Walk, run or bike your way to better health. That’s the principle behind the fitness tracker craze. Fitbits, Jawbones and other fitness wearables claim to motivate and inspire by tracking your fitness parameters. Fitness trackers can successfully track movement but aren’t as accurate when they estimate calories burned. Some users even report gaining weight because they eat too much because their fitness tracker says they burn more calories than they actually do. While there are hurdles in the road for fitness trackers, the technology for wearables is still racing ahead.

Jawbone is another series of wearables in the fitness tracking industry. Jawbone UP and UP24 are extremely low priced devices with basic tracking features. UP 24 has advanced Bluetooth wireless connectivity to enable easy information transfer in real time to your Smart-phone. These trackers are similar in function with UP24 being a little pricier than the other. The advantage is of course easy transfer of data.

This discontinued sleep tracking alarm clock was very stylish but failed to make a mark in the sleep-tracking arena. Most of the customers did not get the features they had expected. The Sense tracked your sleep patterns by gathering information from your sleeping environment such as humidity levels, your movements and ambient air quality.

Insufficient sleep can have surprising adverse consequences on your health such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke, diminished blood sugar control, weight gain, anxiety and depression. No matter how good your diet is or how often you exercise, you are sabotaging all your efforts if you are not getting enough sleep. While it may be obvious that sleep is beneficial, most people do not realize how much sleep they need and why it is so important.

Walking is the easiest exercise that just about anybody can do. The only inexpensive equipment you need is a nice pair of walking shoes. It is an excellent way to work towards a goal of better health. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many adverse health outcomes. For those that are not already involved in a regular exercise program, the recommendation is to start gradually. So consider starting a walking program for your overall health improvement plan.

Study after study shows that exercise does everything from strengthening your heart to lowering your blood pressure to just making you feel happier. The problem is that how long or how hard we should exercise always varies. We end up confused wondering that should we go hard and intense for twenty minutes or moderate for sixty minutes. Therefore, we need to monitor our heart rate during workouts and know about various heart rate training zones. What is your heart rate, max heart rate and your target heart rate and why are they important?

Current technology provides you with the ability to monitor your own exercise exertion level - An exercise at the exact intensity that your body requires. It’s called heart rate monitoring. No longer do you need to wonder if you are exercising at the correct intensity. Through heart rate monitoring you are now able to keep track of your intensity and take the guesswork out of your training. Exercising too hard can risk injury, exhaustion or even a burnout and not working hard enough can be ineffective. Using a heart rate monitoring system will allow you to exactly see where you are at all times and achieve your desired results without wasting time or being inefficient.

Fitness bands or activity trackers track your motion to help you better estimate how much energy you are expending each day. These trackers help you get motivated and give you the ability to form a community to work for your fitness goals together. There are hundreds of fitness trackers available in the market and it may be overwhelming to grasp all the information out there. We have listed the best and the most popular fitness bands that will help you in your buying decision.

The Polar FT heart rate monitoring series help improves your performance and ability to work effectively. The HR readings on both FT4 and FT7 are accurately tracked as both of them use the same HR sensor. Additionally, both devices are compatible with the Polar H7 HR sensor as well. Here we compare the features and functions of polar FT4 and FT7. Polar FT7 is slightly more advanced in terms of tracking and statistical analysis of the data tracked.

Spire is not exactly a fitness tracker but more of a stress-tracking device as it monitors your breathing patterns along with your movements. It works in conjunction with your smart-phone. The data tracked is analyzed to gauge your anxiety levels, tension and your mood. It then suggests some exercises that you can perform to calm yourself and attain a balanced state of mind. This will further help you to sleep better and further diminish your stress.

There are very few feminine looking fitness tracker devices out there and one of them is the Bellabeat Leaf. It has a distinctive appearance that stands out from the rest and looks more like a piece of jewelry. There is no heart rate tracking and the device does not have a display. However, if you want a fashionable fitness monitor with basic tracking features then you surely need to check out the Leaf. Targeted at women, the Leaf also has features such as fertility and period tracking.

Do you slouch often? If yes, then Lumo lift might come to your rescue. The device is a posture corrector and helps you to sit or stand in the right vertical position. The tracker has various sensors that relay data about your current position at regular intervals. The algorithms then analyze this data and then compare it with the position that you would like to be in. The tracker notifies you if you detract from the correct position that you had given. This encourages you to remain in the right posture and helps you straighten your back.

Pebble Time is more of a Smart watch providing an add-on extension to your smart phone. With a battery that lasts for many days on a single charge, it is a great alternative compared to other smart watches available in the market. It has a nice color display and voice recognition feature with which you can speak your replies in response to a text message. However, for voice calls you will still need to pick up your smart phone.

FitBark tracks the behavior of your dog or puppy. It’s a bone shaped tracker and connects with your computer or smart phone to transfer the captured data. This data helps you to check your pets’ activity levels and compares this data with other canines. If you are concerned about your dogs’ health and fitness, then this device may aid in tracking the changes in behavioral patterns, eating habits and other lifestyle activities. This will help determine the possibility of chronic ailments and other health issues.