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I used to log a daily average of 7,000 steps on my wearable tracker pre-pandemic. Over 10,000 if I was running multiple errands.
Today, wearing a fitness tracker seems pointless, especially if you’re just staying at home, walking from your desk to the bathroom, to the living room, to the kitchen—logging a whopping 700 steps per day.
But it actually makes more sense to don a fitness tracker while at home.
It urges you to move
Leading wearable fitness tracker company Fitbit recently launched the newest member of its bestselling Charge family, the Charge 4.
And more than the usual steps counter and PurePulse 24/7 heart rate tracking system, which measures calorie burn throughout the day, the Charge 4 comes with the new Active Zone Minutes feature; the first device among Fitbit’s line of fitness trackers and smartwatches.
While counting steps and determining floors climbed offer a quick overview of your activity for the day—more steps means more active, right?—Active Zone Minutes “provides a more personalized measurement of how hard you worked during an energizing activity, beyond just steps.”
The metric is calculated using your age and resting heart rate. For reference, a normal resting heart rate for adult is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm); athletes may have lower resting heart rate close to 40 bpm.
According to health experts, lower heart rate is better because it means your heart muscle doesn’t work too much to keep a strong and steady rhythm. Exercising regularly lowers your resting heart rate.
Based on the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization guidelines, everyone’s default Active Zone Minute goal is 150 minutes per week or 22 minutes per day of moderate activity.
On-screen update lets you know if you’ve reached your goal, may it be the standard recommendation or a personal target you can customize in the Fitbit app.
Speaking of the Fitbit app, it now has a workout intensity map that provides a detailed breakdown of different heart rate zones during your GPS-enabled workout.
And speaking of GPS-enabled workout, Fitbit has finally built in GPS in its fitness trackers, the Charge 4 being the first. This means you can leave your phone at home when exercising outdoors, just select one of the six compatible workouts, wait for the GPS signal, and tap Start.
The Run Detect and Auto Pause options allow the device to automatically connect the GPS and record your workout once you start, for example, running, and pause when you stop for a water break.
During the exercise, Charge 4 shows your distance, pace, and time lapse on the screen. It will buzz once when you reach fat burn zone, twice indicates cardio zone, and thrice at peak zone.
But perhaps, the most obvious way Charge 4 and other Fitbit trackers help you stay active while stuck at home is their Reminders to Move hourly notification, which basically tells you to get up and move—ideally take 250 steps per hour. The reminder actually gets the job done, urging me to take a break and do a few laps around the house or get a glass of water in the kitchen.
For a monthly fee of P519, you can also access custom challenges (versus other Fitbit users), guided programs, and health and fitness content from various brands available in Fitbit Premium.
It helps you connect and disconnect
Overlapping boundaries between work and free time have led many homebound folks to become more glued than ever to their mobile phones, especially since they currently are our primary way to connect with others.
Charge 4 helps us take a phone break with its Notifications function for call, text, email, and calendar alerts, as well as Quick Reply feature—quite handy still, even if we’re not on-the-go. Swipe down on the clock face to view your notifications.
Meanwhile, the new Agenda feature on the device lets you access upcoming appointments, just sync your calendars to the tracker in the Fitbit app.