Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices

[wenshidi]

Well, that devolved into an I-excercise-more-than-you pissing contest quite rapidly!

[Ratsima]

Well, that devolved into an I-excercise-more-than-you pissing contest quite rapidly!

It's amazing how much the technology of "fitness" bands has changed. I ran the Guam Marathon every year from 1979 through 1995. For the first few years I ran with a heavy, bulky Seiko dive watch, as did many of the other runners. To keep track of your time you had to remember to set the bezel when the race started and remember your time at the finish.

Then the cheap Casio digital watches became available. Those were a boon to athletes because of the built-in stop watch. Easy to monitor your progress. But, nothing was saved, so no way to review your pace. (I think some models had split timers.)

Zoom forward a decade or so and your "watch" keeps track of your pace, split times, your route, your elevation, your heart rate and more. All of it saved for later review.

[404cameljockey]

Well, that devolved into an I-excercise-more-than-you pissing contest quite rapidly!

And completely off topic; mods are like No.36 buses ....

[Big Boy]

404cameljockey, it is called natural thread drift. All of the posts are related to Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices. The alternative is to flood the Forum with threads about every element of Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices, which I am sure you would find even more irratating.

[404cameljockey]

404cameljockey, it is called natural thread drift. All of the posts are related to Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices. The alternative is to flood the Forum with threads about every element of Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices, which I am sure you would find even more irratating.

Not really BB, I think discussion of the elements and abilities of different smart watches is precisely to the point, not people bragging about how long/far they run/cycle while not even mentioning how a watch helps them, as wenshidi hinted at. But it's your call, I know. And I didn't say I was irritated, it takes a (fit) bit more than than. Just having a little fun at mods' expense. I'm not going to turn into europtimiste, don't worry!

[Ratsima]

I apologize if what I posted constituted bragging. What I was trying to do was demonstrate a couple of real world examples of how a fitness device helped me by:

• Discovering a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
• Providing a plethora of workout data enabling me to better analyze just how well I'm doing.

I thought that was relevant to the discussion at hand: "Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices".

Perhaps I was mistaken.

In any event, I'm sorry and now wish I could delete my post.

[404cameljockey]

In any event, I'm sorry and now wish I could delete my post.

Your post was very much on topic and was helpful, it's unfortunate that it resulted in posts unrelated to smart watches, only to people's daily exercise amounts and wenshidi remarked on it, not your fault!

Back to topic, I understand that a highly expensive Apple or Garmin watch (for example) gives much more data and functionality (I am interested in health functions more than geolocation etc.). I found a watch that gives me info on my health (not BP, but a lot of other data including sleep tracking, heart rate variability, skin temperature, heart health, stress level, exercise tracking, blood oxygen, etc.). I know the data will not be as accurate as a specific medical machine, but I own a BP monitor and a blood oxygen monitor, and the daily watch results are close enough to be useful, so accuracy seems reasonable. I guess when buying a watch it's good to check out reviews of the brand to check if they come up on spec. As I've said before, I always avoid buying cheapo brands of most things I want to keep using.

I do find that I use the social message alert and phone functions too, if my smartphone is for some reason not within reach or I'm driving or doing something else where answering a phone is inconvenient (up a ladder or you can imagine whatever you want ....). Also it has a nice (free) analogue face option with roman numerals so would look nice if I wanted to keep it alive all the time I'm wearing it (battery life notwithstanding), and there are a reasonable number of free faces to download on the Zepp/Amazbit app plus hundreds to buy cheaply, if appearance is your thing.

Until last year I never thought I'd wear a smart watch, I stopped wearing my nice watches soon after coming to Thailand and starting to dressing down
a bit, but I think a 4k Baht smartwatch was a good purchase, mostly for my health tracking.

[Hahuahin]

I apologize if what I posted constituted bragging. What I was trying to do was demonstrate a couple of real world examples of how a fitness device helped me by:

• Discovering a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
• Providing a plethora of workout data enabling me to better analyze just how well I'm doing.

I thought that was relevant to the discussion at hand: "Fitbit or similar worn health smart devices".

Perhaps I was mistaken.

In any event, I'm sorry and now wish I could delete my post.

Your post was spot on and showed what included many other things a smartwatch can be used for. If this is bragging, I think I better shut up about my Garmin Fx race gold: wink:
hahuahin

[Gregjam]

I have an Apple Watch and used it when cycling. Way too clever for me and annoying as it kept pausing and not restarting when I had a rest (could be sorted out by new tech able persons than myself). Finally gave up with it when it played up if worn on my tattooed wrist and also got fed up charging it daily. It was initially purchased for the emergency alert if you fall off but with good insurance the wife is not so concerned.
Reverted to my Garmin Fenix 3HR which lasts a lot longer on a charge but has stopped reading my pulse.
Both very good and way beyond what I need. I now wear a nice mechanical watch as a daily wear and cheap Casio solar when cycling.
Also had a Fitbit in the past and some other Chinese Fitbit style “watches”.
Ultimately I lost more pounds buying the gadgets than I ever did cycling. My iPhone is always with me now when I cycle so not only can the wife contact me but she can see if my phone is where I shouldn’t be. The find me thingamyjiggy is on so theoretically the phone could be found if something happened (and hopefully me nearby).
Very much a case of what do you want your device to do and how much do you want to pay. Are you really an athlete or just trying to keep fit. A certain cyclist friend of mine is very fit, has a good but far from fancy bike and on most occasions will be seen riding in sandals and shorts. You don’t need the full MAMIL outfit, just put the effort in and I am sure the same applies to most of us trying to maintain a level of fitness.

[wenshidi]

"I own a BP monitor and a blood oxygen monitor"

Are such devices expensive? Can you hook them up to your PC to collate results. Do they need attached phones to operate. Thanks in advance.

[Big Boy]

They are relatively cheap, and last a long time. You can get an OK BP monitor and blood oxygen monitor for well under 1,000฿. I have a spreadsheet that I enter readings into remotely. You could most likely waste a lot of money that saves you the bother of entering manually into a spreadsheet, but for 20 seconds effort a may, I'll stick to the basic items.

My devices have been vital in monitoring my wife's condions, and let me know when a hospital visit is required. Money very well sent.

[404cameljockey]

They are relatively cheap, and last a long time. You can get an OK BP monitor and blood oxygen monitor for well under 1,000฿. I have a spreadsheet that I enter readings into remotely. You could most likely waste a lot of money that saves you the bother of entering manually into a spreadsheet, but for 20 seconds effort a may, I'll stick to the basic items.

My devices have been vital in monitoring my wife's condions, and let me know when a hospital visit is required. Money very well sent.

Yes I agree, spending on a device that can connect to a phone app isn't necessary if you're prepared to collect the data in a spreadsheet, although my 4000 Baht BP monitor sends all date to a phone app and it's an easy way to track and even show when you visit a clinic (my BP is always insane for a few minutes after driving to the health clinic, at least I can show normal resting BP quickly as well!