The best fitness trackers for 2021

Regardless of how you move, fitness trackers can be a great way to help you stay – or stay – in shape without the volume and extra cost of a complete smartwatch. The best fitness trackers hold you accountable for your physical activity and now include additional health features like sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring and more. Your fitness monitoring data is shared with an app to provide a broader view of your overall fitness.

There are dozens of fitness trackers to choose from (many of which we haven’t tested yet), but we’ve put together five of the best choices of fitness trackers based on price, shape and function. Many of them require you to use a mobile app to monitor your progress and set up smart notifications to help you reach your goal. Regardless of your fitness level and the types of physical activity you like, this list can help you start your search for a wearable device that monitors your activity and helps you reach peak fitness. However, it goes without saying that not even the most advanced tracker will do the job for you.

So, if you’re looking for the best fitness tracker out there, keep reading! And tell us if your favorite has been left out of the list; we will be testing others in the future.

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If you’re looking for a fitness tracker that behaves a lot like a smartwatch without the extra bulk, the Fitbit Charge 4 can be the perfect fit. It checks every box when it comes to health and fitness features and goes beyond the basics with things like heart rate zone notifications during exercise and advanced sleep tracking metrics. It also has an integrated GPS for tracking outdoor workouts regardless of your phone. If you want to keep track of your data, you want to download the Fitbit app, which does a great job of separating how much progress you’ve made and how close you are to reaching your fitness goal. This fitness monitoring device can also facilitate mobile payments and the option to respond to texts and messages if you are an Android user. Read our review of Fitbit Charge 4.

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If you’re looking for an even more discreet (and more affordable) fitness track, you can also consider Fitbit Inspire 2. You won’t get integrated GPS or mobile payment options, but you have the essentials when it comes to health and fitness including heart rate tracking, automatic exercise detection and a detailed analysis of the sleep tracker with Fitbit Premium (free for one year with purchase).

It is also the closest thing to canvas jewelry I have used so far. If you want to decorate it, your silicone sports bracelets can be easily exchanged for a leather strap or stainless steel mesh (sold separately). But the biggest advantage: battery life. You can go up to 10 days on a charge, while Charge 4 ends in about five days if you turn off the GPS. Read our first take on Fitbit Inspire 2.

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For less than $ 40, the Mi Band 4 is the best value fitness tracker you can buy. This fitness watch brings together most of the features you would get from a more expensive fitness tracker, such as an AMOLED touchscreen that is easy to see in sunlight, heart rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and monitoring of sleep. The battery life is also second to none, as you will have about two and a half weeks of use before you need to charge it. The only thing this inexpensive fitness tracker misses is the variety of exercises; This Xiaomi Mi Band can only detect running, walking, cycling or swimming, so any other workout like Pilates or yoga would need to be monitored under the generic type of “exercise”. Read more about the Xiomi Mi Band 4.

I know what you are thinking: this is not a tracker. But even if you take all the features out of the smartwatch, the Apple Watch will still remain a standalone fitness tracker. And the cheapest 3 Series has everything you need. In addition to keeping track of your health and activity like the rest of the trackers on this list, it also gives you access to dozens of fitness apps, ranging from running coaches to strength training routines, to guide you through your workouts. . Read our review of the Apple Watch Series 3.

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The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for medical or health advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.

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