Recently PT Distinction integrated both MyZone and Fitbit. These tools help online personal trainers track their clients training intensity and lifestyle.
During the process I consistantly used both tools and did a fair bit of research on each.
To help you decide which is best for you and your clients here is a personal review of the two tracking tools.
I love MyZone, it's an incredible motivator when training. For personal trainers and online personal trainers it brings a new dimension to metabolic/ energy systems program design as well as showing you very accurately how hard your clients are working during training.
Note: During the period of use I was not doing anything different in my training than I had been doing previously.
Here are 3 threads on Fitbits forum with examples of much stronger side effects than lack of sleep. I feel it only right to bring these to your attention in order to aid your own research before recommending devices to your personal training clients:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Anybody-else-having-side-effects/td-p/1963436
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Blaze/Blaze-discomfort/td-p/1772775/page/2
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Charge-2/Headache-and-severe-dizziness-Charge-2/td-p/1648794
In the interest of fairness it's also very easy to find many great reviews of Fitbit and its many benefits.
In further interest of fairness I went searching for side effects of MyZone and found nothing. Of course MyZone is currently less widely used and may well control its media better than Fitbit but every report and review I found seems very positive towards the MyZone device and software.
I love the idea of Fitbit and as technology advances I think it could be a brilliant tool. However the possible side effects did bother me to the point my Fitbit has been left to run out of batteries and sits unused in the office.
The concept and idea is fantastic but for me it just isn't accurate enough to be a truly valuable tracking tool.
I think you can tell which my favourite tracking device is! With that said I would love to see a combination of the two. The accuracy and in workout ability of MyZone with the features of Fitbit and none of the side effects. A lot to ask but perhaps this is where things head in the future as technology improves and accurate tracking becomes easier.
For now I love MyZone and find huge motivation and joy from wearing it every time I train. I enjoy looking back at my training zones and it encourages me to improve every time. As a trainer of 11 years it also really helps to guide me on when best to change programs and progress exercises.
As I mentioned my Fitbit is currently not being used, I will however be watching their progression and future devices very closely because a lifestyle tracker like Fitbit that can be trusted in terms of accuracy and health could be a real game changer in the way people see daily movement, activity and sleep. As we all know, this would be a massive step forward in the growing battle against obesity in most developed countries around the world.
To see how MyZone and Fitbit integrate in to PT Distinction have a look at these articles and see the videos inside;
MyZone integration - Click here
Fitbit integration - Click here