Are Fitbits worth your money?

Undoubtedly, Fitbit has developed to be an ideal workout companion for many individuals. It doesn't matter if you're purchasing the fitness tracker for losing weight, training for an occasion or simply want to embrace healthier choices; you're making an investment. Do your wallet a favour and ask yourself these questions before heading to the Fitbit store.

Spoiler Alert: Fitness trackers won't cause weight loss or healthier lifestyles. That is totally in your own control.

Do you exercise regularly?

As much as fitness trackers claim that you will feel accountable to yourself for exercising, it is not certain. Simply putting on a Fitbit will not suddenly give you the motivation to exercise. People have every excuse imaginable, from not having the right clothes to waiting till they have the right gadget, for justifying why they have not been working out. If you do not have the motivation to work towards your exercise goals without a Fitbit yet, buying one is not going to change it suddenly.

Will you wear it every day?

For the Fitbit to do its job, you have to wear it almost all the time. With the added feature of sleep monitoring, forgetting to wear your Fitbit during a walk or at night might mess up your steps and sleep readings. To keep up with the process, you have to install the free app to access all the information it collects. If you are not sure whether you can commit to these, maybe Fitbit is not for you. 

Do you enjoy numbers and competition?

I know, you have friends who are obsessed with hitting their 10,000 step daily goal. The harsh reality is that even so, there is no guarantee that those 10,000 steps will help you achieve your ideal health goals. For those who thrive on specifics such as calorie count and heart rate during every type of cardio, Fitbit is the ideal fitness tracker. The social factor of adding your friends and checking their step count compared to yours may just as well be the icing on the cake!

Would a simpler alternative do the job?

Before committing to buy a Fitbit, consider all the other alternatives that may just get the job done without burning a hole in your pocket. There are hundreds of fitness and pedometer apps to help your health goals. Nowadays, most smart watches have features similar to a Fitbit. Try to give them a test run for a few weeks. If you cannot commit to these alternatives, perhaps buying a new device will not change that. 

So, is Fitbit worth your money? More importantly, are you OK with remembering to charge another device regularly?

To answer the former, only you will know. Your greatest return on investment to your fitness is moving your body and being mindful of what you put into your mouth. There is no device that can be substituted for building healthy habits and gaining food awareness.