Keeping your physical health in check requires a consistent record of your daily workouts and their intensity levels. Such vital data can assist you in identifying what’s most effective for you and the amount of effort needed to achieve desirable outcomes. Furthermore, a worthwhile investment is a top-notch fitness watch, as it can aid in effectively tracking your activities.
The best thing about having a fitness tracker watch is that it is a watch and a tracker. The watch can also make you work out harder and achieve your daily workout goals because you will know how much you have done and how far to go. There are many stylish fitness trackers that you can buy to stay on track. So, we have created this list after thorough research to help guide you on your search for the best watch for fitness.
To find out which are the best fitness trackers, scroll down and keep reading.
1. New Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS, 40mm)
This new Apple watch qualifies to be the best watch for fitness. We all know how popular Apple has become, and that popularity makes them manufacture high-quality products, and this watch is one of them. However, the greatest feature that this New Apple watch possesses is the health tracking features like tracking oxygen levels in the blood.
The heart rate monitor and ECG is a great feature that can save a life as it notifies you in case of any irregular heart rhythms and heart rate variability. Tracking the heart rhythms means that the watch will know and notify you if you happen to overtrain. So you will always have an idea of how much you have trained. It will also guide you not to do it excessively.
This Apple watch can also track; the number of steps you take per day, sleep, and calories, then puts it in an easy-to-understand format. It is not always that we stay near our phones. However, this watch will ensure you see your messages and calls. You can read the notifications and respond directly with the help of this watch.
Fitness trackers also have a GPS, and this apple watch series 6 would be incomplete without it. However, it does not have some fitness tracking features that most fitness watches have; it can track and set up speed sessions and even interval workouts. So if you feel like this is the watch you need and you d not have an iPhone, do not worry; more options are coming.
PROS
- Advanced health monitoring, including sleep tracking
- You can get the phone’s notifications through this watch
- Depth of smartwatch features
CONS
- It only works for iPhone users
- Battery lasts 7-18 hours only
- Inaccurate GPS
- Lacks detailed sports data and customizable features
2. Fitbit Versa 3 Health and Fitness Smartwatch
Suppose you could not buy the new Apple watch series discussed above that does not mean that you can’t get another choice. Fitbit Versa is here for you, and once you get it, you can go hiking, biking, or running without carrying your phone. The built-in GPS can show you your real-time pace and distance. In addition, if you are trying hard to burn some calories or are working extra hard to get abs, you can download the Fitbit app to know the intensity of your workout.
You can always track your heart rate with pure pulse 2.0, which is Fitbit’s enhanced heart rate technology. This watch operates well in temperatures within -4 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. With the Fitbit Versa fitness tracker, you can check your nightly levels of blood oxygen, and by so doing, you can always know when there is a change, so you a check up and know if it’s a cause for concern or nothing serious.
Did I mention that you can use Google Assistant Alexa built-in to set reminders, alarms, get quick news, and control other smart home devices simply by speaking to your watch? Well, that sounds cool. Another really cool feature in this fitness tracker is the built-in mic and speaker that you can use to take calls hands-free and easily operate the phone. However, this feature requires a lot of charging, and the phone must be nearby for it to work. On average, the battery of this fitness watch can last up to six days.
PROS
- It features Google Assistant Alexa built-in
- Longer battery life
- You can get your phone notifications through the watch
- Reliable GPS
- It comes with a magnetic charger
CONS
- It only reads nightly oxygen levels
- You have to pay a subscription fee to store music
3. FitBit Sense Advanced Smartwatch
Fitbit Sense is the best watch for fitness to have an electrodermal activity (EDA), indicating how your body responds to stress. A built-in skin temperature sensor logs yours every night, which helps you see when there is a variation. In addition, with this fitness tracking device, you can track the nightly blood oxygen levels at a glance with the Ftbit collection of clock faces.
Unlike Fitbit Versa 3, the operating temperature of this Fitbit Sense fitness tracker is -10 degrees to 45 degrees Celcius. You can also assess your heart for atrial fibrillation, which is a heart rhythm irregularity. This makes it easier for you to share results with your doctor when you go for a checkup, and it will, in turn, make work easier for them. If your heart rate is lower or higher than normal, the Fitbit Sense fitness tracker will notify you so you can get checked if you think it could be serious.
You may not like the thought of charging your fitness watch daily, and to prevent you from doing that, this tracker has an estimated battery life of up to six days. That is long enough even to go camping or hiking and still maintain activity tracking. In addition, it can take as little as 12 minutes to charge or up to 12 hours, depending on the activities.
The built-in GPS can be of great use when you want to go for a run, hiking, or even bike riding without your phone. This feature helps track your pace and distance. With the built-in mic and speaker, you can even pick up Bluetooth calls hands-free, as long as your phone is nearby. It means that you don’t have to stop doing what you were doing to pick that call, although this will require you to charge it more frequently.
PROS
- Heart rate tracking
- It has an EDA feature
- Long battery life to
- Features a built-in GPS
- It is compatible with most phone models
- It measures night oxygen levels in the blood
CONS
- It measures blood oxygen levels at night only
- Not pocket-friendly
4. Polar Vantage M-Advanced Running and Multisport Watch
Polar Vantage is among the best fitness trackers to buy if you need to keep monitoring how many calories you burn during a workout. The best feature about this fitness tracker is that it features optical HR monitoring for over 130 sports, which means you can track swimming, cycling, and even track sleep. In addition, it is the best fitness watch as it automatically syncs training data to Strava.
The battery life of this fitness tracker is just on another level, as you can go for up to 30 hours of training with an active GPS. It is also waterproof, and this feature makes it the best fitness tracker for swim tracking. The Vantage M is the ultimate watch to track workouts separating cardio, perceived load, and muscles.
This fitness tracker watch allows you to personalize it with your style. The fitness bands are customizable to tailor your Polar Vantage M with a replaceable fitness band of your liking. In addition, the polar Vantage fitness tracking watch is lightweight, so you will not feel its weight on your wrist, and it is also stylish, so you can never go wrong with it.
PROS
- Long battery life even with GPS active
- Suitable for numerous forms of activity tracking
- It features a customizable fitness band
- Connected GPS for accuracy
- It is a stylish fitness tracker
CONS
- The display is not bright enough
- Digits may be too small for some people
5. Garmin Venu Sq GPS Smartwatch
If you have read to this point and still have not found the best fitness watch, I guess Garmin Venu is the fitness tracker for you. The first important feature is that it displays figures on a bright touchscreen and includes an always-on mode that you may find useful for glances.
Garmin fitness tracker has health tracking features, including a heart rate monitor and others for sleep tracking, respiration, hydration, and even energy levels. In addition, it features 20+ preloaded sports apps to ensure you always get an activity to do to stay fit. The preloaded workouts include yoga, cardio, strength, and even pilates and you can even create your own in the Garmin connect app if you have a compatible smartphone.
With the Garmin Venu fitness watch, you don’t need to carry your cards or cash around. Instead, you can pay contactless with Garmin pay. Once you pair your fitness watch with a compatible smartphone, you will always get notifications delivered to your wrist. In addition, this fitness tracker has safety and tracking features during select activities which send your live location to designated contacts.
You can go for up to six days of battery life with a single charge and up to 14 hours in GPS mode.
PROS
- Bright display
- Includes safety tracking features
- You can get notifications through the phone
- Includes health and fitness features
CONS
- The screen does not respond quicklyIt syncs slowly
- Lacks a quick option to turn off the always-on display
What Should You Consider When Buying the Best Watch for Fitness?
Are you wondering what you need to consider when buying a fitness tracker? Most fitness trackers are designed to track health and fitness. Therefore, these are the features you should be looking for when looking for a fitness tracker. We shall discuss them in detail below.
(a). Battery Life
The best fitness trackers will have a long battery life, so you can use them for longer without charging. Generally, smartwatches need more frequent charging than GPS watches. Therefore, if you are comfortable charging your watch every 24-48 hours, you can go with either; however, if you do not like having to charge your phone more often, a GPS watch will suit you better. GPS fitness trackers can last up to six days. However, keep in mind that you will have to charge it while you are interested in sleep tracking while you are awake.
(b). Workout Features
The best fitness tracker will have all the features necessary for your workout routine. Most fitness trackers track common activities, including walking, cardio sessions, general strength, yoga, and cycling, among many others. Therefore, if you have a less common sport you would like to track, it is important to look at the watch’s specs before you buy it. That will ensure you that whatever sport you are interested in is covered by the watch’s features.
(c). GPS Accuracy
The accuracy of many fitness trackers lies within 1-3%. This is because the location has a lot to do with the GPS connection and accuracy, whereas accuracy depends on several satellites communicating and reporting to your watch. Additionally, distractions like buildings can alter the satellite’s ability to pinpoint the sensor of your watch.
(d). Features
From alarms reminding you to hydrate, sleep tracking features to notifications of irregular heartbeats, fitness trackers have unending important features to help you achieve your workout goals and to make you stay active to maintain fitness. A budget fitness tracker will have all the basic features and sometimes a few standard ones. Premium watches will have basic, standard, and advanced features.
Basic Features
- Pace
- Distance
- Steps
- Heart rate
Standard Features
- Elevation loss/ gain
- Call, text, and email notifications
- Sleep
- Calories
- Stress
- Training zones
Advanced Features
- Live activity tracking
- Music
- Auto swim stroke detection
- Pulse oximeter
(e). Price
The price can give you a rough idea of what features to expect a watch to have. Entry-level watches are ideal for people who are more interested in casual fitness. However, if you are more serious about fitness and you need to track your progress well, you may need to spend a little more on the watch to get more features to help you keep on track. Although the best fitness trackers are not always highly priced, you cannot expect to pay too little and get the best product.
Keeping fit requires a lot of effort and practice, and because of that, you may need to get one of the best fitness trackers to help you track your progress. The trackers also have sleep tracking features, among other health and fitness features which you can use to stay on track. I hope this article has been of help and you got what you were looking for.
