The Moov Now is compatible with a wide range of sports, from swimming to even boxing.
For the last few years, fitness trackers have been trending. From watches to apps, the latest craze for semi-professional athletes and casual joggers alike has been keeping track of workouts. As well as, breaking them down into detailed, extensive data.
Yet, with so much on the market, working out which is the best for you can be a daunting task.
So, with summer on the way, DESIblitz explores some of the best fitness trackers available right now.
Not only do they improve your exercise routine, but, they also come with additional benefits.
Garmin Vivosmart
Garmin Vivosmark takes the first place on this list as, for many, it acts as the pinnacle for fitness trackers.
The Vivosmart certainly doesn’t come cheap at £149 as-new. But, the watch makes up for this with the whole host of features it offers.
From heart rate monitoring to GPS to a six-day long battery, the device has it all. It also features one of the crispest displays around too, making it easy to view all the stats that it’s tracking right after a workout.
The hefty price-tag and its focus on number-crunching might mean the watch aims toward the hard-core most of all. But, for those that are looking to dive in, the fitness tracker is a sure bet.
Check out the Garmin Vivosmart at John Lewis here.
Fitbit Surge
From the company that practically everyone knows when it comes to fitness trackers, comes one of the most versatile.
Compatible with a wide variety of exercises and workouts, the Fitbit Surge comes with all the standard features as found in the Vivosmart. However, it also offers more support for everyday fitness.
This is most clearly seen in its recent update for sleep management. With sleep tracking becoming an increasingly widespread feature in modern life, the Surge’s Sleep Management function will be appealing to many.
The watch now can offer suitable times to go to bed and wake up at, based on what it has tracked in your past data. This should make for more accurate, and therein helpful advice, than what sleep management apps that require manual input provide.
For those after a very good all-rounder, the Surge is the way to go. Boots holds one of the best prices for this device at £137.99.
TomTom Spark 3
An underdog, of sorts, when it comes to fitness trackers. Yet, TomTom’s Spark 3 is one of the most robust watches on the market.
The key feature of the device on this list is its music compatibility. A constant annoyance for runners involves having to manage the music player. Armbands for phones or Bluetooth devices can help, but both can be flaky at times.
With the TomTom Spark 3, however, users can upload music directly to the watch. This makes the skipping on a song just a tap on the wrist away. Bluetooth headphones are still needed for private playing, of course. But, having the music on the watch should minimise the risks somewhat.
For those looking to get into the fitness world, then, the Spark 3 may be the watch that they are looking for. Music compatibility comes with a heightened price.
But, at its cheapest, the Spark 3 comes in at £119 as-new, available at Jeekeo.
Moov Now
This is where the list begins to get interesting. For those looking for the most functional of fitness trackers, you can arguably do no better than the Moov Now.
The watch is startlingly cheap, coming in at just £40-£60 depending on where you go. That means it lacks the inbuilt GPS found in the other trackers on this list. But otherwise, it features all the usual.
The Moov has a battery life that lasts months, step-tracking, sleep-monitoring, and a compatible app that lets you break down all the data. It also has a very distinctive design that stands out from the crowd. And being smaller than the other watches on this list, it also is far less distracting when being worn.
In additional to all of this, however, the Moov Now also comes with a work-out companion. This means your runs, for example, will have a programme to help you through it. The programme will tell you when to speed up or slow down as you need.
Lastly, the Moov Now is compatible with a wide range of sports – from swimming to even boxing.
For those looking just to try out a more active lifestyle without a hefty financial investment, the Moov Now is an ideal choice.
Check out the fitness tracker here, available at Wiggle for £49.99.
Strava
As the last entry on this list, Strava is different in that it isn’t a watch or a device at all. This said, it covers all the basics and, perhaps most of all, is free.
Everyone loves new devices and they act as great motivation for getting started. But for those wanting to take things slowly should look no farther than Strava.
The fitness tracker comes with a social media functionality similar to Twitter. It allows you to connect with thousands of runners around the world, and those you know. This can be a powerful motivator by letting you see their runs every day.
Using your phone, the app requires no additional devices to track any runs or cycles. Naturally, however, swimming and any other workouts will require an upload afterwards.
For runs, the app will also map out your runs, track your pace and, if you have a heart rate monitor hooked up, your heart rate.
Strava is the ideal gateway to a healthier lifestyle. It does come with a paid subscription model that unlocks more features if you’re inclined. But otherwise, the basic Strava will offer all that a casual exerciser needs to get started.
Learn more about this fitness app here.
All in all, then, the fitness tracker market is hardly sparse. Yet, with so much available comes a wide variety of options and various levels to enter.
For those looking for a high-end tracker, well-known brands like Garmin and Fitbit products are some of the best around.
Yet, for those just looking to get started, there are plenty of other options, ranging from just over £100 to free.