A Start In Getting Fit And Monitoring Fitness, With Samsung Gear Fit

If you are a regular reader here (and more so, if you're my instagram follower or Facebook friends), you would have noticed that I have recently gotten my hands on a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone and also a Samsung Gear Fit.

It's nice to have both and have something stylish, functional (I cannot live without my smartphone. HAHAHA) and also fit into my quest to keep and stay active.

Admittedly, the Samsung Gear Fit is kinda an entry level fitness tracker. It reminds me of my old Nike+ Sportsband which I had two of, when I first started entering road races.

Though unlike the Nike+ Sportband, which uses a footpod for tracking, Samsung Gear Fit does not need one and that made it so much easier to put on instead of needing to take out the footpod and transferring it to another shoe.

Another plus, I can check my record and history direct from my Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. The Samsung Gear Fit is synced to the smartphone via bluetooth and it is pretty seamless.

Anyways, I've been using it for a week now and happily tracking my total steps of the day with the pedometer and a few runs too.

The pedometer resets its reading automatically each day at midnight sharp so there's no need for any adjustment. Switch on the bluetooth if you want it to link to the Samsung Galaxy S5 phone (this is good, as when it's linked, you can get notification of incoming calls and SMS through the watch). I've remarked about it in my FB timeline before :

Check out the comments about it here.

But I'm straying from what I actually want to share... Always losing focus lah!

Pedometer function. Tap on the pedometer icon and you can view the day's total step, as you walk.

As you can see, it also shows how much calories we burn from our walks. ^^

The steps recorded daily, for the past 6 days. I aimed for a minimum of 10,000 steps. Didn't meet that target on Monday. Hurm...

There is a certain motivation to get as much steps as I can within the day while wearing this, that I admit.

and the individual record for each day. Date, distance, total steps and calories burnt all can be viewed from the Samsung Galaxy S5 itself.

Through this S Health app. I've posted about downloading the Gear Fit manager in an earlier post. Read it here.

I also took it out running.  When I went out for a run, I'd pause the pedometer function to stop the reading and choose running.

Choose exercise. Tap on the Running icon. Then press Start. Run.

Record of three runs. A really relaxed one on Sunday and slightly faster runs for the other two hence more calories burnt recorded.

and the details of one of the runs.

I have to say, just like my old Nike+ Sportband, there is a margin of error in its reading of the mileage. I think the error in reading is really quite prevalent in tracker using footpod or pedometer. Pretty much the same percentage of error as my calibrated Nike+ Sportband, 20% extra in reading of the mileage.

It would be better if Gear Fit has an option to calibrate the reading. (or can it? I just didn't know how?)

It also can read heart rate though I'm not sure how it compares to the heart rate monitor of my Timex. Unlike my my Timex Ironman GPS watch (you don't think I'd settle for anything dinky for my run, do you?)  that needs me to wear a heart rate monitor strap on my chest to record it, I can either use my Samsung Galaxy S5 phone - by placing my finger at the reader located under the smartphone's camera lens; or using the Samsung Gear Fit.

Reading with the Gear Fit. Of course, you must wear it lah... not hold the way I did. Wear and hold your hand still for the Gear Fit to take a reading.

100bpm after my night run on 29/9/14

Taking the heart rate with the Samsung Galaxy S5 using the S Health App. I kept getting messages to relax when I use this. I fidgeted a LOT! Muahaha

There's another cool function from the S Health App, which came with the Samsung Galaxy S5 and that's the calories counter. I don't really count calorie because well, I have no idea what the calories for each dishes I ate were but the S Health App can be quite helpful in giving some info :

this is where I can keep track of what I ate too. Just in case I want to refer to my meals intake lah... Can even record by snapping photos and storing it here for evidence. Way cool.

Checking calories is as easy as scrolling down this menu.

See?

I guess for Samsung Galaxy S5 or other compatible Samsung devices (some aren't compatible with the Gear Fit) users who wants to kickstart a fitness regime, the Gear Fit might just be the device to get you moving and motivated to get off our butt. It's not too techy to scare anyone away, for one.

I love it. Seriously. Has been a happy user for these past few days it despite its few shortcomings. It is still a good product all in all.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung Gear Fit are dust and weather (water) resistant and I even took it out for a test, while running in the wet BOH Highlands Run. Read about the race recap here.

I'd love to take it out for a run during the Standard Chartered KL Marathon, while I run the Full Marathon next week but we'll just have to see about it. ^^

Taking a break from updating mileage info on Dailymile, using Endomondo, Training Peaks at the moment to concentrate on this new baby. Hahaha