I'm fairly active — running on a treadmill for 20 minutes then lifting weights for 30 every day of the week, walking nearly everywhere, only using stairs, etc. — but I can't bring myself to use these types of trackers.
I eagerly ordered the SE Nike+ band when it was announced, I used it for maybe a week before giving it away to a friend. Perhaps it wasn't as interesting to me because there was no way to compare my numbers (no personal friends used similar devices).
The idea of personal fitness trackers still intrigues me (it sounds fun), but in reality the moment you discover your "number" as an average, it's easy to lose interest.
Something like the Basis Band may be a better choice for you. It has issues with tracking your heart rate during intense activities, but I think with what you're doing it should still work. The points of data it captures blows away anything else on the market is doing. Unfortunately their future is a bit in limbo since Intel bought them.
Thanks, I haven't heard of Basis before reading your post. Though your last sentence makes me wonder if its' worth pursuing or not. Any alternatives you know of?
I have not see anything that offers the kind of data recording and encouragement Basis has. I'm hoping to see one go up on eBay or a flash sale somewhere, I'd love to get one even if the future is uncertain. The Pulse came kind of close, but it didn't offer the encouragement Basis did. I guess the next closest is the Up24, but no HRM.
"They are motivational items for people who don't exercise every day, but want to"
More precisely, metric optimizers or those who like grind games.
My chronological experience with my fitbit was exactly the same as my experience with EVEonline and a couple other MMORPGs.
They work, and work well, and the exercise trackers are doing a good thing, but only for a small susceptible segment of the population.
I still carry the thing in my pocket and charge it and glance at the weekly emails, but when it breaks, I'm all done. Still going to walk after meals and go on weekend hikes, just like I've done for decades without keeping track.
I eagerly ordered the SE Nike+ band when it was announced, I used it for maybe a week before giving it away to a friend. Perhaps it wasn't as interesting to me because there was no way to compare my numbers (no personal friends used similar devices).
The idea of personal fitness trackers still intrigues me (it sounds fun), but in reality the moment you discover your "number" as an average, it's easy to lose interest.