Since my latest career transition I’ve realized just how much wellness is a part of work life. My health and wellness practices have changed significantly since my transition to my current role at TGR Foundation - A Tiger Woods Charity (TGRF). The organization’s holistic approach to education expands to the company culture and employees. Most organizations offer insurance benefits, but in addition to great dental and health insurance, I have been greatly impacted from the initiatives organized and executed by the TGRF Wellness Committee and my health-conscious co-workers who motivate me consistently.
The TGR Foundation Wellness Committee organized an optional Barre Class to kick off the summer fitness in 2019.
In my first year on staff I participated in my first Step Challenge and learned of the “10K a day” rule. I did more research and later began making it a part of my lifestyle. Investing in a fitness tracker was a big part of my research. I decided on a FitBit Alta HR, and I love it!
Shortly after COVID-19 caused a shift into full-time remote working, the committee organized another much-needed step challenge. This year averaging 10K steps a day wasn’t the challenge. My goal was moving at all during the work day. The first few weeks were extremely stressful and challenging for me in many areas. I was working non-stop and sitting at my kitchen table for hours checking tasks off of my to-do list. When the challenge started my biggest goal was to move more during work hours and get back to a minimum average of four hours of movement during the eight-hour workday. I was also gifted an Apple Watch, which supports health and wellness goals. Today I decided to share a comparison on my favorite features and which I would recommend if I had to choose again. Although the Fitbit Alta is no longer available and has been replaced with the Fitbit Inspire there aren’t many new features worth an upgrade for me right now.
Fitness
I’m starting with fitness because it’s the original reason I wanted a tracker or smart watch. My most important fitness goals are movement, cardio and flexibility. I’m not as concerned with strength training and weight loss/management. I strive to average 10K steps daily, stretch my body regularly and complete 30 minutes of cardio three times per week. For a side-by-side comparison I wore both watches for three-days consecutively. Here’s what I found.
The Apple Watch makes you work harder for steps and calories. My stats were always significantly lower on the Apple Watch. When wearing my Fitbit I can watch my steps being counted in real-time whether I’m wearing the watch or tracking through the app on my phone.
While both send notifications to remind me to move, the Fitbit encourages 250 steps at minimum, which helps toward one of my top three goals to reach my daily 10K steps. The Apple Watch encourages and tracks the hours that you stand for at least one minute and rewards you with a digital congratulations and closed stand ring when you reach 12 hours.
Another favorable fitness element of the Fitbit is it’s breakdown of your exercises. It shows how much time is spent at each level of a workout, categorized by activity below average heart rate, at fat-burning, cardio and peak levels. This helps me when I try a new workout that doesn’t allow me reach my 30 minute cardio goal and lets me know if it's worth saving or if I should repeat or add to it. The Apple Watch is limited to the duration of a workout and how many calories are burned, which can also be found on the Fitbit.
Although I have both, I wear my Fitbit all day every day and my Apple Watch when I’m leaving my apartment. Here are some of my favorite features, pros and cons.
Apple Watch
Wearing my phone on my wrist makes life so much easier when I’m on the go. My favorite and most-used features outside of the ability to access and make calls and text messages, in addition to internet usage are the Shopping List, Media and GPS functions.
Shopping List
I use this feature the most because I am a “list person.” It’s one of my favorites because of its convenience. If I get halfway or to a quarter away from empty for any food items or household essentials, I tell Siri add it to my shopping list and don’t have to forget or think about what I need on my trips to the store. Every time I access the list while shopping it makes me happy - as many of the small and simple things in life do. :)
Fitbit
The Fitbit App is a one-stop shop unlike the Apple Watch, in which you have to download several different apps for all your needs. My favorite features outside of those related to exercise and steps include water tracking, the Fitbit Community and the Fitbit Blog.
Water Tracking
A cold, icy bottle of H20 is my drink of choice on a daily basis, but I realized through a different work challenge that while water is all that I drink on most days, I’m still not drinking enough of it. I’ve tried to get four bottles daily for a while, but I just recently started tracking it in the app. It’s rewarding to see how much water I’ve consumed at the end of the day or week and it makes it much easier to enjoy a margarita or sweet tea when I want one.
Blog
As a blogger and blog-lover I enjoy seeing articles written by licensed and experienced health professionals. It also justifies my goals and helps me to keep up with new trends and best practices in relation to health and wellness. I recently read an article about the benefits and practice of intuitive eating. While I don’t think it’s a good fit for me, it was very interesting. Sometimes a blog will pop up in the app and I’ll go down a spiral reading 5-6 other posts.
Media
I don’t have wireless headphones yet, but I love the ability to access podcasts or music without my phone nearby. It also makes it easy to insert photos into messages, if necessary.
GPS
Although I prefer to use my phone while driving, the GPS feature is perfect for the times I get lost on my strolls through the neighborhood. The alerts are annoying on my phone and consistent with the watch.
Fitbit Community
We were made to do life in community, and my #FitbitFriends often motivate me without knowing it. Through the app you can view others progress toward their fitness goals and find inspiration to be active, whether it’s getting 10K steps, moving 12 hours in a day or losing 90 lbs. You can share updates, cheer on or add comments to celebrate others. I loved seeing the posts shared below and celebrating with the members of the Fitbit Community.
Cost
When I purchased my Fitbit Alta HR it was on sale at a $50 discount bringing it to $100. That price is consistent with it’s replacement, the Fitbit Inspire HR which sells at $99.95. So the price has dropped by $50 over the last two years. The Fitbit Versa, which is more comparable to the Apple Watch sells at $199.95 - $229.95, depending on the watch you choose. The Apple Watch could be more expensive depending on the series and material. I have the Series 3 with GPS+ Cellular. Without the cellular connection, it is comparable to the Fitbit Alta at $199.95, but with the added cellular capabilities it now starts at $299.
One thing you should consider is that if you choose the cellular option the watch will cost you an $120 annually above the initial $200 you spend at the time of purchase. Your wireless carrier will charge an additional $10 per month (or more) for the ability to make calls, send text messages and access the internet through your watch.
Lastly if you plan to use the cellular options, you will also want to invest in wireless headphones, which is another expense for both the Fitbit Smartwatch and the Apple Watch.
Battery Life
Another benefit of Fitbit trackers and watches is the battery life which all last four or more days. I usually charge my Fitbit once per week. I try to remember to charge my Apple Watch and turn it off after I ‘ve worn it so it’s ready to go when I am. The Apple Watch battery can last up to 18 hours.
Water Resistance
Although I don’t and wouldn’t wear my watch to shower or swim, which I can’t do anyway, the Apple Watch and Fitbit trackers and watches are water resistant up to 50 meters.
Style
The material for my Fitbit Alta and Apple Watch are similar, but I don’t like the width of the Apple Watch band. The Fitbit’s band doesn’t lay on the wrist as flat as the Apple Watch, but my love for all things feminine makes the Fitbit more favorable to me as it can blend better with bracelets.
There are so many things to love about each brand and product, but these are some of my favorites. Because of my fitness goals and the features of each respectively if I lost both, I would likely opt for a FitBit. I’m blessed and happy that I don’t have to choose! :) If you are and you decide on Apple or Fitbit both brands offer comparisons of their products on each respective website. Do you have a Fitbit or Apple Watch? What’s your favorite product or features? Share below.
(Virtual) Hugs & Handshakes,
Jasmine C. Tate