Neat things about my Fitbit Luxe and Premium Membership
Why the Fitbit Luxe?
I chose the Fitbit Luxe because of its small size and more sleek and feminine look. I think it would be fine for a man too. But I didn’t want something big and clunky on my wrist all day and night.
I chose to buy it from Amazon so I could get my watch and accessories from one place. View the Fitbit Luxe on Amazon
My first fitbit was buggy. Most of this review will be over my second Fitbit Luxe, which I have had for exactly two months.
What I liked about my first Fitbit Luxe
Comfort: Fitness trackers are not about comfort. But let’s be honest. An uncomfortable or cumbersome tracker is likely to spend more time tucked away in my dresser drawer than on my wrist.
Small & Lightweight for Arthritis: This is back to comfort but worth mentioning separately. A co-worker let me try her Versa 3 which was just heavy enough to bother the arthritis in my wrists.
Style: This wouldn’t be my go-to accessory for a fancy date night, but I prefer the look of this tracker compared to others and I love that there are so many wrist bands available! You can make it look like fancy jewelry, a friendship bracelet, and so many other styles!
Freedom from the Phone: I have been using my phone to track my steps for years. But there are two problems. #1, I don’t like keeping my phone on me at all times. #2, It messes up my step count when I let somebody else borrow my phone.
Motivation to get “just a few more steps”: If I see that I am at 1,800 steps before I head out the door for work, I might walk up and down the driveway a couple of times to reach 2,000. And if at the end of the day I’m nearing 8,000, 9,000 or 10,000 steps, I am more likely to find a little more energy to take the dogs on a short walk so I can reach that big number.
Reminders to Get Up and Move: Did you know Fitbit can vibrate to remind you to get up and move every hour? (Up to 14 consecutive hours per day.) During my set time frame, any hours that I haven’t taken at least 250 steps my Fitbit will buzz 10 minutes before the hour is up. One more way that it motivates me to get in a few more steps.
Unexpected ways Fitbit teaches me about my body:
More Movement = More Energy & Less Pain: I knew this one in theory. But I didn’t realize that just 250 steps per hour was enough to keep me from getting tired and sore from sitting at my desk at work.
Resting Heart Rates Can Improve Faster Than I thought: When I got my fitbit, I was averaging about 3500 steps per day and my resting heartrate was about 80-83 beats per minute. This is within the normal adult range, but a lower heart rate implies more efficiency. 8 weeks later, I am averaging closer to 5500 steps per day and my resting heart rate is down to about 71-75 beats per minute.
Fitbit Tracks So Much: Did you know that Fitbit can also track your sleep patterns, breathing rate, heart rate variability, if your temperature is up or down, oxygen saturation, and more? (A lot of this stuff is tracked while you are sleeping. If you really need to accurately keep up with these things you will need separate devices.)
Readiness Scores, Am I Ready For The Day: Fitbit Premium’s app looks at the various things it tracks to give you a readiness score and warns if they think you need to take it easy or are ready for an acitve day. It even suggests how much of a workout you get. Of course, you should let your body tell you what you are really ready for.
A Place To Store Other Information: Fitbit Premium can also help keep up with your calorie and nutrient counts, blood glucose, weight, how much water you drank, stress management, and menstrual cycle. The watch does not detect these, but you can manually enter them or let it sync from other apps such as My Fitness Pal. They used to let you log your blood pressure too but that option appears to be gone.
Favorite Fitbit Accessories
Breathable Silicone Sports Bands
(Available on Amazon)
The soft band that came with my Fitbit looked nice and is comfortable. But sometimes you want something different. These breathable bands with a lace cutout pattern are available in a variety of colors, including pastels. The lace cutout makes a big difference in how hot and sweaty my wrists get when working out in the sun! (They still get hot and sweaty, but not near as bad.)
These particular bands claim to be for 5.6 – 7.1 inch wrists. My wrists get a little over 7.5 inches when swollen. It fits, but I wouldn’t recommend for anyone with bigger wrists than mine.
Screen Protectors for Fitbit Luxe
(Available on Amazon)
I don’t know how durable the fitbit luxe screen is without a protector, and I don’t want to find out the hard way. I chose colorful protectors to mix and match with my colorful bands 🙂
Next on my wish-list: A clip for my Fitbit Luxe
(Available on Amazon)
My fitbit does sometimes get knocked off when I walk our younger dog. (Still leash training, she will wrap around my hand and pull. Sometimes this works the buckle loose and it falls off.) I am considering this 3-pack of Fitbit Luxe Clips so I can track my steps while giving my pup the attention she needs.
What I do not like about my Fitbit Luxe and Fitbit Premium App
Other than the wristband getting hot and sweaty, I don’t really have much bad to say about the Fitbit Luxe itself.
The app, on the other hand, gives too much calorie credit for exercise. To be fair, I am out of shape and my heart rate does go up easier than it should when I get up and move. But there’s no way I earned an extra 1,300 calories on an 8,000 step day.
They say Fitbit is one of the most accurate trackers. I assume it will be able to give more accurate results as I improve my overall health and get closer to my ideal weight.
I should also warn that devices like this do not give 100% accurate step counts. I often get zero steps early in the morning since I tend to walk kind of gentle and it doesn’t always register on the accelerometer. On the flip side, sometimes it registers a few extra steps when I play with the dogs or ride in the car. Overall I assume it about balances out.
The important thing is that you can keep up with trends of if you are being more active and making positive lifestyle changes. And if you feel particularly good or particularly bad one day, you can look back at the history to see what you did different then ease your way into any new goals.
The Shocking Truth About My First Fitbit
The first fitbit I tried was a Versa 3. It was so big and clunky that it aggravated my arthritis. So I switched to the Luxe. I initially loved the look, the comfort, and how it motivated me to push a little harder toward a healthier lifestyle!
Within a month my first Fitbit became very uncomfortable and buggy. It kept freezing up, despite my following instructions to reboot and reset it. The steps were inaccurate. It stopped alerting me to get up and move every hour. And my fitbit kept shocking me! It didn’t really hurt, but it was unsettling.
1 month after buying my first Fitbit, I gave up and returned it to Amazon. Apparently I really liked having one, because I got myself another one for my birthday this year. 🙂 I am happy to report that it isn’t showing any of the problems of my last fitbit!