There are so many tracking devices out there and I’ve been on the fence about getting one for a long time. I love my Green Garmin for running (x-country skiing too) but that’s all it does AND I am thankful for that. It tracks my kilometers and my times. It’s what I wanted to help move my running to the next level last year and that it did!

At some point, I want to upgrade my Garmin but just waiting until my first one bites the dust and I can save the money for the one I really want.

Enter tracking device #2: The Fitbit Flex.

Before Christmas I was kinda thinking about getting a FitBit; my main reason – SLEEP. I wanted to track how much sleep I was actually getting. Let’s be honest, with a 2-year-old and 4.5 year old, I can be up a few times in the night for whatever reason.

So on Boxing day, I bought one. It was on sale and tax-free – that kinda made the purchase that much better. I’ve worn my FitBit Flex every day except when charging it.

{Please note: these are my opinions. I was not asked to do a review, I was not provided with product. I’m simple writing my blog post on something I use daily}

What I like about the Fitbit Flex:

• It’s comfortable (you kinda forget it’s there)
• Easy to wear
• It makes me accountable to getting my 10,000 daily step goal
• Gets me moving a little more through the day as opposed to sitting too much
• Notify’s you when you hit your goal
• There are daily, weekly and goal challenges you can do in groups
• There are community groups you can join (create as well)
• There online support helps you out.
• There are days when I walk/run around my house to get my daily steps in (10,000)

What I don’t like:

• My first dongle didn’t work properly (they replaced it) and then the second one didn’t work very well right away. It now works fine.
• The sleep function doesn’t always work – WHICH IS THE WHOLE POINT OF ME GETTING IT. Seriously! It doesn’t sync with my tablet (the sleep function) and sometimes NEVER syncs when I update it from my computer. SUPER ANNOYING!
• There is NO education piece attached to it. What do I mean by this? They could have taken the opportunity to educated people on how many steps per day is recommended for health benefits (10,000 in case you didn’t know) and get people working towards that goal. Fitbit is also a business and I believe the are more focused on making a profit (I get that) then properly educating those that buy their devices.
• It still doesn’t always sync.
• It doesn’t work with a Blackberry – so frustrating. I can only updated it when I am home since I don’t have an IPhone or Android device (phone).
• Their online support don’t always reply. The second time I contacted them, they failed to reply but magically my Fitbit Flex started working again really well a few days later!
• I’ve had my tracker vibrate to tell me I’ve hit my daily goal (10,000 steps) when folding the laundry and doing dishes – ummm….really? That’s weird because I wasn’t moving my feet. Well, sometimes I dance around when doing the laundry – um, yeah no. I was sitting on the ground and it vibrated to tell me I hit 10,000 steps.

What would I do differently?

• I’d buy the next one up (FitBit Charge). I don’t like wearing my watch and Fitbit at the same time – super bulky and annoying. I’d like the automatic sleep sensor rather than turning in on and off (which doesn’t always for me with the Fitbit Flex).
• It would be great if it was compatible with a Blackberry operating system. It connects to my Samsung tablet which is great but I can’t take that everywhere in order for my Fitbit to sync and update throughout the day.
• Possibly not purchase one at all and save my money for the next Garmin I want and only use it for running…forget sleep. I probably will never get a full nights sleep for at least 15-20 years 😉

Don’t get me wrong, I purchased it. But, I purchased it thinking it was the right device for what I wanted at the time AND the price was right. I’m happy I have one but I think I’m more frustrated with it then I actually enjoy it.

Do you have a tracking device?

Love it or hate it?

Which one do you recommend and WHY?

Again, {Please note: these are my opinions. I was not asked to do a review, I was not provided with product. I’m simple writing my blog post on something I use daily}.