JACKSONVILLE, FLa. – It used to be the best way to track your activity was to wear a pedometer and check your steps. Nowadays, fitness trackers will monitor everything from pounds lost to perspiration, but how do you know which activity tracker is right for you?
Melissa Hendricks, a certified fitness instructor at Cleveland Clinic says when you're shopping for a fitness tracker let your personal goals dictate which one you buy.
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"So, whether or not you're trying to lose weight or just be more active that's something that's going to trigger what you're going to use," she said.
Today's fitness trackers can give you better insight into the habits that make up your lifestyle. They can track things like sleep, calorie consumption, heart rate, and blood pressure, even swimming.
Many trackers can also be paired with a companion web account or a mobile app for more accurate tracking. Hendricks says the more you spend, the more features you'll get, but pricier is not always better.
"If you're just going to be using it casually you don't want to be spending a couple hundred dollars on a unit like that, so the more you spend the more you're going to get out of it, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a better product for you," Hendricks explained.
She says if you're unsure what tracker is right for you; consult a certified fitness instructor or someone at your gym.