Image source: fitbit.com
This post is the first of a 2-part series in which three Fitbit premium wearable devices – Charge HR, Blaze and Surge – are reviewed. We have chosen to review these three devices because they all feature heart rate measurement. Used alongside other data from Fitbit and elsewhere, this feature enables insight beyond physical sustainability alone. In this introductory post we explain how valuable they can be when used in conjunction with other data.
Why Fitbit premium wearables work well already
The Fitbit Charge HR, Blaze and Surge have certain features in common which make them useful and attractive. All three of them:
- automatically sense when you are doing certain exercises such as running and cycling, and track them. This automated feature is a wonderful help. The less you have to remember to press a button, the more you are likely to sustain tracking your fitness
- have good battery life lasting at least 4 days
- have easy connectivity to a Fitbit app that provides notifications, but not so many that they become annoying or overwhelming
- can continuously track your heart rate automatically. This is vital if you want to track what I view as the two key heart rate metrics for day-to-day performance: resting heart rate and amount of time spent in elevated heart rate (e.g. the cardio zone).
Image source: fitbit.com
How to make Fitbit wearables work to the max
Physical fitness and losing weight are important to many people, but on their own not game changing. Many of us want to stop feeling tired, improve our attitudes and start having the time to focus productively on what matters. I run Coachify, a business that provides proprietary technology that allows you to do this. The Coachify app grabs your Fitbit data automatically and you complete a Survey Monkey survey twice a week (which takes only 3 minutes per time) where other key metrics about yourself are logged:
- average alcohol, caffeine and sugar intake
- your day-to-day emotional performance
- how effectively your actions are lining up with your values
This then creates your weekly personalised performance dashboard across all four intelligences. (The big four intelligences are mental focus, emotional intelligence, physical sustainability and purpose. In my experience, the most effective people devote attention to all four.) For example, how you are focussing mentally can be estimated by looking at your sleep quantity and active minutes (which Fitbit automatically tracks), combined with your caffeine intake, using Coachify’s algorithms.
Positives
- Steps provides a simple metric
- Intuitive and motivational app
- Links to hundreds of apps via IFTTT
Drawbacks
- User interfaces not as elegant as the Apple Watch
What next?
If you are considering using a wearable to help transform your performance, and you’re ready for a comparative analysis of the wearables that are out there, download my free 5-page guide. I’ve studied seven major wearables so that you don’t have to! Sign-up below and I will send you my FREE guide “How to choose a wearable that will help you lose weight, improve your mindset and become more productive.”
Read the second part of this review to learn about the relative benefits of the three Premium Fitbit products: Charge HR, Blaze and Surge.
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