Hether you’re looking to upgrade your exercise routine, improve your sleep schedule, or keep tabs on your health, investing in a fitness tracker can be very beneficial.
In fact, research has shown that regularly wearing a fitness tracker can help with weight loss and increase your motivation to move.
One small study observed that women, in particular, find wearable devices that offer challenges, leaderboards, information on general health, and notifications to be helpful and motivating.
However, with so many products on the market, finding a fitness tracker that meets your needs can be challenging.
Fortunately, plenty of high quality fitness trackers are available, including options for women of all ages and experience levels.
POLAR VENTAGE M
It includes over 130 sports to choose from and offers sport-specific feedback to help fine-tune your performance. Its battery life is up to 30 hours, and it has a waterproof rating of up to 98 feet (30 meters).
Additionally, it’s completely customizable and easy to switch up your style by simply swapping out your wristband. One potential downside of the Vantage M is that it doesn’t support music.
Amazfit Band 5 fitness trecker
The device keeps tabs on your heart rate, sleep quality, and blood oxygen saturation level. It’s also equipped with a crisp high definition display and long battery life of up to 15 days.
It even has 11 sport modes and stress management tools, which include breathing exercises.
Additionally, the device offers menstrual tracking and will alert you when you’re ovulating or about to start your period.
Amazfit Band 5 syncs with Alexa and can connect with your smartphone to alert you of new calls and texts, control your music, or send you reminders to keep moving throughout the day.
The Band 5 has a water rating of 5 ATM, which means it can withstand pressures equivalent to a depth of 164 feet (50 meters).
APPLE WATCH SERIES 6
The watch tracks your daily activity and offers a variety of exercise modes, including cycling, dance, and yoga. It has a waterproof rating of up to 164 feet (50 meters), so it can also be used in the pool.
Additional metrics tracked include heart rhythm, blood oxygen levels, and sleep cycles.
People who get periods will appreciate the option to enable menstrual tracking, which logs your menstrual cycle and fertile windows, as well as allows you to report any symptoms like cramps or fatigue.
Plus, it connects to your smartphone, allowing you to call, text, and stream music right from your wrist.
You can enable Apple Pay on your watch, which allows you to use your stored card wherever contactless payments are accepted.
One potential downside of this watch is that its battery life is only 18 hours, which may not make it ideal if you’re hoping to track your sleep rather than charge your watch overnight.
FITBIT SENSE
Just some of its offerings include sleep monitoring, stress management tools, and activity tracking with 20 built-in exercise modes.
Plus, it includes a built-in global positioning system (GPS) for keeping track of your pace and distance during outdoor activities like running, hiking, or cycling.
You can also manually track your menstrual cycle and log symptoms to more accurately predict the timing of your period and fertile window.
The Sense is also the first Fitbit to include both electrocardiogram and electrodermal scans for measuring your heart rate and stress levels, respectively.
Other exciting features include the ability to control music right from your wrist, sync with Fitbit Pay, and receive smartphone notifications, such as those for calls and texts.
The device is waterproof up to 164 feet (50 meters) and has a battery life of up to 6 days, though it only lasts closer to 12 hours with continuous GPS.
GARMIN FENIX 6s PRO
It provides detailed data on your run metrics, including your distance, time, pace, and cadence.
It also tracks your daily activity and estimates your VO2 max — the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise.
What’s more, the watch provides suggested running workouts based on your training performance for the week.
Another helpful feature for runners is the built-in GPS, which tracks your speed, distance, and elevation in real time.
The watch’s maps are clear and easy to read. There’s also a “back to start” feature that guides you back to your starting point, which is super helpful if you’re running somewhere new.
The Sense offers a battery life of 9 days with regular use and 25 hours with continuous GPS.
It also has a water rating of 10 ATM, which means it can withstand pressure equivalents up to 328 feet (100 meters). While you can take it swimming or snorkeling, the company doesn’t recommend wearing it for scuba diving.
Additional features include heart rate and sleep tracking, stress management tools, music apps, and more than 20 supported exercise activities.
Finally, solo runners will appreciate the Sense’s incident detection, which detects if you’ve fallen and sends an automated text to your designated emergency contact to let them know where you are.
GARMIN SWIM 2
It not only monitors your heart rate but also tracks your pace, stroke count, swimming efficiency, and distance.
There’s even an option to put it in “open water” mode, which uses GPS and tracks your performance while swimming in an ocean or river.
It likewise provides pacing alerts to help you stay on track and includes modes that are designed for both pool and open-water swimming.
Plus, the Garmin Swim 2 features smartphone notifications, fitness tracking, stress tracking, and built-in sports apps for other activities, including jogging and cycling.
The Garmin Swim 2 doesn’t support Garmin Pay, which may be a downside for some. It also lacks a built-in music player, though you can control music with it when you’re near your phone.
The Swim 2 is water-resistant up to 164 feet (50 meters), and it offers a battery life of up to 7 days with regular use, or 13 hours with continuous GPS.
SCOSCHE RHYTHM
The Scosche Rhythm+ easily syncs with most popular health apps, including Strava, and it’s compatible with any fitness device that uses Bluetooth or ANT+.
The armband is also sweatproof and waterproof up to 3 feet (1 meter) for high intensity workouts in any weather.
As it shouldn’t be used for swimming, those who are training for triathlons or prefer to get their cardio in by swimming laps should consider the brand’s Rhythm 24 model instead.
The Rhythm+ is charged using a USB cable, which is included with your purchase, and offers up to 24 hours of battery life.
OURA RING
Unlike others on this list, the Oura Ring is worn on your finger and easily doubles as a piece of jewelry.
Still, thanks to tiny sensors, the device collects detailed information about your activity and sleeping habits to help you manage your health.
Just some of the metrics measured include your resting heart rate, heart rate variability, body temperature, step count, and calories burned.
It’s also one of the best sleep trackers, as it’s comfortable to wear at night and collects data on your sleep quality, including the stages and duration of your sleep.
However, because it doesn’t include a screen, you can’t control music or receive smartphone notifications with the Oura Ring.
The Oura is also water-resistant and boasts a battery life of up to 7 days, making it a very practical product.
One thing to note is the sizing of the Oura Ring is different from standard U.S. ring sizes. Therefore, it’s important to take advantage of the sizing kit that comes with every order.
FITBIT CHARGE 5
However, the new and improved version has a built-in EDA Scan app for star mangnments which takes just 2 minutes and measures small electrical changes in your sweat.
Plus, using your heart rate variability, sleep, and recent activity level, the device provides a Daily Readiness score, which tells you whether your body is up for a high intensity workout or you need to take a break and opt for a yoga or meditation session instead.
The Charge 5 is designed with a wide, colorful display for viewing your stats throughout the day, and it’s available in three colors, including Black, Lunar White, and Steel Blue.
You can also enable Fitbit Pay, log your water and food intake, and receive alerts on your menstrual cycle, including your fertile windows and when your next period is expected.
Plus, the tracker has a built-in GPS, an ECG app, robust sleep tracking, and up to 7 days of battery life. It’s also waterproof up to 164 feet (50 meters).
SAMSUNG GEAR FIT 2 PRO
Water-resistant up to 164 feet (50 meters), this smartwatch is one of the few options on the market that provides continuous heart rate monitoring while you swim.
Swimmers will also appreciate the device’s automatic stroke recognition and pace monitoring.
Furthermore, the device provides valuable insights into your performance by calculating your SWOLF score — a measure of your efficiency that’s based on how long it takes you to swim a certain number of strokes.
While most users rave about the watch’s accuracy for swimmers, some complain that it’s not the best fit if you’re doing laps in pools smaller than 25 yards (22.9 meters).
The device is compatible with both Android and iOS smartphones and works well with fitness and nutrition apps like Map My Run and My Fitness Pal.
You can also receive text and phone notifications and reply with preset responses.
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro offers built-in music storage and GPS. However, as it doesn’t track the elevation or number of stairs climbed, it’s not the best option for hikers.
Similarly, some reviewers find the watch to be uncomfortable to wear while sleeping.
According to the company, the battery can last up to 15 days from a single charge, though that’s with minimal use.
