Recent Health and Beauty Care: 2014-12-14

Order Now - Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband

Never stop moving with Fitbit Flex. Wear this slim, stylish device all the time and get the motivation you need to get out and be more active. It tracks steps, distance, and calories burned and shows you how you're stacking up against your daily goals. At night, it tracks your sleep cycle, helps you learn how to sleep better, and wakes you silently in the morning. Access your stats anytime on your computer, tablet or from leading smartphones – both iPhone and Android. Flex is your perfect companion, it's with you everywhere...even in the shower. Plus, it looks good no matter what you're wearing.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What mobile devices are supported for syncing?

The Fitbit Flex can sync directly to select iOS and Android devices. IOS: iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, iPod Touch (5th gen.), iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad mini. Android: Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S4.

How do I charge my flex?

Your tracker battery lasts for about 5 days. To charge it, remove the tracker from the band and place it in the charger until all 5 lights are solid.

If you are having trouble, your tracker's charging contacts may be obstructed by microscopic dirt or debris that prevents them from making a good connection to the charger. Use hand sanitizer and a tissue or dampen a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol and carefully clean the charging contacts on your tracker. Do not submerge your tracker in water or use abrasive cleaners. Thoroughly dry your tracker before attempting to charge. Be sure to fully seat your tracker into the charger, with the charging contacts fully inserted into the charging cable enclosure.

How do I reset my tracker?

lf your tracker is not responding, it may be fixed by restarting.

1. Plug your charging cable into the USB port and insert your tracker into the charging cable.
2. Insert a paperclip into the small pinhole on the back of the charger.
3. Press on the pinhole for 3-4 seconds.

Your Flex will now be reset. Take your tracker out of the charger and insert it back into the wristband.

Can the wristband irritate my skin?

The Flex wristband is made of a flexible, durable elastomer material similar to that used in many sports watches. It does not contain latex. The clasp is made of surgical-grade stainless steel and contains traces of nickel. As with any type of jewelry, some people may experience allergies. Numerous factors can cause an allergy, such as a nickel sensitivity, reactions to bacteria that can accumulate in watch wristbands or other wearable devices, a reaction between the wristband and your soap or perspiration, or an allergy to the material of the wristband. If you notice any signs of skin irritation or experience any discomfort, please discontinue use.

Tracks steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes.
Monitor how long and well you sleep.
Wakes you (and not your partner) with a silent wake alarm.
LED lights show how your day is stacking up against your goal.
Slim, comfortable and easy to wear (sold with both large and small wristbands included).
Includes small and large wristbands.

SOME OF THE CUSTOMER REVIEWS ABOUT THIS HEALTH CARE PRODUCT [ SAMPLE ]

1) Well, if the the Flex WINS the 'Fight' over the Up, you'd better read this... - The Flex is pretty good - IF you understand its limitations. And it has a lot of them. This is a 1.0 version, the first wrist-based tracker Fitbit has produced. Since the positive reviewer claims the Flex clearly wins its 'fight' over the Jawbone Up, I strongly suggest you wait for the technology to be refined by Fitbit (and others) before spending $100 or more on this.

I also suggest that you tune out the 5-star "this is AWESOME!" reviewers. I've had the Flex for 6 months now (acquired at CES 2013, long before retail availability) and initially I too was impressed by the technology. However, with long-term use, I think its inaccuracies make it nothing more than a pedometer with sleep analysis added in (and the usefulness of the latter is dubious as well). The IDEA of it all is excellent: to track your activities and see your progress over time via the great software that Fitbit has developed. However, all of this is predicated on the device accurately tracking your movements. If it fails in that aspect - and unfortunately it does, to a moderate degree - then all of the data and impressive charts and graphs are rather useless. The "awesome!" reviewers don't realize this (yet) and just assume what they're seeing is real; it isn't.

The underlying technological problem, as I see it, is in the placement of the tracker. Up until now, Fitbit trackers were to be placed on the torso. Now, it must be placed on the wrist (yes, the tracker itself can be taken out of the wristband and put into your pocket but all of Fitbit's calibrations and algorithms are designed for that wrist placement and you are making the problem worse by not having it on your wrist). So, if your wrist movement is ANYTHING other than the usual movement of either running or walking, your step count/mileage is going to be off - often way, way off.

Fitbit markets the Flex as an "activity monitor", implying that it is capable of keeping stats on your physical activities. Well, because of the wrist location issue and the basic design structure of using two stride lengths for all calculations (your walking and running stride lengths), pretty much any activity that is NOT walking or running cannot be accurately monitored: the accelerometer senses whether you are walking or running and multiplies the appropriate stride length by the number of steps sensed (and arrives at a mileage distance). Any activity outside of that limited ability of the Flex, your stats are innacurate. This includes stair-climbing, hiking, tennis, golf, biking, working out, and pretty much every other "activity" that is not walking or running. The Flex is not really an "activity monitor"; it's an expensive pedometer (albeit one with "sleep analysis", which is actually only a record of how much wrist movement you had during the night: i.e., 2 hours of no movement = deep sleep, an hour of sporadic movement = restless sleep).

There are, however, aspects of the Flex that are quite good: it does accurately keep track of your walking and running, it does keep track of your sleeping patterns, and it also wakes you with a silent vibration on your wrist at the time you set to get up in the morning. And once out of bed and into the shower, there's no need to take the Flex off: it's almost completely waterproof (pressurized water being the exception). But the best, perhaps life-enhancing aspect of the Flex is its ability to keep you focused on your exercise goals (which is the main reason why, overall, I like the device and its software - to a point): if you DO consider it only a pedometer with cool software, which is what I consider it to be, you will not be disappointed (though the price may not seem worth it to others).

First, there's the 'onboard' function to keep you aware of your progress towards your daily goals (total distance traveled, number of steps taken, or calories burned): each light on the row of 5 small LED lights on the band represents 20% of your goal and a quick glance and a tap on the band will tell you how you're doing. Secondly, for the actual stats of your progress (or reviewing your daily, weekly or longer stats), you can view them in real time on your phone via the Fitbit App for iPhone and Android, or on your tablet or PC/Mac with the Fitbit 'Dashboard'. This is where you set your daily and longer-term goals, view not only your stats but see them represented in charts and graphs, and log other information such as weight, weight changes, and food consumed. You can go further, but personally I would feel a bit silly setting goals where I would receive 'badges' for reaching them. But that's just me. Overall though, the software is very good and keeps you aware - along with the band's LEDs - of whether or not you are staying on track of exercise goals. But, again, just keep in mind that the wrist placement of the device gives the Flex an inherent flaw as to the accuracy of all this data - UNLESS you are using it only to monitor and analyze walking and running stats, as I do.

If you're like me and the term "highly-motivated" (or "disciplined") and your name rarely appear in the same sentence, the Flex is a great help in that regard: it makes you keenly aware of whether you're succeeding or failing in your exercise regimen, which I find to be a great help in discipline and motivation. The Flex is a good motivator because you do not want to have today's exercise stats look inferior to yesterday's - or this week's less than last week's - or this month's less than last month's: you can graphically SEE all this on a color graph, your success or failure staring you right in the face. And who wants to stare at his or her failure or laziness? We want to see improvement, to see success. And, for me, this is why the Flex is a valuable tool: an ever-present motivator. I personally use it for running and I find that I really push myself to prevent the present week's stats (total mileage, etc.) from failing to outdo last week's. Seeing the charts and color graphs of several months of steady progress, there's a real feeling of accomplishment and a strong motivation to continue. It is this visual presentation of your exercise efforts that sets the Flex (and other Fitbit models) apart, in my opinion.

Is the Flex a miracle device that will accurately detail your every movement, every calorie burned, throughout your day? No, it's an accelerometer/pedometer based on your stride lengths and your wrist movement; there are many activities where it is impossible for such a device to determine steps, etc. Fitbit's marketing of the device was overblown, calling the Flex an "activity monitor/tracker", implying - to many - that all activities could be measured for steps/mileage/calories, which is not the case. Further, Fitbit should not be marketing it as a calorie monitor because an accelerometer alone (which is what the Flex is) cannot possibly count calories burned with any real accuracy.

So, overall, I would give the Flex barely 3 stars, based on the way it's marketed to the general public. It does fail to live up to many buyers' expectations (read the many 1- and 2-star raging reviews). The technology required to do what Fitbit infers the Flex can do - tracking and monitoring most physical activities - is probably a few years away. Someday there may be a Flex with integrated GPS, heart-rate monitor and an accurate altimeter: THEN we can expect steps/mileage/calories counts to be done for many more activities. For now, this Flex ("Flex 1.0") is basically a pedometer (with a few other features) and its accuracy is limited to a narrow range of activity. My personal needs happen to fall into that narrow range: I use it only for running and walking exercise and in analyzing, graphically, my fitness history and progress via the Dashboard, and it's a great motivational tool. For my personal needs, I'd probably have to give it close to 4 stars (but this would be misleading to the average Amazon buyer). Unless your personal needs are as narrow as mine, I would hold off on buying the Flex until improvements are made. You can duplicate this model's limited abilities with a decent pedometer and freeware/shareware to manually input and analyze the stats.

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UPDATE

There have been so many good questions about aspects of the Flex that I didn't cover originally that it's probably best that I expand the review:

LOCATION OF TRACKER: Early questions asked about whether or not you can wear the tracker outside of the band or with the band around your ankle, etc. (earlier Fitbits could be worn anywhere on the torso). It is only accurate on your wrist (or, rather, it is most accurate on your wrist, its overall accuracy pretty questionable).

ACCURACY OVERALL: For usual activities like walking and running, if you see inaccuracies in mileage or number of steps, probably your stride measurements are not like the average person for your height (which is what Fitbit uses for default strides, your height entered when you set up your account). In your account settings, you can change 'Stride Length' and 'Running Stride Length' in order to calibrate the accuracy. Ignore the reviewer who states that you can't calibrate the Flex: you can; all the tracker is doing is counting steps (and multiplying those steps for mileage amounts); since you can adjust your stride lengths, you can calibrate the Flex to your exact needs. The device has a walking step (stride) and a running step and counts them (and converts your steps to mileage). The only way to have accurate mileage is for the Flex to KNOW your two stride distances and to have the wrist tracker sense whether you're walking or running; if you mess with those dynamics (irregular steps, irregular wrist movement), you mess with accuracy, simple as that.

There is an additional tweak to minimize wrist movement inaccuracies: you CAN go into your dashboard settings and change the location of the wristband from 'dominate hand' to 'non-dominate', but I've found that this to be of little use: the Flex is only reliable when walking and running AND having normal wrist activity while doing so. Instances where one wrist is more active than the other are not likely to be in walking and running activities.

WATERPROOF: It is not entirely waterproof. You can wear it in the shower or along the surface of a pool. However, it's not rated to withstand water at depth - water where there's pressure.

STAIRS: Unlike its predecessors like the One, the Flex does not have an altimeter and therefore cannot count stairs climbed. From what I read, Fitbit did away with it because it was inherently inaccurate.

BANDS: The Flex comes with both a small and a large band. The large band goes from about 6 1/4" to 8 1/4" and the small, 5 1/2" to almost 7" and both are fully adjustable between those lengths. Putting on the band is difficult the first week or so - the rubber is a bit stiff - but then it becomes looser and easier to put on.

TREADMILLS: Your 'Running Stride Length' on a treadmill may be shorter than on the road (no forward momentum). See above about tweaking stride lengths.

HEART RATE: No, there is no heart rate monitor.

CALORIE COUNTS: The Flex really should NOT be marketed as a calorie-burning monitor. No device without a heart-rate monitor can accurately determine calorie burning. But when using the Flex to simply analyze a run or a long walk, it can 'ballpark' calories burned fairly well; expecting it to tell you how many calories you burned in the past 24 hours - not so much.

SUBSCRIPTION: For your normal account there is no additional charge for anything but for a 'Premium Account', which gives additional analysis and tips (such as a 'Fitbit Trainer' 12-week plan, more data analysis, a 'peer ranking', etc.), it is $49.95 per year. The Premium doesn't really seem worth it, to me, but then again it's only $4 a month or so for someone who wants to get more from the Flex.

SLEEP MODE: There are two options for sleep mode. One is automatic and does not require you to "tell" the Flex that you are going to sleep, like the Up and and other competing models; however, you do need to log your sleep hours on your dashboard; at the next sync your sleep data will be visible. Alternatively you can fast tap the band when going to bed and do the same when you wake up. Personally, I prefer the dashboard method as I would probably forget quite often to tap the band. The Flex determines amounts of restful vs. wakeful/restless sleep simply by wrist movement (i.e., no movement for 2 hours = restful sleep). The novelty of being able to analyze your sleep patterns soon wears off, at least in my case; the usefulness of the data seems questionable.

ANDROID COMPATIBILITY: You need Bluetooth 4 for real time syncing.

CHARGING: It takes about 2 hours to fully charge using the dedicated USB cord. The battery lasts about a week.

OVERALL OPINION: I still like this thing: it keeps me motivated by being able to compare walking and running stats over time via the software interface. Otherwise, it's no better than a decent pedometer (and triple the cost). Remember that this is the 1.0 version of the Flex, so enhanced capabilities may not be too far away. Perhaps the Flex 2.0 will be worth the list price if improvements are made but this 1.0 version may really not be worth it for most people. Read the many 1- and 2-star reviews (over 250 of them) as evidence of this.

By D. Graves TOP 1000 REVIEWER on April 16, 2013

2) I purchased three of these - Update 7/3/14 - Fitbit just came out with a new upgrade to the Fitbit app which adds some very cool GPS features and a bar code scanner in the Food Log. I'm adding details at the end of this review.

I bought 3 of these fitbit flex devices, one for myself, my husband and my sister. Before purchasing I researched several wristband devices such as the Jawbone UP, the Nike Fuel and and the Polar Loop. I also looked at the fitbit force which is a newer version of this band. The lack of water resistance on the force was a deal breaker for me. I wanted to be able to wear this band 24/7 and to be able to wear it in the shower or when swimming. That was part of what made it attractive to me. Also, after reading reviews about the clasp problems on the force and how many people lost them, I wanted no part of that. They are also quite a bit bigger and look clunckier. The wristband on the UP looked like it would catch on everything and had no display at all. The Polar had lots of quality problems. I wasn't crazy about the looks of the Nike. The display is nice and I can see how people would like them, but not my style. The fitbit flex, to my tastes, had the coolest look. I also know a couple of people who own the fitbit flex and they were very enthusiastic about them so that influenced me as well.

So here is what I like about the flex: I like the way it looks on my wrist. All of us got the slate color. You can also order bands in a few different colors, both here and on the Fitbit site. It is lightweight and even though I don't often wear a watch I don't notice this on my wrist at all. The clasp was VERY difficult to secure the first couple of times until the rubber softened up a bit and until I got the hang of it. I secured it off of my wrist a couple times when it was new. Making sure the band and clasps are lined up correctly and then placing one finger directly below the clasp and my thumb directly above and squeezing hard was the way to do it.

I like that it's water resistant and that I can wear it swimming or in the shower. It is safe down to 10 meters or around 30 feet. I like that the wristband is made of TPU rubber, which according to Wikipedia is a type of rubber used in automotive instrument panels, caster wheels, power tools, sporting goods, medical devices, drive belts, footwear, inflatable rafts, and a variety of extruded film, sheet and profile applications. I think it should hold up for a very long time. I like that the display on the band gives me a rough idea by tapping on it of my progress throughout the day. I can also check my progress on my iPhone 4S and see number of steps so far, calories burned,how many hours of sleep I got last night and how often I woke up or was restless. So far it seems very accurate. I can also track the foods I've eaten and the calories, my weight goals and weight lost, check on the weekly number of steps friend's with Fitbits have taken and compare them with my own.

I like that I can wear it 24/7 and only have to take it off to charge it once every 7 days. It takes about 3 hours to charge with a USB thingie that comes with it. I use a wall adapter to charge it but could also use a USB port on my desktop or laptop computer. I've lost too many pedometers in the past by dropping them out of my pockets or forgetting about them and sending them through the washing machine, so the wristband seems like a much better option for me. I also like that I can connect wirelessly with my smartphone and with the little dongle included that goes into my desktop or laptop, can connect with those wirelessly as well. Software downloads for all of these are free. I'm also able to connect on my first gen Kindle HD 8.9 although I can't see where it's shown as a supported device so far. But it works with the Android fitbit software in the app store.

The step measurements seem reasonably accurate. Waving my hand slowly won't register as a step. Waving wildly will. Driving in the car won't register but reaching around quickly in the car sometimes will. Typing on the computer or Kindle won't register. I've heard that swimming doesn't register either but you can input the time and activity on your phone or tablet. When I first got the flex I started the iPhone app and watched my steps register on my screen as I walked around the house. That, and watching my steps on the treadmill have shown it to be pretty accurate for me, although not perfect. I think that all pedometers have some inaccuracies. What I'm looking for is a comparative trend where I can tell how much exercise I'm getting. The accuracy is good enough for me.

So I wake up in the morning, tap the wristband quickly a few times to tell it I'm awake. Then if I tap it twice I see one tiny blinking light, telling me I'm working on my first 2,000 steps. Later, when I've hit that mark and tap to check again, I'll see one solid light and the second one blinking. There are 5 lights total and each represents 2,000 steps (or 20% of my goal. I could set it up differently on my computer, using a different number of steps as my daily goal if I wanted to.) So I can see my approximate progress any time during the day. When I hit my goal of 10,000 steps the band vibrates and all the lights flash. That means you done good!

I can set up to 8 silent vibrating alarms on this fltbit. I have one to wake me up on weekdays (you can specify which days) and one at 8:00 each night to remind me stop eating for the day. The vibration gets my attention and is effective at waking me up. I set the alarms on my computer or phone.

At night when I'm in bed and ready to go to sleep I tap the wristband rapidly a few times, it vibrates briefly, and goes into the sleep mode until I wake it again in the morning.

So am I happy that I purchased the Fitbits for myself and my family members? Yes I am. It motivates me to walk or run more. I can connect to other friends and family with Fitbits to see everyone's weekly step progress but what really motivates me is just competing against myself. I'll find myself parking in the back of the parking lots at stores to log those extra steps or walking around the store longer because it's a good way to add even more. When I haven't reached my goal at night, I'll sometimes walk around the house several times just to hit a number. Now that can't be all bad, can it?

Update 1/12/14 - I'll keep updating this review with comments and observations as I use this device. I noticed that walking at a rapid pace is counted as "active minutes". Someone on a message board suggested adding a touch of lotion to the clasp if you're having trouble getting it to clasp when it's new.

Update 1/16/14 - A full charge is lasting just a bit over 7 days. It takes about 3 hours to recharge it fully.

Update 1/21/14 - Some people have complained about this band coming undone and losing it. I haven't had any problems with it at all, even when pulling tight coat and shirt sleeves over it, brushing my arm against things or the dog pulling on it once or twice. (I'm sure the dog could have pulled it off if I didn't stop him.) The other day I had the dog's leash wrapped around the wrist with the Fitbit and even with the dog pulling against the leash the fitbit stayed on. We walked this way a couple of miles before I noticed it and unwrapped the leash from my wrist. But even with all that agitation my fitbit stayed put. It has stayed on through enough that I'm not very concerned about losing it. I've only taken it off to charge it. I have the band snug enough that I can only put one finger beneath the band but I can move it a couple of inches back and forth on my wrist.

Update 7/3/14 - A new update that works with iPhones that use the Fitbit app was released a few days ago. I've used it with my iPhone 4S and really like the new upgrade. It adds a whole new dimension to my Fitbit app. With the upgrade, I just click on the exercise icon on the dashboard which takes me to a new screen showing the days of the week that I've exercised. (Meaning a walk, run or hike, something in addition to the regular walking in my daily activities.) This screen shows exercise frequency by day of the week, it puts a check on the days that you do some planned exercise. If I click the little stopwatch in the upper right-hand corner, it takes me to a screen where I can click Walk, Run, or Hike. I go back and can then click Cues which takes me to another screen where I can select whether or not I want to hear spoken cues. I can also tell it which cues I want including: Distance, Time, Average Pace, Split Pace, and Calories Burned. Then I go back again an can select the frequency of the cues from every .5 miles to every 5 miles. Or, I can make the cues time based ranging from every 2 minutes, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 minutes. I can also select the volume of the cues. (Medium was perfect for me.) Then, back again to select a playlist from my iPhone's loaded tunes. Last, I allowed location services for Fitbit in my phone settings and I was ready to go. Now I see a big red circle with a Start arrow on the screen over a GPS map showing my location. I pop in my earphones, click Start and my music starts playing.

As I walk, I can see a screen showing how far I've walked, rate per mile, time elapsed. Every half mile a voice interrupts my music telling me how far I've gone and all the other things I've specified in Cues that I wanted to know. Then it goes back to playing my music until it's time for my next designated Cue. How cool is that? It works seamlessly. At the end of my walk I tell it I'm finished (or I could also pause it if I stop to talk to a neighbor or something). When I'm finished (or even during the walk or run) I can see a little red line showing my route on the map. The steps from my walk are added to my steps count, just as they always are. I love these new features. They add a lot to the Fitbit experience.

For those of you who track calories and foods eaten in the Fitbit app, the update now includes a bar code scanner. So far, the things I've scanned have been in their database. If you don't see the bar code symbol in the upper right-hand corner of the Log Food screen, log out of the Fitbit app and then log back in and it should be there.

Update 11/28/14 - If something happened to ithis Fitbit today, what would I replace it with? Another one just like it. If one of the new Fitbit models was interchangeable with it on a daily basis I might get one of those too, just because I like new technology. But this one would be my main fitness band. I would like having a watch built in, but then it would look kind of silly wearing a conventional watch on the other arm. And I have a lot of nice watches.

Update 12/12/14 - I just noticed today that the Fitbit Flex is the #1 Best Seller on Amazon this holiday season. It does seem like when I see people wearing fitness bracelets, this is the one they're most often wearing. A lot of the competitors have lowered prices significantly on their devices which is probably the best indicator of all. It's nice to know that I'm not the only Fitbit fan after wearing it for nearly a year. :)

By PT Cruiser TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on January 11, 2014

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