Battle Of The (Fitness) Bands
Wearable tech has officially commandeered the health and fitness world like an overly enthusiastic Soul Cycle instructor. From calorie tracking to squat counting to green juice tallies, nearly every possible metric can be be measured on a range of devices. With so many products on the market and more on the way (we see you Apple Watch), simply finding the right piece for your lifestyle can be more exhausting than 50 burpees. Fortunately for you, we’ve distilled it down to the best of the best so you can focus on that girl on the treadmill.
Before you buy, a few general ideas to keep in mind…
1. Specify Your Needs
Be honest with yourself and think about what you really want to track and measure. The more specific your focus, the better chance you’ll find the right one for you.
2. Look and Feel
On that be honest with yourself tip, you don’t want to spend money on something that you won’t wear long term or isn’t comfortable. In order to get the most out of one of these products you’re going to have to have it on you a lot.
3. Sync or Swim
It’s best to invest in a band that syncs automatically so you can check your stats whenever you feel like it. Plugging in your USB cord right after you get back from that food coma-inducing lunch or whipping out your ipad at the CrossFit gym is definitely a drag.
4. Compatibility
Of course your band should be a good fit for your goals and lifestyle, but it should also be a good fit with your phone, tablet, or computer. Not all of these bands work with every device, so be sure your device is on the list!
And now...the winners…
Best Overall Fitness Band
The Fitbit One is our overall champion. Excellent in both form and function, this well-designed rig has pretty much every feature a man needs. Compatible with iOS, Android, Windows and a slew of apps that you may already be using like My Fitness Pal or Lose It!, you can seamlessly integrate your existing routine to this tech without breaking a sweat. Retailing at $100, you’ll be as motivated as ever to start tracking just about everything.
Best Band For The Busy Man
For the man who is low on free time and cares about most about efficiency, the Misfit Wearables Shine is for you. While it won’t track the minutia and detail that some other bands do, this band is a great if you want to track your daily activity and calories burned simply whilst going about your day. The icing on the kale cake? The battery life is 120 days, so your excuse about a lack of charge goes right out the window. The price is nice too, just $75 for this bad boy.
Best Band For Your Buck
Feature-rich and clocking in at just $91, the Jawbone Up24 is an incredible value. It has just about every feature that you could dream up as well as unique sleep tracking metrics and innovative elements not found in other bands. One of our favorite features is the Smart Alarm that silently wakes you up at the optimal moment in your sleep cycle. Need some motivation for that 6 am wakeup call? The “Today I Will” feature serves as your personal coach that will push you with customized challenges based on your stats.
Best Band For The Gym Rat
If you don’t leave the house in the morning without a carefully prepared meal and a protein shake then the Withings Pulse is your band (or clip if you’re not into the wristwear). Made for the guy who spends mornings and quite possibly some evenings in the gym, you’ll enjoy features like a built-in heart rate sensor, blood oxygen level reading and sleep reports, all of which will give you a good overall picture of your fitness levels. For that extra push, harness your competitive spirit and gamify your wellness by challenging your friends and family members to keep you motivated! At right around $100 this is the perfect investment for the regular gym-goer.
Before the robots become self-aware and kill us all, make some tech work for you. A fitness band is an outstanding way to maximize every step, push up, meal, and hour of sleep in your routine.