fitness tracker

[lisathequeen]

Hi... I am thinking of asking Santa for a fitness tracker for Christmas....I like my gadgets but don't want to spend a fortune...(eg Apple Watch prices)....I'd like it to have built in GPS! Would welcome any recommendations!

[Sadie-runs Graduate10]

Many runners favour Garmin watches because of the very reliable GPS. I have a Garmin 30 and LOVE it. It does everything I need and is very simple to use. I think it’s around £100.

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to Sadie-runs]

Thanks for that !

[AllyS Graduate10]

Me too Lisa. Im looking to upgrade from my old trusty Fitbit Charge 2. Been eyeing up the Apple Watch series 3 with Nike Plus GPS. Hoping Santa has taken the hint🎅🏼 😉

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to AllyS]

Thanks. I’ll have another look atthe Apple Watch as I am quite an Apple fan !

[Running_Saz]

Hi, I have a Samsung Fit Pro 2, which varies in price but is amazing. Tracks everything and its waterproof (bonus over the last few days).

Happy shopping

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to Running_Saz]

Thank you for this ! 🏃 Being waterproof is a big bonus !

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Hello Lisa, the garmin forerunner 35 for me, but as it’s the only one I’ve tried I don’t know how It compares. I just love it though. I’m even monitoring my weight loss on it!

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Thank you got the recommendation. My nephew tells me he had this too. 🏃

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

Well i haven’t tried mine as it’s not Christmas Day yet (how many days ..... so excited!), but my husband has bought me a beautiful Garmin and it’s hidden in a drawer waiting for the big day. 🎁🎄🏃‍♀️😍

I’ve just read so many positive posts on here about Garmin and there are so many to choose from within different price ranges. Might be worth you exploring them too? 😀

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thank you for this ! 🏃. This brand seems popular ..My nephew recommended the 35 !

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to lisathequeen]

I think they’re all good, just that some do more. I guess it depends on how many stats you want! Mine’s the Forerunner 235. 😍

[Richard7 Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

When I was a child my parents used to hide the Christmas presents in a cupboard. They went out one day and being the naughty boy that I was I took out my present and had a really good play with it before boxing it back up carefully. They never knew!

Go on .. I dare you! 😉😈

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to Richard7]

Hahaha Richard, it’s soooo tempting, but I’m being a good girl! I was the one who hid it too - how ridiculous is that?! 😅😅 I haven’t been so excited about Christmas for years! 🎄🎄🎄

[Red53 Graduate10]

I use a Polar M200. It has integrated wrist heart rate monitor and very simple to use. Good entry level tracker at a low cost (~£90), the app is very good and simple to use. I have not had any issues connecting to either satellites or mobile devices. I love it but don't have anything to compare it to. Might not have enough battery life for serious marathon training, mine drops about 33% battery over 10km but I am not that is about my limit.

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to Red53]

Thank you for this ! 🏃

[Saartjie Graduate10]

Having just upgraded from a Fitbit Charge 2 to a Garmin Foreunner 725XT, I would say if you are in anyway serious about running it has to be the Garmin. The Fitbit is fab for what it does (general fitness tracker) and i have loved it but not great for tracking runs as I got more serious.

The Garmin I got is total overkill but was a bargain in the Black Friday sales. I know a few people have the Forerunner 35 which gives you most things you need incl. heart rate and GPS and is around the same price as the Fitbit. I'm sure Polar are also good but have no experience of them.

Hope Santa is good to you whatever you decide. Happy running 🙂🏃‍♀️

[orangeguy Graduate10]

Like a lot other people here I have a Garmin watch, I've had it about 6 months and really like it. Its the Garmin Forerunner 25, it was about £80 and I think it probably the cheapest in the Garmin GPS range. Having said that it does all I need, stop watch, GPS maps your run and syncs with computer, tablet and phone etc. Highly recommended.

[lisathequeen Graduate10 in reply to orangeguy]

Thank you. I don’t want to spend more than I need or get something I won’t use a lot of !

[Dadn2kids]

If cost is an issue might worth looking on Ebay. I picked up a Garmin Forerunner 410 off there for under £20 including postage. OK so its a bit old tech now (requires a separate ANT+ USB antenna to plug into your computer for downloads) but it does everything I need including pacing. Obviously that's a bit tricky from a Christmas present perspective but there's a fair amount on Ebay where people have either upgraded or never really used it. Just watch out for Nike+ watches - they go cheap because Nike have disabled the website you need to download anything. (You can still use them as watches and trackers, but you can't download).

[ArthurJG Graduate10]

I have a Fitbit and it meets my needs pretty well. Not saying it’s better than Garmin or anything but it does depend which model you have: they are not all toys.

[Taffywasawelshman]

I had a Fitbit Charge 2 which was great for tracking general stuff, once I started running I got frustrated by the number of button pushes needed and having to carry a phone for my tunes etc. I upgraded to an Apple Watch and now can leave my phone at home. I use the Nike Running Club app to track my runs and it’s really good, it produces a map, shows your split times and everything else.the added bonus is the various coaching sessions, with or without headspace. I use a pair of Trekz Titanium bone conductive headphones with it as apple earphones and various Bluetooth headphones were a bit hot or miss. The Trekz work really well, I can recommend them too.

[ArthurJG Graduate10]

That’s a bit like not buying a Garmin because your last one was a Satnav I got my Surge before zi took up running: Id probably consider Garmin if I were buying now, but the difference isn’t enough to justify replacing what I have. The Surge in run mode sends GPS data to Strava just the same.

[whibbles]

I really like my Garmin Vivoactive HR and wear it all the time. However, it did fail after 18 months but I bought it with a two year guarantee so I got it replaced but not in time to record my one and only 10km charity race this year