One of the questions I'm asked often is "Should I use a fitbit/activity tracker?

These devices have soared in popularity, and will only get bigger.

People love to have the next best thing. Nothing wrong with that.

But are fitness trackers, like the fitbit, effective or a waste of money?

Benefits of Fitbit/Activity Tracker

Numbers can be motivating. The Fitbit and other activity trackers do this well.

Track the number of steps you take per day/per week. See how many miles walked, calories burned, check your sleep.

This can be a great way to adjust where needed. If you think you're walking a lot but find you're way lower than the recommended steps, you can make changes.

You can also compete against friends/family/co-workers and see their stats and have challenges. Who can sleep more?  Sign me up for that one! Who doesn't like sleep?!

What's the Difference Between Fitbit/Other Activity Tracker?

Honestly, I don't know. I haven't used any of the other ones. There are a bunch of activity trackers on the market.

I've heard some good, some bad about each.

In my opinion, do a little research. Find a few reviews online and make a choice.

This post isn't a review of all the fitness trackers out there but I want to address the question since I'm often asked.

Tracking Your Workouts and Nutrition WORKS

I'm a big fan of tracking. Writing down your workouts. (or using an app) Also tracking your nutrition. To make progress you need to see what is working and what isn't.

I am old-school. Pen and paper for me.

Usually I just keep track of my workouts but if I'm trying to cut fat OR build size I will track nutrition also.

In my experience most of us don't remember what we did earlier this week. We don't know how many sets we did on Monday or how many pieces of bread we ate on the weekend.

If you aren't making progress and you aren't tracking, then you should start there.

Having a Fitbit or other activity tracker helps you do that.

Curious about how many steps you should take per day?

I wrote a post about it. HERE IT IS