In just two weeks I’ve fallen in love with my Fitbit Charge 2 fitness tracker.
I wasn’t expecting to enjoy using it as much as I have but the benefits have made it an indispensable part of my fitness and health journey.
The Charge 2 is designed for anyone who actively wants to lose weight or improve their fitness. If you have ever used a pedometer you’re in for a surprise – a fitness tracker is one hundred times better and more useful. To get the maximum usage out of your fitness tracker you’ll want to work out your personal goals and incorporate a change in your habits (diet and/or fitness) to supplement your tracking.
Fitbit Charge 2 Design
I love the look of the new Charge as it looks more like a watch replacement. The band is easy to clean, interchangeable, and comes in black, blue, plum, or teal. I’d love to upgrade to a premium leather accessory band in blush pink, brown, and indigo. There is a special edition series in gunmetal and rose gold coming soon.
Setup and help
The set-up instructions in the box are a little ambiguous and entering my birthday was tedious. However, once I synced my Fitbit with my mobile phone the instructions in the Fitbit app were super easy to follow. After you have bought your tracker head to the Fitbit website to watch the how-to videos under the help menu. The support pages are well-designed and helpful.
Fitbit Charge 2 Features
Fitbit has reimagined the Fitbit Charge HR, its most popular fitness wristband, with some great features. This new model boasts a screen size that is four times larger making usability a dream. The battery life is reasonably good and lasts nearly a week before it needs charging by USB.
The trackers work with a 3-axis accelerometer which is used to track movement. The detection of floors is measured by an altimeter. The PurePulse software offers automatic, continuous wrist-based tracking for all-day health insights and workout intensity. I like the reminder to move every hour because I can sit for hours at my computer and you might have heard of the saying “sitting is the new smoking”.
The sleep tracking is conveniently automatic and I was surprised I liked this feature as I didn’t think I would gain any benefit from it but I can see how walking encourages me to have a good night of sleep without restless moments. I’m still getting the hang of the guided breathing sessions – these are two to five minutes of real-time heart rate visualizations, animations, and vibrational clues. You can track your specific workouts like runs, bike rides, weights, yoga, and more which you can then view as detailed reports in the Fitbit app.
My favourite part of having a fitness tracker are looking at the weekly statistics on a computer – you can see graphs and scores for the total number of steps, total distance, total floors climbed, total calories burned, weight change and average sleep duration.
The tracker is designed to be paired with your mobile phone where you can see a simplified version of the reporting using an app.
Review
I recommend subscribing to the premium account where you’ll be able to see Fitbit community benchmarks, food reports, activity reports, sleep reports, and a personalized 12-week fitness plan for AUS$59.99 per year.
There are only a few things I’d like to see if future versions – being able to turn off the wrist quick view at night time, Australian-based fitness challenges (virtual walking around Uluru anyone?), and the ability to measure heart rate variability.
Price and Availability
The Fitbit Charge 2 is available for US$249.95 in major Australian retailers including Harvey Norman, JB Hi-fi, Officeworks, and Rebel Sport.
About Fitbit, Inc. (NYSE: FIT)
Fitbit helps people lead healthier, more active lives by empowering them with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals. As the leader in the connected health and fitness category, Fitbit designs products and experiences that track everyday health and fitness. Fitbit’s diverse line of award-winning products includes Fitbit Surge®, Fitbit Blaze™, Fitbit Charge 2™, Fitbit Charge HR™, Alta™, Fitbit Charge™, Fitbit Flex 2™, Fitbit Flex®, Fitbit One® and Fitbit Zip® activity trackers, as well as the Aria® Wi-Fi Smart Scale. Fitbit products are carried in 54,000 retail stores and in 64 countries around the globe. Fitbit Group Health uses the power of the Fitbit activity trackers, software, and services to deliver innovative solutions for corporate wellness, weight management, insurance and clinical research.
