Fit Bit TSV? Any info.? - Page 3

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 6/2/2014 GinaV24 said:
this will probably be a stupid question - do I have to have a smart phone for it to work? I haven't upgraded to a "smart" phone yet - mainly because I like my plan and upgrading will cost me more overall.

I just thought I'd like to know because if it won't work without a smart phone, there is no point in purchasing it.

I have my FitBit Zip synched to my Dell computer.

No problems!

willdob3 · ‎11-01-2010

On 6/6/2014 Fabby said:
Would someone please tell me if any of the fit bits track heart rate? I don't see it mentioned in any of the descriptions. TIA!

No, Fitbits do not track heart rate.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

FYI - I went with the smaller Zip.

The wrist version measures arm movements. If you are sitting and typing, it will be recording "steps."

You have to really walk and move to get the Zip to measure activity...no cheating.

I was totally amazed at how many hours a day I spend sitting...the Zip gets me up and moving now every hour.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 6/6/2014 willdob3 said:
On 6/6/2014 Fabby said:
Would someone please tell me if any of the fit bits track heart rate? I don't see it mentioned in any of the descriptions. TIA!

No, Fitbits do not track heart rate.

They do measure activity levels at 3 categories, so you can strive to get in at least 30 minutes a day of strenuous activity. You can also change your own goals - my goal is now 1 hour a day at the VERY level.

It measures VERY, Moderate and Light activity - all color coded on an easy to read graph.

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

On 6/6/2014 terrier3 said:
On 6/6/2014 willdob3 said:
On 6/6/2014 Fabby said:
Would someone please tell me if any of the fit bits track heart rate? I don't see it mentioned in any of the descriptions. TIA!

No, Fitbits do not track heart rate.

They do measure activity levels at 3 categories, so you can strive to get in at least 30 minutes a day of strenuous activity. You can also change your own goals - my goal is now 1 hour a day.

Just a note: FitBits are meant to measure steps, so they do. That means some activities won't be counted, even if you are very active. (FitBit doesn't use the word strenuous because that's hard to measure in steps and it doesn't measure heart rate or breathing.)

You might cycle for an hour, thereby getting in your serious acvtivity, and have it not show up as "very active minutes" because it's not a step-based activity. It also does weird things, like count the steps I take on my Gazelle glider, but not count them as active.

I love my FitBit tool as a motivator, but keep in mind that the data isn't super accurate for some things. It's good for a general idea to help you be more active today than you were yesterday.

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skipam · ‎03-21-2010

Has anyone used this for sleep tracking and if so what are your thoughts? Has it given any insights as to make your sleep better? That's not my main reason to purchase one but I would love to know if the sleep tracker has helped anyone. Thank you all

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

On 6/6/2014 skipam said:
Has anyone used this for sleep tracking and if so what are your thoughts? Has it given any insights as to make your sleep better? That's not my main reason to purchase one but I would love to know if the sleep tracker has helped anyone. Thank you all

I have. I wasn't terribly impressed. I have 4 different sleep trackers and my favorite is an app for iOS and Android phones. It's called Motion X 24/7 and it tracks motion by lying on the mattress. I used both the FitBit and the 24/7 App on the same night and the FitBit made it seem like I slept very soundly and hardly ever moved, but the 24/7 app suggested I was more restless. The 24/7 app also (optinally) records sounds at night. I found this VERY useful, as it recorded the fact that I was often coughing throughout the night. I went to my allergist to change my medications and started sleeping much better after that and experienced less coughing at night.

24/7 also tracks (optionally) your movement throughout the day. It has a pedometer, so you can count steps with that instead of a FitBit, or with just the FitBit. I don't always grab my phone every trip to the restroom, so the FitBit gets more movement. The 24/7 App can be set to remind you if an hour goes by without any movement. I sit at a desk most days, so it's a nice reminder that I should get up and walk around the building or go visit someone for information instead of making a phone call. It's a great partner device for the FitBit.

Here's the web page for the Motion X 24/7 app: http://24-7.motionx.com/

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willdob3 · ‎11-01-2010

On 6/6/2014 ChynnaBlue said:
On 6/6/2014 terrier3 said:
On 6/6/2014 willdob3 said:
On 6/6/2014 Fabby said:
Would someone please tell me if any of the fit bits track heart rate? I don't see it mentioned in any of the descriptions. TIA!

No, Fitbits do not track heart rate.

They do measure activity levels at 3 categories, so you can strive to get in at least 30 minutes a day of strenuous activity. You can also change your own goals - my goal is now 1 hour a day.

Just a note: FitBits are meant to measure steps, so they do. That means some activities won't be counted, even if you are very active. (FitBit doesn't use the word strenuous because that's hard to measure in steps and it doesn't measure heart rate or breathing.)

You might cycle for an hour, thereby getting in your serious acvtivity, and have it not show up as "very active minutes" because it's not a step-based activity. It also does weird things, like count the steps I take on my Gazelle glider, but not count them as active.

I love my FitBit tool as a motivator, but keep in mind that the data isn't super accurate for some things. It's good for a general idea to help you be more active today than you were yesterday.

I agree. I use my Fitbit as a motivator. It showed me that, even doing regular cardio workouts & weight training, my activity level was sedentary. It helped me to change that.

My Fitbit One records my cycling as steps. How many steps depends on where I wear my Fitbit. I enter my cycling as an activity on MyFitnessPal & that syncs with Fitbit.

It doesn't know when I am doing strenuous weight training.

I figure my own caloric intake based on my stats & activity level. I do not add more calories when Fitbit or MFP add them for me.

Fitbit One supposedly tracks floors but mine does a very poor job of it. Even doing the same hills/floors on different days results in a different number of Fitbit floors climbed. It is so inconsistent that I don't pay much attention to it. It does no good to set floor goals when it gives several more floors on e day & misses most of them the next.

ChynnaBlue · ‎05-22-2012

On 6/6/2014 willdob3 said:
On 6/6/2014 ChynnaBlue said:
On 6/6/2014 terrier3 said:
On 6/6/2014 willdob3 said:
On 6/6/2014 Fabby said:
Would someone please tell me if any of the fit bits track heart rate? I don't see it mentioned in any of the descriptions. TIA!

No, Fitbits do not track heart rate.

They do measure activity levels at 3 categories, so you can strive to get in at least 30 minutes a day of strenuous activity. You can also change your own goals - my goal is now 1 hour a day.

Just a note: FitBits are meant to measure steps, so they do. That means some activities won't be counted, even if you are very active. (FitBit doesn't use the word strenuous because that's hard to measure in steps and it doesn't measure heart rate or breathing.)

You might cycle for an hour, thereby getting in your serious acvtivity, and have it not show up as "very active minutes" because it's not a step-based activity. It also does weird things, like count the steps I take on my Gazelle glider, but not count them as active.

I love my FitBit tool as a motivator, but keep in mind that the data isn't super accurate for some things. It's good for a general idea to help you be more active today than you were yesterday.

I agree. I use my Fitbit as a motivator. It showed me that, even doing regular cardio workouts & weight training, my activity level was sedentary. It helped me to change that.

My Fitbit One records my cycling as steps. How many steps depends on where I wear my Fitbit. I enter my cycling as an activity on MyFitnessPal & that syncs with Fitbit.

It doesn't know when I am doing strenuous weight training.

I figure my own caloric intake based on my stats & activity level. I do not add more calories when Fitbit or MFP add them for me.

Fitbit One supposedly tracks floors but mine does a very poor job of it. Even doing the same hills/floors on different days results in a different number of Fitbit floors climbed. It is so inconsistent that I don't pay much attention to it. It does no good to set floor goals when it gives several more floors on e day & misses most of them the next.

I totally agree about the floors. I got the FitBit Force instead of the Flex because of the altimeter and the watch face view, but it tells me I've climbed 8 flights of stairs some days when I've climbed 2 or counts the elevator SOMETIMES, but not all the time. Really weird and totally inconsistent. Still glad I got it because of the watch, but the altimeter is useless.

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willdob3 · ‎11-01-2010

On 6/6/2014 skipam said:
Has anyone used this for sleep tracking and if so what are your thoughts? Has it given any insights as to make your sleep better? That's not my main reason to purchase one but I would love to know if the sleep tracker has helped anyone. Thank you all

I find the sleep reports interesting but they really are not very good, IMO. In fact, th main page on the Dashboard does not even report the same as the detailed page.

I use an app on my iPhone called Sleep Cycle & find it to be the most accurate. It does not offer as many details as fitbit or some other apps but, the more detailed ones don't give accurate info so I don't find them as helpful. Sleep Cycle consistently give a pretty accurate report and never tells me I had a good night when I had a bad one.