very fashionable colleague at work had the same Fitbit. The two of us would commiserate regularly on how unattractive our Fitbits looked and why hadn’t any enterprising soul created a wrap or clip-on piece to elevate the style. The only one we knew of at the time was made by Tori Burch which was quite expensive. You can imagine my delight a year later when I heard about the upcoming release of a new model that would accommodate interchangeable bands. Hallelujah!
Still, most fitness trackers are not going to have a dainty look and their chunkier size might appear out of scale on a small wrist. Some like that aesthetic, others don’t. One might decide to forgo wearing their tracker for a dressier occasion, but how many of those are we going to anymore? A quick online search for replacement wristbands will net you hundreds of style options from sporty to fun to classic, and in more colors than are offered in a box of crayons.
I, for one, have opted to embrace the chunk and wear it proudly. I recall once being asked by a photographer if I wanted to take off my Fitbit for the photos that were going to be taken and I declined. I considered it part of the look even if it didn’t really quite fit in with the style. Nowadays, I have bands in about a dozen different colors and it’s very easy to switch them. Perhaps you noticed the swap-outs I did for each of the three looks in Fresh Focus: Tie-Dye?
I do have another styling tip to offer. To draw attention away from the chunkiness of the fitness tracker, wear an equally chunky bracelet or stack of bracelets on the opposite wrist. You can see an example of this in the photos above. Taking a cue from the graphic on my t-shirt, I selected a red wristband for my Fitbit. On my right wrist, I’ve paired up my red heart bracelet and a bold link one to visually match the heft of my fitness tracker.
As for the rest of my look, I’m not one for cute fitness clothes which might have suited the topic of this post better. Instead, I went with a sporty, on-the-go kind of outfit. My graphic t-shirt was previously featured in Garden Spot: Rebel Heart and my striped jacket was seen last month in 21 in ’21: Delightful Reads. My sneakers are the same style as the ones in Potpourri: Winter White because they are so comfortable, I had to buy them twice. The black jeans were a thrift store find from some time ago which I recently rediscovered packed away in a box with other clothes that hadn’t fit me a year ago. Woohoo, maybe my Fitbit is helping me with my fitness goals after all.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Now, onto the Fine-Whatever link-up. My featured blogger from last week is Carrie, a blogger with seemingly endless energy that you’ll find on Curly Crafty Mom sharing about her family, DIY projects, and of course fashion. Keep on scrolling to find the icon for adding your post(s) to this week’s link-up.
Are you among the millions who are wearing a fitness tracker? What is your motivation to do so? Have you found it helpful in achieving your health and fitness goals? And most importantly, how have you incorporated it into your style?
Stay well and let’s keep in touch! Subscribe, tweet, follow, friend, pin … all options are available. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
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Note: This is an unsponsored post; however, some or all of the links to clothing items are associated with an affiliate program where I earned a few cents for each click.
26 Comments
I have an apple watch and the hourly stand feature really helps me make sure I get up from my desk during the workday. There are so many cute strap options now for fitbit and apple watches! Such a good tip to wear bracelets on the opposite wrist!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Jill, my Fitbit also prompts me hourly to get up and move if it detects that I haven’t. It’s a great feature.
Well, I guess I’m a fitness tracker dropout. A few years ago i bought a Bellabeat Leaf because it was unobtrusive (can even wear it on a chain under my clothes). It just tracks fitness and sleep with no watch or anything like that. I think I’ve worn it on and off but not with any real regularity; just forget about it. I should get it out and update and at least update the app, I’m glad yours has always worked out. My daughter has an Apple watch and loves it-keeps taking about “closing her rings”. Take care, Terri
My fitbit is cracked in a couple of places so i am having hubby get me a new one for mother’s day. I don’t take mine off unkess i am charging it so yes it is in all of my outfits! I like your ideas of switching out bands or wearing chunky bracelets on the other. I have a tan line from nine so taking it off would look worse!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Mireille, I hope that you got that new Fitbit. The glass on my last one had cracked but it keep working so I waited on replacing it until the new versions were released. I can’t imagine life without one.
Terri, I do find myself motivated to achieve some of the goals set up in my Fitbit because of the tracking.
I’m also a Fitbit fan, the current one is rose gold and I bought a leather strap separately as the plastic ones can look a bit cheap. I walk 4 miles most days and the Fitbit tracks my mileage, which I record on a sheet as I’m doing the 10000 Miles in 2021 challenge. I like the hourly vibrations that remind me to walk 250 steps – very useful when in Zoom meetings all day. I sometimes use a calorie counter app which I started using in 2006. It records my weight and measurements from since then, which I find endlessly fascinating, so I’m with you on the joy of data!
Gail, good for you for setting such a great goal for this year.
I don’t have a Fitbit, but I have a lot of friends that do! I personally have an Apple watch that I can track my fitness with and then we have a Sleep Number bed, which is great for tracking my sleep! It is nice there are so many options out there these days and they do go a lot better with our wardrobe!! Thank you SO much for the feature, you made my morning! 🙂
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Carrie, as I said, I’m a sucker for data which my fitness tracker certainly feeds this beast.
I am also a Fitbit fan! I am on my second one (Versa 2). For me, the step tracking and sleep analysis have been the most useful aspects of it. Mine is the standard rose gold-with-teal color, but I should check out the options for other bands.
https://www.withinaworldofmyown.com/
Sally, it’s great to hear that you also wear a Fitbit. You should definitely look into options for replacement bands as they are not very expensive.
I’ve wanted to get one for the longest time- but haven’t. I’m thinking that maybe the iphone watch is a better option- but I’m not there yet either! As for your fitness attire- looks a lot like mine! xx
Lucy, I started out with a Fitbit before I had an iPhone and I’ve stayed with Fitbit because of cost and that it suits my needs. I’d been interested to hear about your experience when you get a fitness tracker.
I never had one! Often I thought I should buy one. Perhaps I will. Thanks for hosting and have a great Sunday!
Nancy, I think that you’d like it.
Rena, this was a really interesting post to read. I have never owned or worn a fitness tracker so much of it was brand new information for me. I cannot tolerate to wear jewelry of any sort for more than a few hours a day and things around my wrists are the worst so I just never was interested in the investment. How crazy that Google has bought Fitbit and while it is a wonderful initiative to for health and wellness, the collecting of data can be kind scary. Although I do feel like people are not very concerned with their medical and health privacy these days anyway. Thanks for writing this informative post!
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
You’re welcome, Shelbee. While I don’t mind wearing a watch on my left wrist and working at my computer, I cannot tolerate anything on my right wrist (right-handed). Wearing bracelets had been a challenge while I was working but not so much now.
I briefly tried a Fitbit back in 2013 or 14. I was disappointed that it didn’t track all of my activity, like bicycle riding. So it quickly went by the wayside. I can understand the allure of the data though. 😀
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Michelle, you might want to look into Fitbit again because now it does track all sorts of activities.
I have gone back and forth with wearing fitness trackers. I’m currently not.
Lauren, I can understand how they might not be for everyone.
I love the double denim, and the idea of wearing bracelets on the opposite wrist to balance out the fitbit! I haven’t got a fitness tracker although I’ve considered it a few times – the rest of my family has apple watches (they are iphone users) that have fitness built in. I’d be curious how many steps I do all day with the kids – i know it will be a lot – but I already know their waking in the night means I get disturbed sleep, haha!
Thanks so much for joining the #WeekdayWearLinkup! Hope that you are having good weekend. It’s a wet long weekend here.
Mica, as a mother of young children you’re probably racking up a lot of steps each day as well as not getting enough quality sleep. I remember those days.
I have a fitness tracker but I don’t wear it anymore. Although I found it useful I just prefer a traditional watch that I don’t have to keep charging up. Also, there was only 3 colour choices for the straps that didn’t look great – I suppose that’s the trade off with a cheaper watch.
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
Emma, it has taken some getting used to to remember to charge my tracker but I think that the benefits outweigh the hassle.