Staying active helps you maintain a healthy weight, boosts your circulation makes your skin glow and fills you with endorphins - the hormone produced by the body to relieve stress and pain. Even if, at the start, you may feel like you do not have the energy, physical movement will do you wonders. Exercising is a fantastic way to get out into nature, feel part of a community, and a means to make your mind and body stronger.
If you are looking to start your fitness journey or are looking for ways to stay motivated, then here are the best budget fitness trackers to help you keep track of your process and help to stay on course.
Exercise is especially beneficial for women over 50 as it helps fight against muscle loss - keeping you strong and improving your balance. Working out keeps your lungs and heart-healthy, lowering levels of harmful cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and helping your body stay responsive to insulin, which in turn reduces your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Whatever activity you prefer, from running, yoga, hikingor swimming- any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe a little harder makes a difference.
The best budget fitness trackers 2022
Best value (Editoru2019s Choice)
This fitness tracker watch is affordable, functional and looks great. Available in four different colours: pink, blue, black and white. This watch can record daily data such as steps, distance and calorie consumption. It can also detect your sleep quality - recording deep sleep, light sleep, sleep and awake time and be the ultimate workout partner with nine different exercise modes. It is also IP68 Waterproof, so you can wear it to swim and dive, but it can not track swimming data.
Key specifications:
1.3 inch display
Records daily data including sleep
Monitors heart rate
IP68 waterproof
Review: "I am very happy with this watch. It is simple to use, and I can check the app for my steps and sleep as well as on the watch. It's great to see the steps I do each day and my sleep pattern. Overall very happy with it."
The best fitness tracker for a bigger screen
Available in black, blue and pink, this fitness tracker is perfect for those who need a bigger screen (1.43"). It is also packed with great features such as a sleep tracker, 50 + sports modes, and a touch screen that is responsive and easy to use. If you would prefer a watch with a smaller screen we would recommend the Amazfit Bip S Lite Smart Watch.
Key specifications:
1.43" large colour touch screen
All-day activity tracking
9 day battery life
Stopwatch and countdown
Sleep tracking
50 watch faces
Heart rate and stress level monitoring
60+ sports modes
5ATM waterproof (up to 50m for ten minutes)
Review: "I think the tracking is pretty accurate. Had it a few days now and still do not need to charge it. The app appears to provide plenty of information. It was easy to pair and keep the watch and app up to date. I was worried the face would be too big on my small wrist but it's fine and comfortable."
The best fitness tracker for swimming and battery life
If your favourite physical activity is swimming, you will really benefit from this fitness tracker from HONOR. It can automatically detect swimming activity and has excellent battery life. You can also check your messages and control music as well as the fitness functions. If you are looking to upgrade, check out our review of the HONOR Band 6.
Key specifications:
All-day activity tracking
20 day battery life
Automatically detect swimming activity
Sleep tracking
Notifications
Music control
10 exercise modes
SpO2 blood oxygen monitor
Water-resistant up to 50m
Review: "This is a very good value and light-weight fitness tracker. The step count is a little generous. The heart rate tracker compares well to more accurate trackers. The screen is very nice. The main reason I bought it was to sync with my phone and notify me when I got messages and calls. It is not a smartwatch, don't expect to be able to read long messages or reply to them with it. It is very light. I like the sleep tracking features, and there's no pesky subscription fee to use them."
The best fitness tracker for small wrists
This fitness tracker is easy to set up, has a great functional display and accurately tracks your movements throughout the day. Some other features of the Xiaomi Mi band are taking calls, setting reminders, and looking sleek while doing it.
Key specifications:
All-day activity tracking
Sleep tracking
IP68 waterproof (depth of 1.5m underwater for up to thirty minutes)
Calorie tracker
12 exercise modes
Seven day battery life
Review: "I would strongly recommend this if all you want is a fitness tracker (like me). I have it synced to my Apple Health to see my week, month, and year data. I can add my yoga data into my Apple Health. They have a call and text notifications, but please don't expect it to be as good as a smartwatch."
The best premium all-round fitness tracker
One of the most popular names in thesmartwatch fitness tracker industry is Fitbit. This simple yet valuable device looks great on your wrist, can track your daily activities and is water-resistant. Just connect your device to the app and get tracking. If you are the type of person to try to beat your step record, you will love this one.
Key specifications:
All-day activity tracking
Sleep tracking
Notifications
Water-resistant up to 50m
Up to ten days battery life
Review: "I am a first time Fitbit user, and although I haven’t had it for long, I think it’s amazing! The app is so easy to use, and I was mind blown at the sleep tracking. Also, I can actually see my steps being tracked and looks pretty accurate. I have very narrow wrists, so I worried about the watch looking too clunky, but it isn’t at all. I also hate sleeping with anything on me, but this didn’t bother me in the slightest. I decided to try this Fitbit before spending all the money on a smartwatch I may never wear. Best decision! So far, I love it."
How to use and set up a fitness tracker
If you have decided on your ideal fitness tracker and are ready to start viewing your progress, you will need to know how to set the device up.
Start by charging your device entirely. Most fitness trackers will come with their own charger so all you need to do is plug it into your USB charger port in your laptop or to the mains.
Once the battery symbol appears then it is ready to set up. You can download the device's app to your smartphone.
When the app has been downloaded make an account and add in your metrics such as your height, weight and age. You will also need to set your preferences and fitness goals.
Lastly, once you have completed your profile, it is time to pair. The pairing process may vary depending on the brand. You will need to turn on your Bluetooth in your smartphone settings and follow on-screen instructions so that both devices will be linked.
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