Fitbits, Jawbones and More

Fitness Tech. Wearables. Trackers. Fitbits. Jawbone. Garmin. Misfit. Under Armour. Microsoft Band. Plus so many more.
There are a few different opinions on wearable fitness trackers. I know some people don't like them simply because knowing how little or how much activity they are getting is a lot of pressure. I agree with that thought. When I first started wearing a step tracker, I had so much anxiety whenever I didn't have it on, almost like there wasn't any reason to move if I didn't have my tracker on. I've progressed from that thinking thankfully.
I've had a few trackers in my day and thought I would write about it to help anyone who is struggling with making a decision about purchasing one or another.

The first one I had was the Jawbone UP. My dad and step-mom got them a few years ago, and I instantly loved it. So for my birthday I asked for one, and I had it on my wrist for about two straight years until it 'died'.

The tracker is the teal band on my arm- and that is my beautiful Grandmother who moved me into college when I was at Hays. 

This is a up close picture of it. 

This is the older version, they have a new one called Jawbone UP2

Overall, I really liked it. It was like a cool bracelet that I would just wear. It didn't have anything on the front to know how much activity you had done that day (like the Fitbit), the bracelet itself plugged into my iPhone and the app would tell me how many steps I had taken that day. It was waterproof (up to a certain point) and I was able to wear it pretty much anywhere. It also tracked my sleeping patterns which was so nice! I was an RA when I had this so had a very weird sleep schedule. 

The second wearable I had was a Fitbit Flex. 

The band is the Fitbit, and this is me holding my adorable baby brother. 

I didn't mind the Fitbit Flex. I liked it, but not as much as the Jawbone. I did really, really like that it had the dots on the front when you tapped it to let you know how close you are to your step goal for the day. I work at an elementary school and the students I work with loved tapping my flex to see how many steps I had taken. The Flex had a lot of pros; it was waterproof, it showed you how many steps you take, it was easy to clean and easy to use. The app was easy to use as well which is a huge plus. 

The newest tracker that I use now is the Fitbit Blaze. My dad came to visit in March and was so excited to tell me about his. My dad and I are very similar physiologically so we share a lot of advice or tips that work for us with each other. He had just gotten a Fitbit Blaze; it has a heart rate monitor built in, a watch, and a step tracker. He really liked it and it didn't look like a fitness tracker to me. I had had my Fitbit Flex for about a year or so and it had started to not track properly. 

I also needed to get a heart rate monitor; my heart beats too fast sometimes and I need to keep an eye on it when I'm exercising. I had needed a watch as well. So I went for it and purchased a Fitbit Blaze like my father. I'm telling you it's really great. It's takes my heart rate, counts my steps, tracks my activity levels, fat burn, cardio and peak stages, and monitors my sleep stages. 

If you're someone who needs both a heart monitor and a fitness tracker in one, I completely recommend the Blaze. I wear mine all the time and I have noticed that I walk more and move more when I know I need to push harder to over shoot my goal completely or that I only have a few thousand steps left to reach my goal. Also- it connects to my iPhone and I can get texts on it! 

Have any of you tried any fitness wearables?? Let me know if you have, what kinds and what experiences with them you have!