I’ve been wearing my Fitbit Charge HR for almost a month now (a gift from my kids for birthday/Mother’s Day) and I have to say I love it! I especially enjoy that it monitors heart rate along with steps and sleep. Suddenly I have a much better picture of what is going on with my body and my health.
In these past four weeks I’ve learned:
- I don’t start the day tired when I sleep at least eight hours. (That’s sleep time, not restless or awake time in the middle of the night. I love that I can track those times now. Even if it isn’t perfect in this regard, it helps give me a better picture of what is really going on in the night.)
- I need to pay attention to my steps each day or I can tend to be too sedentary. (This is especially true on days I have to miss my regular workout for one reason or another.)
- I don’t have to work out as hard as I thought for my heart to stay in fat-burning or cardio zones. (Probably because I’m getting older. And doing a less intense (on the outside) workout seems to be better than the one where my heart rate stays in the peak zone for too long.)
- I drink more water when I track my consumption during the day. (It’s kind of that same thrill I get from marking things off my to do list.)
- Competition is healthy for me. (I can “friend” other Fitbit wearers and see how our 7 day step totals compare. Since I don’t like to see my name at the bottom of that list, I keep finding ways to walk!)
Overall, the only thing I would change on the Fitbit concerns its app/dashboard. 
Fitbit’s database of food for calorie counting falls far short of the Lose It! app’s listings, especially when it comes to food from well-known grocery stores or restaurants. But I haven’t yet decided if it’s worth it to the pay the yearly fee to connect the two. We’ll see.
I never imagined how much more in tune with my body and my health I’d feel by wearing the band. And I have really loved the added bonus of connecting it to my phone and getting a buzz on my wrist (and a scrolling of the contact name or phone number) when I get a call. Now I don’t worry I’ll miss a call when my phone is buried in my purse!