My review of the Fitbit Flex
Hi friends! Hope you’re having a wonderful day <3 Thank you so much for Livi’s birthday wishes. It’s been fun to read your comments to her throughout the day 🙂
Many people asked me to review my Fitbit Flex, so I figured it was perfect timing since Livi is napping and the house is ready for tonight’s little fiesta.
Just a head’s up: I paid for the Flex with my own $, and am not affiliated with the company in any way.
I wanted a fitness tracker since I’m not teaching/assisting 15+ classes per week anymore and I’d be able to get an idea of my activity level. On one hand, I still feel extremely active because I’m chasing Livi around and still getting in regular workouts, but at the same time, I also feel very sedentary with the extra hours I’ve been sitting to work on the book and studying for my Weight Loss Specialist exam. (Random note: I start teaching Zumba again next week, just one class per week, but I CAN’T WAIT.) Last week, I ordered the Fitbit Flex after researching quite a bit online. I had narrowed it down to a few options (the Jawbone Up, Flex and Fitbit Force) and after reading that quite a few of you were happy with your Flex, I went ahead and ordered one. The slate color was marked down for $89 on Amazon, so I figured it was destiny 😉
How’d I decide?
Fitness trackers are really glorified pedometers. They provide a variety of insightful data through their respective apps -I was most curious about my sleep patterns- and track movement help you to gauge your activity level throughout the day. I really love the design of the Jawbone Up, but had read online that quite a few people had issues with the quality and the customer service when their Up bit the dust. I also thought the fact that you actually have to plug it into your phone to sync was a bit of a hinderance and figured I’d prefer something with Bluetooth capabilities. That left me with the Force and the Flex, and I ended up going with the Flex. The tracker can be removed from the wristband, which is great because rubber wristbands tend to get gnarly after a bit of use, and it was smaller than the Force.
Fitbit One is another option, which clips onto your clothes (more like a traditional pedometer) but considering my propensity to lose things, it wasn’t really an option. Flex it was!
It arrived the NEXT DAY (wahoo for Prime shipping!) and I couldn’t wait to test it out.
Now that I’ve had it for a few days, I thought I’d share some of my pros and cons.
Pros:
-It tracks approximate mileage, steps, calories burned and sleep patterns for the day. If you’re a MyFitnessPal member, you can sync it with that app to track your food intake, too.
-I LOVE THE SILENT ALARM. For the silent alarm, the wristband vibrates a few times to wake you up. It’s amazing, and not as harsh as my angry iPhone alarm.
-It’s pretty inconspicuous. A few people have asked me about it, but I don’t feel super nerded out wearing it. Of course, I’d never wear it with a pretty dress, but for every day, it works.
(when I accidentally matched my outfit to the Pilot’s)
-Easy to use and easy to set up. With the app, it pretty much runs itself. All I have to do is tap it twice to see how I’m doing -lights indicate whether you’ve reached your goal- or to tell it I’m going to sleep.
-Comfortable snug wristband. Each pack comes with a large and small wristband, which is extremely comfortable and secure. I haven’t had it fall off or anything like that.
Cons:
-While I like the fact that you can remove the tracker from the wristband, the thought of getting water in there skeeves me out. It says you can wear it while showering or swimming, but I’d be afraid to.
-It’s still kind of ugly. I think this is why the Jawbone has major appeal, and I’m excited to see some of the sleeker fitness trackers that will hit the market this year.
How accurate do I think it is?
While I think it’s less accurate than a heart rate monitor, for everyday, I think it makes more sense to wear a tracker and get a general idea of trends and patterns. You can always gauge improvement, whether the numbers are perfectly precise or not. I realized that it counts my crazy hand gestures as steps, but doesn’t count for much when I’m strength training, so it must balance out.
Some of the things I’ve noticed:
I especially love the sleep tracker. For the past few months, I’ve woken up feeling totally exhausted. I had blood work done because I thought something was wrong with me. Turns out, I’d been sleeping horribly. The first night I was restless 22 times! I don’t know if it’s a subconscious thing or what, but the past few nights I’ve been restless ONCE and have woken up feeling amazing.
It’s HARD to get in the recommended 10,000 steps per day. I’m a pretty active person, but on the days I don’t run, it’s challenging to reach that number, especially because Tucson isn’t a walking-friendly city. It’s very spread out, and you have to drive everywhere. Even with constant active play with Livi, in order to get to my 10,000 steps, I have to take Bella for a nice long walk and get in some kind of cardio for the day.
All in all, I’m really happy with it. I’ll let you guys know if anything changes, but that’s my initial review so far 🙂
Do you have a fitness tracker or another method to gauge your activity level?
Fellow Fitbit friends, any pros or cons you noticed that I haven’t listed above?
Have a great night and I’ll see ya in the morning!
xoxo
Gina
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I got the fitbit for Christmas and I’ve been using it every day since. I love that you can sync it with myfitnesspal so your calories get recorded on the fitbit page and any extra calories you burn from steps get added to MPF.
I’ve been wearing it in the shower with no issues but wouldn’t wear it if I was submerging my arm in the bath or a pool or something. I also love how long the battery lasts and that it syncs to your phone!
My one complaint is that it doesn’t really record my “active minutes” accurately. Like you said, it’s basically a glorified pedometer so if I’m doing spin, lifting or doing plyo it doesn’t really call them “active minutes” even though I’m actually burning a ton of calories. That said, because it syncs with MPF it’s easy to circumvent this issue because I just manually record my calories burned during my workout on MPF and it adds those calories burned to my fitbit. 🙂
Holy, this ended up being a long comment! Overall I love it and it’s really motivating for me to run an extra km or take a few extra laps around the building at work etc.
I got my sister a Fitbit Flex for Christmas. So did her boyfriend…now I get hers, wohooo! I work a desk job, so the aspect I am really looking forward to is the pedometer portion!
I just got one! So far it’s very comfortable. I also read that Tory Burch is coming out with a line of bracelets and necklaces to wear with the flex. That has me over the not the cutest thing for now…
My cousin has the same one and she loves it! I am thinking of getting one but I just wonder if it is worth it. I am a college student and I make very little money but I wonder if it is something to put on my “when I have money I’m gonna buy this” list. Overall do you recommend it?
I LOVE my FitBit Flex, but had the same issue with it being kind of ugly. The Tory Burch jewelry looks awesome, but a little out of my price range. I did some research and I found a great little company that makes FitBit Jewelry called Funktional Wearables. It looks great and hides your FitBit when you’re not working out. I posted the website FitBitJewelry.com. Might check it out;)
My sleep patterns are BRUTAL. Like were talking an average of 20+ times awake/night. The last two nights I was in bed for 9 hours but slept for less than 5hr each night. Ugh. No wonder I’m so dang tired. It’s nice to know that though because now I can try to do something to get myself sleeping better. I’m just not sure what that something is yet. I’m dreaming of your one time awake or restless (or at least I would be if I ever got to sleep!) lol
I have the Fitbit One! I love it…I accidentally put it through the washing machine…just threw it in some rice to dry it up and it works fine! I also like it b/c it’s a little more inconspicuous; I usually attach it to my bra strap or waistband.
What a great review! I have been looking into getting a fit band because I’m a total nerd and would love to look at my activity levels at different times 🙂 You and the Pilot are the cutest! matchy matchy 🙂
I work in accounting and it is year end and I’m slammed, so I couldn’t make it this week to my regular zumba classes and I feel so discombobulated! I’ve been thinking about you, wondering how you are fareing since not teaching Zumba for over a month! Happy you get to get back to it. I heard you like the new ZIN music! I’m still in love with Voy a Marte and Bouje from the last CD. I’m not a teacher but my zumba instructor shares the names of the songs with us. Have fun teaching! Let us know how it went.
Thanks for the review! I’ve been on a fitness tracker research craze myself and ironically my new job gives us free fitbit ones – I just got mine yesterday. That pretty much solved the issue of which one to buy 🙂 They also hold competitions throughout the year and have some joint company fitbit page. I only used it for a day so far, though it’s pretty neat. I noticed the fitbit app tracks food intake/calories, though is it better when it’s integrated with myfitnesspal? Have you used that feature? I really like the water intake tracker on the app too. One thing I noticed about the fitbit one is that it has strange greetings on the interface when you sit it down for a moment and than pick it up. It doesn’t just say “Hi Lauren” it says things like I’m Ready? and Smooches. My boyfriend started joking that the thing is hitting on me – corny I know! 🙂
Sold! I need to boost my cardio and sleep longer/better. This might just help…
I’ve had the Flex for almost a year and love it! I just wanted to let you know that I shower with it on all the time and it still works like a champ! I occasionally wipe it off and make sure it’s clean each time I charge it. I’ve even played sand volleyball with it on and had no issues!
Interesting review, I’m glad to see your honest comments! I use Map My Run to track workouts but only for running. It would be interesting to see what other type of activity I get in on a daily basis.
I’ve been thinking about getting one, so I appreciate the review. I actually think the fitbit is much nicer looking than the jawbone up, which looks so masculine to mean. But I haven’t seen them up close.
I love mine! I agree the alarm is so much nicer to wake up to. I sit at a desk all day and sometimes get into a project and I forget to get up and move. So I set up the alarm to go off every two hours to remind me to get up and move. I have the slate and the pink, nice to mix it up.
p.s. Luv the other bracelet you are wearing, where did you get it? 🙂
express! from my friend ashley
Interesting — thanks for the review! i’ve been researching some options on my own, so it’s great to hear what you think about the Flex!
I have the Force & I have really liked it. Even though I think the Flex is slightly more feminine I liked having the display right on the wrist band.
I was a dork and actually wore mine with my party dress for NYE because I wanted to get credit for dancing! I did get a lot of steps in that night!
I agree, it’s hard to get 10k steps in without a long walk or some sort of exercise. I have days at work that I have been in meetings all day and only get 2k steps in by 5pm, and on other days I have been doing laps around the office and have 6k steps in.
Several of my friends have it as well and it’s fun to try and beat each other on our 7 day total steps.
Really love the fitbit flex! I have wanted to look for an activity tracker and originally was going to go for the Polar loop but after your review I want to look into this one as well. Though I don’t think it is in the budget anytime soon
I don’t really see myself purchasing one of these fitbit things. I am curious about the sleep pattern data, but that is about it.
Happy Birthday Livi!!!! It is hard to believe it has been two years 🙂
I love my Fitbit Flex! The sleep tracker is awesome! I do want to let ya know I shower with mine everyday ( so does my fiancé) and it really is totally fine. We are lucky because I gave him my large band and he gave me his, so every few days I switch bands. I think that definitely helps!
Have fun fiestaing tonight!
thank you!
i think the sleep tracker is my favorite part 🙂
xoxo
Thanks for the review! I’ve been debating one, but I mainly strength train and I have heard the band doesn’t pick up on weight lifting and training as well as cardio-heavy workouts.
it doesn’t :/
Mine just came in the mail today! Can’t wait to try it out!
fun! what color did you get?
I am getting the Force and can’t wait to see what it’s like!
ahhh, i hope you like it!
I got a Force a few days ago, and besides it being super ugly I love it so far!
i’ve heard great things about that one too!
I have the Fitbit One and love it. I like that I can hide it on my body and it doesn’t interfere with my fashion. 🙂 I’ve had mine a year now. I notice that it doesn’t do a great job tracking my workouts or spin class activity. I wear a polar heart monitor and my Fitbit is never close to what the heart monitor reads. Still I agree the Fitbit is good for everyday activity and sleep.
i totally agree!
I love my fitbit one. I used to use it with the myfitnesspal app and was steadfast about my steps. Now that I’m nursing a newborn in the winter I don’t wear it at all because I know getting in 3000 steps even with a 30 minute cardio workout. But I’ll get back on it once it’s nicer out.
The two cons are I noticed the stairs were inaccurate and wouldn’t count my steps sometimes. It’s also extremely difficult to get to the stairs goal. And since I’m a check it off the list type of person it drives me crazy not meeting that goal. And I can’t get myself to lower it.
I’m excited to see better versions come out for sure.
i think it’s probably much harder in the winter to get in the step amount! congratulations to you with your new baby 🙂
Hi Gina. I’m just finishing the November workout calendar (better late than never right??) did u put together a December calendar ?
amazing job! no, i didn’t because of the holidays. if you subscribe to my newsletter, i often send out workouts for the entire week. just click the box below the comment area when you leave a comment to get signed up!
OK. I didn’t think so, but wanted to make sure. I am a subscriber! 🙂 I have them all saved, so I will use those until the Winter Shape Up (which I am excited about!) Have a good day and Happy Belated Birthday to Livi!!!
That sounds a pretty cool piece of gear. I remember the other day you said you were getting it, and I’ve look froward to this review. I like how it syncs up with myfitnesspal. I like I track everything so this sounds like something I might want. I really like the idea if the silent alarm. I bet that’s amazing to not wake up to a loud beeping alarm. Thanks for your review! I’m definitely thinking about getting one now!
cool! hope you like it if you get one 🙂
off topic comment!! I remember reading a little while back in a post where you talked about whether family or friends got weirded out by you having a blog. I haven’t been able to find that blog again but I wanted to revisit it. I was wondering if you remembered which one it was. Thanks!1
is this the one? http://fitnessista.com/2009/10/baking-itch/
yes thank you so much!!
Thanks for your review, I’ve been considering getting a flex but haven’t been sure if it’s worth it. I’m really interested in the sleep tracking, I’m exhausted all the time so I know I can’t be getting much sleep. Thanks!
it was amazing insight into my sleep patterns. i was getting plenty of sleep hours, but not sleeping well at all!
I have the old Fitbit (the one before the One) and I love it! I like that I can tuck it in my pocket. I only wish it had the ability to automatically sync to my phone. Since I work nights, I have to wait until I can sync it to my computer until I can see the day’s activity.
ohhh ok! yeah, the phone syncing is extremely convenient
I got the FitBit Zip when it first came out and LOVED it. Especially the fact that I could hide it. So last year I finally decided to splurge on the Flex, and I was so surprised to see my numbers shoot up without any change in my activity. I finally compared them by wearing both at the same time for a couple of days and my numbers were way higher on the Flex. I’d hit 10,000 on it while I was at 7,000 on the zip. I did some tests (not moving but waving my hands around) and realized it was counting non-activity. And that I use my hands way more than expected lol! So I went back to the zip and sold the flex on eBay:) I always recommend the zip/one for that reason now!
I have the fitbit ultra and recently bought the fitbit one. I wore both to compare the numbers and they do not match numbers at all.
The sleep patterns seem spot on. They both show that I get restless at least 20 times per night!
I love the fitbit because it makes me get up and go for a run or motivates me to do a workout of some kind.
wow, that’s good to know!
What a great review! I soooo need this. Thanks for sharing 🙂
happy you enjoyed it! xo
I got the fit flex for Christmas. I literally started wearing it that day! It is kind of bulky and since I’m not a huge fan of bracelets it took a while to get used to wearing it. I’m a hairstylist and work on average a 10 hour day. I’m always exhausted when I get home and never feel like hitting the gym after work. After wearing the flex I know why I’m so tired, I’m walking about 5 miles when I’m working. I usually hit 10,000 steps by mid-afternoon. So I’ve stopped being so hard on myself. Now I just need to be more active on my days off. I’m also really liking how it tracks your sleep.
wow, that’s amazing! my mom is probably similar- she’s a stylist and on her feet all day too!
I have had the fitbit flex for about 4 months now, and I’m literally in love with it. It definitely motivates me to get off of my butt and move around more. Like you, I definitely noticed that on the days I don’t exercise or run, my steps are too low, so I’ve made it a point to be more, or at least somewhat, active throughout the day!
Thanks for the review!
Natasha
so glad you like yours, too! i love it so far 🙂
totally agree. i feel much more motivated to get in bursts of activity, especially on the days i don’t exercise
I was not really into the whole tracker idea, but the more I hear about it, the more I want one! It’s like a healthier version of the Apple Effect.
i think so too! i feel more conscious to make healthy decisions and get it bursts of activity during the day
I have both the Fitbit flex and the Bodymedia armband. To be honest, the BM is much, much more accurate also with sleep tracking and calorie tracking. It not only takes movement but also body temperature sensor values into account and they have a whole ‘data mining’ system behind understanding and correlate movement and body temperature. So, it tracks correctly cycling, running, and just ‘arm gestures’. Since it sits on the upper arm there is less confusion.
In the summer, however, I use also the fitbit flex. Who wants to have a big obvious device that looks like a permanent Ipod and a huge tan line on your arm? Sigh. I think they will eventually come out with a smaller thing. Can’t wait.
i’ve heard amazing things about BM, but totally agree that it isn’t feasible to wear for everyday life
I have the FitBit Force and I love it! Just realizing what I do throughout the day (which is less then I thought) is super helpful. Seeing the metrics on my phone also makes me want to turn ever one of them green! I love having the sleep tracker… it helps me understand why I don’t feel like I am getting any sleep…probably b/c I was up for 10 minutes last night with 20 minutes of restless sleep. Kind of eye opening!
totally eye opening! i had no idea that was the problem
The Flex looks cute with that bracelet. I even bought some bracelets to try to ‘hide’ it but it didn’t work.
I agree, 10,000 is hard. I try to hit it daily but I get burned out.
On the Flex, I think there is a little known thing in that the next dot to light up on the wristband actually blinks 1-4 times, to show how close to being lit it is. So you don’t just see that you’ve hit say 80% of your goal, it actually tells you how close you are (in 20% increments) to the next light. So if you’ve hit 8800 steps, when you tap the display it will show 4 solid light dots (for 8000 steps) then the 5th dot will blink 4 times (for the 800). I read that on a blog and mine seemed to work that way, but I only had it a day before going back to the One.
thank you!
it’s extremely hard! i didn’t hit it yesterday. i didn’t work out, but was on my feet most of the day
i had no idea that was the method- thanks for letting me know!
I’d love to get an idea of my sleep patterns. I really try to make sleep a priority but lately I’ve had a tendency to be a bit restless at night. Hopefully they come out with a sleeker model 2014.
i think they definitely will!
Hi Gina!
Long time reader, first time commenter. Love your blog and take on a healthy lifestyle. I had blood work done recently for the SAME reason…curious-how did you start sleeping more soundly?
i think it was subconsciously! i haven’t really done anything different, but i try to go to bed earlier and unwind a little before crashing
I got the Force for Christmas, and so far I really like it. I opted for the Force because it also had a clock so most people just think it’s my watch. I had been using the iPhone app Argus for a while, which is great! But it was sucking the battery life out of my phone AND it meant I had to have my phone on me at all times to track activity. I think that the Force/Flex is a bit less accurate than the phone app (mainly because I also talk with my hands and it records steps when I’m clearly not doing anything), but I ran them simultaneously and the worst day was only a 1,000 step difference. Just something to keep in mind when I know I’ve really been very sedentary all day. And I sort of like that it doesn’t record a bunch while doing strength training so I know that after I still have to get some steps in.
that’s good to know!!
I’ve had the FitBit Flex since its launch last Spring. I like it – I think the food journaling capabilities could be improved upon and I wish is synced with more than MyFitnessPal – possible LiveStrong’s MyPlate would be nice.
I’ve showered with mine on and haven’t had any issues though I know many people are afraid too.
As for the stylishness of the band – I agree, it’s pretty ugly. But luckily Tory Burch has partnered with FitBit to launch a more stylish band/necklace to be used. Hopefully it launches sooner than later and I heard it should be priced moderately – something similar to TB iPhone cases.
http://www.toryburch.com/tory-burch-for-fitbit-signup/tory_burch_fitbit_signup.html
you just made my day! haha
I just signed up.
Thanks!
Throwin that baby on the Amazon Wish List!
THANK YOU for admitting that getting to 10,000 steps is hard! I was shocked how far I have to walk to get up to 10,000 with my FitBit. And I’m a walker!
it’s insanely hard! i have to really work to get it 🙂
Hmmm! I’m very interested in this to track my general activity (I would probably still use my heart rate monitor for workouts). I have no idea if I meet the 10,000 steps per day. I sit all day at work but I do have to walk a lot to get to public transport (although less in the winter when it’s 8 degrees out!).
Yay !! I’m so glad that you love it!! You’re right — 10,000 steps is hard!!! If I don’t workout I don’t often make it! I,too, love the sleep functions – it’s always the data I look at first! My only con is that I don’t not have an iPhone 5– so I have to use the tiny device in my computer to sync up my data! That means I can’t see anything until I get home — and I often run out of battery power if I’m not vigilant as I’m approaching a week without charging. the new force has the readout right on the screen- but you don’t get to tap it and see the lights!
I have worn mine in the shower– I didn’t have a problem with it. I have started removing it, as the band broke around the transmitter. I do wear it when I’m washing dishes.
Overall, I love my flex and glad I invested the money!! Santa brought me the other bands, so I can change colors now too!!!
Where did you get your evil eye bracelet? I have been looking for one just like it.
As a Registered Dietitian, I love that it has the food entry and hydration components. It really helps you think of daily water/fluids! I also use the sleep tracker and alarms (great for wake-up or anytime). If you are diabetic you can also record your blood sugar levels. I love mine – I have the pink. I highly recommend the Flex as well. – @TracynRD
I agree with you on getting in 10k steps – it’s tough when it’s an “off” day for the gym, especially in the cold winter months when getting outside for a walk is not always an option! It certainly has raised awareness for me and made me realize that I’m not as active as I think I am!
I love my Fitbit, but I just have the tiny one (Zip), and I love competing with myself! On days like today where I forget it, I get all grumpy about it, but aside from that, it does just what I want it to do! I don’t think I need a heart rate monitor or anything like that, but I like that it helps me keep track of my water intake, and that it syncs with myfitnesspal. I wish the Zip came with a sleep tracker, but c’est la vie. I know I’m not getting enough sleep! lol