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There was a time when Fitbit ruled the fitness tracker category to the point people used the term “Fitbit” as a catch-all term. We’re even using it here. But if you’re searching for the best Fitbits for seniors today, you’ll realize that Fitbit watches are really just one of several brands we’re showcasing that make high-quality wearables offering far more than step trackers and heart rate monitors, etc.
The current generation of fitness trackers are not only more accurate than previous models, but they may actually help improve your health. At the very least, some studies indicate that fitness trackers can help increase daily activity. In fact, one research paper studied the effects of “consumer-based wearable activity trackers on physical activity.” The results? Researchers found that there “was a significant increase in daily step count” among fitness tracker users, which is great news when you consider that another study linked more activity to lower mortality rates: “Among older women, as few as approximately 4400 steps/d was significantly related to lower mortality rates compared with approximately 2700 steps/d.”
However, it’s important to note that while fitness trackers (and smartwatches) have improved, they are definitely not considered medical devices since they’re not evaluated and monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so they should not be relied on for diagnosing health factors. This is why the FDA issued an alert earlier this year warning of “risks related to using smartwatches or smart rings that claim to measure blood glucose levels (blood sugar) without piercing the skin.” Nevertheless, when used appropriately, fitness trackers do appear to offer health benefits for seniors. So, if you or someone you know are 65 years or older and looking to increase physical activity and monitor health metrics, here are several fitness trackers we recommend, including our best overall from Fitbit if you’re still dead set on one of those.
How we chose the best Fitbits for seniors
For nearly 20 years, I’ve written about a wide range of mobile consumer electronics products and IoT devices for consumers for various publications, including PCMag.com, Professional Artist magazine, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, Tom’s Guide, Artnews, and Popular Science, of course.
During that time, I heard countless complaints from seniors, who were concerned that it often seemed most manufacturers were only interested in designing and producing products targeted at teens and young adults. So, for this story, I tried to keep this group in mind by suggesting fitness trackers that would meet the needs of those 65 and older. Also, I looked at critical reviews and user recommendations and did a lot of research to narrow down our list. Additionally, I carefully considered several factors to find the best fitness trackers, including battery life, ease of use, feature sets, and versatility.
The best Fitbits for seniors: Reviews & Recommendations
Although many people have turned to using their smartwatches to track their health and fitness, some still want to use a dedicated device, such as a fitness tracker. The primary reason is perhaps the most pragmatic: Fitness trackers are simply more affordable than smartwatches, ranging from around $50 to $300. Most smartwatches cost around $450 or more. But fitness trackers offer other benefits. as well, including longer battery life and a simpler design. To that end, we recommend the following four options as the best activity trackers for seniors.
Best overall: Fitbit Charge 6
Fitbit
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Specs
Heart rate monitor: Yes
Built-in GPS: Yes
Battery life (according to brand): Up to 7 days
Display size: 1.4-inch display
Weight: 1.3 oz.
Pros
Long battery life (up to 7 days)
Built-in GPS
Vivid color AMOLED display
Packed with sensors and features
Easy to use and straightforward design
Cons
A bit pricey
Need premium subscription to get full access to data and insights
Needs a proprietary charger)
Although Fitbit is one of the most well-known fitness tracker makers, it hasn’t always produced top-tier models. So you might ask, is Fitbit still worth buying? Well, they hit it out of the park with the Fitbit Charge 6. For starters, it’s easy to use and comes with a sharp and vivid 1.4-inch touchscreen display, which offers a feature seniors will like: Tap the screen three times to magnify (and once to return to normal view). It’s also packed with a variety of sensors and allows you to track many activities, including running, biking, strength training, yoga, and more. And it also provides access to some useful apps that aren’t fitness- or health-related, such as Google Maps, Google Wallet, and YouTube Music. Also, it’s water-resistant to a depth of 164 feet.
So, can a Fitbit be used for the elderly? Absolutely. What seniors might like most about it, though, is its simple, straightforward design and helpful features. For instance, it includes a Workout Intensity Map feature: After exercising outdoors, the built-in GPS powers a workout intensity map in the Fitbit app, which allows you to see your pace and heart rate zones throughout your route and learn where you put in the most effort. Also, if you’re working out indoors, you can also hook up the Charge 6 to a variety of fitness equipment and see your heart rate on the equipment’s display.
It’s not flawless, though. For instance, you need a premium membership ($9.99/month) to get all the data. However, you do get six months of free access to that membership.
Best for ease of use: Garmin Vivosmart 5
Garmin
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Key Specifications
Heart rate monitor: Yes
Built-in GPS: No (GPS only active when connected to a phone)
Battery life (according to brand): Up to 7 days
Display size: 0.4 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 0.9 oz.
Pros
Clear, simple design
Very Good battery life (Up to 7 days)
Easy to use
Monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, breathing, and sleep
Cons
Display touchscreen is monochrome
No built-in GPS
Needs a proprietary charger
What’s nice about the Garmin Vivosmart 5 is that it’s lightweight and comfortable to wear. It has a variety of sensors, which allow you to monitor respiration, blood oxygen, body battery energy levels, stress, and heart rate. It also has built-in sports apps to track walking, running, yoga, cardio, and swimming. It also has very good battery life: According to the manufacturer, you get up to 7 days of battery life.
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 does have some drawbacks. Although the monochrome OLED touchscreen display is clear and works well, some might not like that it isn’t a color display. It also lacks built-in GPS, so you must have it connected to your phone. And like most fitness trackers, you must use its proprietary charger with the device. However, we think seniors will appreciate its simple, easy-to-use interface.
Best design: Garmin Vivomove Trend
Garmin
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Key Specifications
Heart rate monitor: Yes
Built-in GPS: No (GPS only active when connected to a phone)
Battery life (according to brand): Up to 5 days
Display size: 1.0 x 0.7 inches
Weight: 1.5 oz.
Pros
Stylish hybrid design
Good battery life (Up to 5 days)
Monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and sleep
Can also charge via a Qi-certified charging pad
Cons
Expensive
No built-in GPS
Needs a proprietary charger
One of the things that’s pretty noticeable right off the bat is that this fitness tracker initially looks like a traditional analog watch, meaning that it has two traditional hands—one for hours and one for minutes. But when you tap the watch’s surface (or raise your arm when wearing the watch), you can access a digital readout of various fitness data and other information. You can then swipe in various directions to access other info. It’s quite a stylish, clever hybrid design that combines traditional analog watch design elements with digital display technology.
Overall, it’s easy to use and has good battery life (up to 5 days). It comes with various sensors that allow you to track your heart rate, blood oxygen, stress level, and the ability to track your sleep. It also includes hydration and respiration tracking. Plus, you can use practical apps, like Garmin Pay, to make contactless payments.
It’s not perfect, though. It’s expensive, and it doesn’t have built-in GPS (unlike Garmin’s many recommendable hiking watches). Also, it’s still annoying that it comes with a proprietary charger to charge the watch battery, like most fitness trackers. But what’s nice is that you can also use a compatible, Qi-certified charging pad to charge the watch wirelessly.
Best budget: Amazfit Band 7
Amazfit
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Specs
Heart rate monitor: Yes
Built-in GPS: No (GPS only active when connected to a phone)
Battery life (according to brand): Up to 18 days
Display size: 1.5 inches
Weight: 1 oz.
Pros
Relatively inexpensive
Excellent battery life
Includes built-in Amazon Alexa
Monitors heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and sleep
Cons
No built-in GPS
Needs a proprietary charger
If you’re looking for a cheap fitness tracker, which means you’re OK with putting up with a few trade-offs, then you’ll probably want to look at the Amazfit Band 7. This fitness tracker has a very modest sticker price of just $44.99. However, you get quite a lot for that sticker price.
To begin, it has exceptional battery life—18 days—longer than many pricier models! The Amazfit Band 7 also has a bright, nicely designed 1.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display and comes with 120 sports-tracking modes, including running, cycling, yoga, swimming, and more. And since it can track swimming, it’s water-resistant to a depth of 164 feet. Additionally, it comes with three health indicators: heart rate, blood oxygen, stress level, plus the ability to track your sleep.
So, what are the trade-offs? One is that you charge it with a proprietary charger, which can be annoying and expensive if you lose it. It also lacks the built-in GPS feature, so you need to connect it to your smartphone to access that kind of data. (It does come with built-in Amazon Alexa technology, though.) Finally, it doesn’t win any awards for unique or clever design, although it more or less does the job. However, overall, this budget-priced fitness tracker offers a lot of value for seniors looking for a first-rate fitness tracker.
There are many things to consider when buying a fitness tracking, including how accurate it is and how much it costs. The following list, which might be useful for those of any age, has been designed to help those 65 and older find the right fitness tracker for their lifestyle and needs:
Cost and deciding to buy a fitness tracker (instead of a smartwatch)
The reason we combined cost and the decision of whether or not to buy a fitness tracker together is that they’re related: Fitness trackers, which range in price from $40 to $300, are less expensive than smartwatches, which can do many of the same tasks that fitness trackers do. So, your first decision is to determine if a fitness tracker is a better investment than a smartwatch. For many seniors, a fitness tracker might be more attractive. And as you might expect, inexpensive models generally offer fewer standout features. One more thing: Find out if your fitness tracker requires a premium subscription to access all the information, which is the case with Fitbit models.
Ease of use and simple design
All the recommended models in our story share two qualities: they were easy to use, from set up to using all the various modes, and had a simple, straightforward design. For seniors, both of these qualities are likely to be very important when looking for a fitness tracker. Of course, you’ll also want to check and see if the design itself is actually appealing to you.
Health and fitness goals
Another important factor is that you’ll want to consider exactly how you want to use your fitness tracker. For example, are you only interested in monitoring how many steps you walk each day? Or are you looking for a fitness tracker that keeps tabs on not only your activities, but also your heart rate, oxygen level, sleep, and more? Also, do you plan to use it when you go swimming? In this case, you want to check if it’s water-resistant. Fitness trackers that are more comprehensive and offer more features are also often more expensive.
Features and tech specs
It’s interesting to note that while fitness trackers aren’t very big, there are many factors to consider when buying one. These include the fitness tracker’s various features and technical specifications that might be important to you. For instance, how good is a particular model’s battery life? Is it water resistant? Does it have built-in GPS? What other sensor does it have, and does it track the activities you want to track—like heart rate, sleep, stress, and others? Some models even offer electrocardiogram monitoring. So, you’ll want to study the features and tech specs before you buy.
FAQs
Q: Are Fitbits and fitness trackers water-resistant? What does that term mean?
According to manufacturers, many Fitbits and fitness trackers are water-resistant to about 164 feet, which means they should hold up during various swimming activities and a very sweaty workout. (Ensure the Fitbit or fitness tracker’s wristband is water resistant.) It’s important to know, though, that some manufacturers, like Fitbit, note that “water resistance may diminish over time and can also be and can be negatively impacted by any of the following: Dropping the device, exposing the device to soaps, shampoos, conditioners, perfume, insect repellent, lotions, or sunscreen, and exposing the device to high-velocity water (for example, during water sports).”
Q: Is it worth it to buy a premium fitness tracker subscription, for example, like the one that costs $9.99 for the Fitbit Charge 6?
Although you can use a fitness tracker, like the Fitbit Charge 6, without a subscription, you might find access to additional features and insights important. For instance, the Fitbit Charge 6’s premium subscription offers additional workout content (which includes a library of audio and video workouts), mindfulness sessions (guided meditations to reduce stress and get a better night’s sleep), insights into your sleep patterns, a “daily readiness score,” which Fitbit says can help “you understand your body,” and other personalized recommendations. Fitness trackers from other brands also often offer such premium subscriptions.
Q: Why is built-in GPS an important feature on the Fitbit Charge 6?
What’s convenient about the built-in GPS feature on the Fitbit Charge 6 is that it can track your distance and route during outdoor workouts without carrying your phone. According to Fitbit’s website, it “provides detailed data on distance, pace, and route during outdoor workouts.” It can achieve this because the Fitbit Charge 6 is equipped with Dynamic GPS, which sets the GPS type at the start of the workout.
For instance, if you take your phone with you, it uses your phone’s GPS sensors to map your route. If your phone is nearby but not moving when you start the exercise, it uses built-in GPS. (However, you should know that according to Fitbit, “If the GPS signal is lost during the exercise, your tracker doesn’t switch to a different GPS type.”) The Charge 6’s built-in GPS uses built-in GPS sensors to track your route, pace, distance, and other stats, although this mode can reduce your tracker’s battery life. When using the phone’s GPS, the Charge 6 uses your phone’s GPS sensors to track your route, pace, distance, and other stats, which can also preserve battery life on the Charge 6.
Final thoughts on the best Fitbits for seniors
As I noted at the start of the story, there’s a lot of evidence that staying more active offers many health benefits for seniors. In many ways, the right fitness tracker can help you keep tabs on how active you are and how you might engage in more proactive physical activity. Something like the Fitbit Charge 6 can offer the best value because it’s packed with features that promote a lot of motivating force for the money.
