Fitness tracker device thingy - which one works best for skating?

[Neverdull44]

Which fitness tracker do you find works the best for figure skating & life?  I have an Apple computer, so something that automatically loaded onto it would be super cool.

I'd like to track calories burned, highest heart rate, and steps (for non skating).  I don't want the thing to be too large or too small.  About 3 years ago, Santa brought me a clip-on fitness tracker, but it was waste when I washed it in the washing machine.  And, it was useless for figure skating.  I'd prefer a wrist band/watch because I am in the habit of taking off my watch.

I ask because my birthday is days away, and kids are asking me what to tell dad to get me  . . . .

[CaraSkates]

I wear a Fitbit Charge HR and love it. It will sync to a laptop via bluetooth (with a plug in) and to iphone app very easily.

[Loops]

I have Mio alpha2 it's great for running and general life/activity tracking. I'm happy with it, and now addicted to the data it's gives. Very motivating, that.

I find it for skating, it's less accurate unless I have a heart rate monitor on . It can't really track distance in the rank and the steps don't translate well. So I don't know how accurate the calorie count is for that activity. It's a rather new device and I'm still testing it out . I would absolutely buy another one though especially if I could find another refurbished one like this one that I got from Amazon. It syncs to its own app and endomomo. I haven't tried any others.  Maybe one had a better algorithm for skating?

[Feebee]

I have the Mio Fuse, which is a wristband step tracker with a heart rate monitor, I got it primarily to accurately track calories burned, and it seemed really accurate for a while there, but then during gym classes I'd notice that the heart rate was reading as very low at points where there's no way it was low (hello burpees). I haven't charged in a few months, but I mostly stopped caring.

I wish there was a way to measure other things, like sensors in the skate that read where your weight is placed, that would be so cool. Or just a fully sensored body suit that reads your arm position, posture, etc.

[Query]

Pulse and breathing rates vary a lot by person, so I think they aren't that good an indicator of how hard you are working. Likewise, motion measurement isn't that great, because you can become very efficient (and burn very few calories) at specific motions that you practice a lot, like basic skating. I've come to feel that such things don't measure my calorie use well at all.

A hand on the heart, or a finger on another other pulse point? How you feel? How long you can do things at high speed, like skate, run flat, run up and down hill. how many times you can lift a given weight, how much you can lift comfortably? How many situps, pushups, leg lifts, double and single deep knee bends, jump ropes, etc. you can do in a row? Amount of stretch?

But those aren't gifts someone can give you.

I just bought myself a membership in a county pool/hot whirlpool bath/exercise center. But that only helps if you use it. They aren't always super-expensive - mine is $315/year, for county residents. And the Planet Fitness chain doesn't have pools, but they have very cheap gym rates, and free advice from a trainer - but they say you can't make too much noise, and they don't want people dressing or acting to show off being too fit - they cater to those who mostly just dream of getting fit. Most private fitness centers let you bargain on price - you can get some of them down a factor or 2 - 5. Since you are a skating "student", maybe you can get a student discount.

How about dance lessons, your choice of style? (With him, if you are still together?) Or lessons with a fitness trainer, Yoga or aerobics instructor, if you can stand that?

[amy1984]

I have a fitbit that I bought more for general use than skating.  It isn't great at measuring 'steps' while skating or distance.  I think the motion of skating throws it off.  What it does do well is track my heart rate and tells me how often I'm in the target zone for HR.  This is what I monitor when I'm skating. 

If you do get a fitbit my advice is just don't use the sleep tracker.  You'll get obsessed.  Mine says I never sleep.  It was actually making me feel more tired and I'd be disappointed when I checked it.  Apparently this is common.  On the other hand... went to the movie theatre and it told me I was napping :/

[rd350]

Anyone wear an Apple watch skating?  I want to get the Watch 2, but a bit afraid of falling and breaking it.  I doubt it'll track skating well, seems nothing does.

[Query]

I went to "5 Below" and bought a $5 watch/pedometer. It actually measured arm swings - quite accurately, as long as I did swing my arms while I walked. But, if I did swing my arms, and I kept a constant measured stride length, it would be fairly accurate at measuring distance - though nowhere near as good as a GPS. It was worth the price just as a watch - except it makes a clicking noise every time I swing my arms. (I haven't tried it on the ice, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't measure a thing.)

It's calorie measurements were meaningless, because it didn't care how high I stepped, or how much effort I put into it.

It does not claim to be waterproof.

Low tech pedometers from years past that I've bought were even more useless. They used to say I stepped twice for every step I walked, half of the time. After I learned to move more smoothly, as part of an injury prevention interest, they stopped thinking I walked at all. I actually took that as an indicator that I was walking efficiently.

At one point I bought a Garmin Foretrex wearable GPS. Not a fitness watch, but it measured distance quite accurately (outside! didn't try in an indoor ice rink), and helped me find my way back to where I started, outdoors. It was supposed to be water resistant. But a couple rolls in the kayak, and it died, forever. Another GPS (also Garmin, fully marine rated) also died, after somewhat longer use. (It is fairly typical for marine electronics to die in 1-2 years of kayak salt water use, even if you don't roll, because kayakers get splashed a lot more than most boaters. Flares become unreliable even faster - a month or less, even if kept in a waterproof bag or box. But if you aren't going anywhere near salt water, and don't intend immersion, these kinds of limits don't apply to you.)

I've tried a lot of fancy gym equiopment with heartbeat monitors. I don't really feel they measure my level of effort very well.

Fitness gadgets try to do something magic. But, if they measure heart rate and breathing, they are really measuring how much you struggle. That could be because you are burning a lot of calories. It could also be because you aren't very fit. For me, at least, they aren't very useful.

But maybe some of you have had better experiences with these high tech magic gadgets.

One gadget has worked consistently. My current Weight Watcher's brand bathroom scale. Measures my weight to 0.1 pound precision. (Though my first such scale died fairly quickly.) Weight isn't everything, but it is something I am trying to reduce.

[Isk8NYC]

I love FiveBelow for fitness stuff - they're affordable for things like bands, balls, weights, etc.  You can get ankle weights, jump ropes, stretch thingys, yoga mats and bags/straps.  It's just a great source for small items - for $5 or less!

[Neverdull44]

FiveBelow!  I  will go there.  Our figure skating club has a deal with them that on certain days if people shop there and mention the club, then a percent of the proceeds go to the club.  So, it's a win-win!

[Query]

To be fair, the 5 Below watch I bought only measures arm swings. It does not measure heart or respiration rate. Distance is estimated based on the stride length you tell it you have. Calories are based on an unspecified formula. It has a plastic band. It is not a top end product, that looks like something someone would give as a fancy gift.

It was called a "fitness action tracker", and is no longer on Five Below's website, as you can see at

  http://www.fivebelow.com/series-8-fitness-action-tracker.html

thought it might still be in some stores. Sorry!

It was shaped like

  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Series-8-Fitness-Action-Tracker-Blue-Band-/252535622658?hash=item3acc4bcc02:g:C0sAAOSwFdtX1gQT

but had two buttons on the left.