Whether you’re looking for a stylish watch that doubles as a tracker or a subtle band to wear when you workout, these are the watches the Strong Women team rate.
We now have variety back in our workout routine, from weight lifting in the gym to going to yoga classes and continuing running. It’s exciting to see what our bodies can do and how they feel before, during and after all of these different workouts.
For some people, listening to what their body is telling them is all the information they need. For others, learning more about their sleep, activity levels and recovery is an empowering step to fitness. That’s where a tracker might come in useful.
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Most watches measure your step count and your heart rate, which is a great place to start if you want to learn about or make tweaks to your lifestyle. But new models go so much further, too, including stress monitors, period cycle tracking and even oxygen level information. Plus, they double up as your debit card, let you listen to music and receive and send messages for you.
7 of the best fitness trackers
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Garmin Venu SQ
Shop Garmin Venu SQ, £229
This smartwatch hands you all the data you could possibly need about yourself. It doesn’t just track sleep, exercise and steps, but analyses that information for you to give you scores on your energy and stress level so you know if it’s time to take a break or if you can push harder.
The large watch face makes it extra handy for training, and if you don’t know where to start with your workout then the Garmin Connect app allows you to download personalised plans straight to your watch.
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HONOR Watch ES
Shop HONOR Watch ES, £99
This watch is as streamlined as they get: a simple, thin touch screen that can track 95 different forms of training, your stress levels and your menstrual cycle.
10-day battery life means you can create a holistic view of your body and health without leaving any gaps in the data for regular charging – for £99, we think that’s pretty good.
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Fitbit Charge 4
Shop Fitbit Charge 4, £129
This watch gets the job done. A really simple user interface that makes checking step count, heart rate and activity level super easy, it does everything you’d want from a fitness tracker.
Built in GPS and accurate pace and distance measures make it the perfect run companion. The rubber strap is also super comfortable for all-day wear and the battery life is one of the best we’ve tested.
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Garmin vivomove Style
Shop Garmin vivomove Style, £299
As far as fitness trackers go, this has to be the best looking by far. To the outside world, this watch looks like a nice chunky piece of jewellery, coming in a variety of colours and straps, but it’s actually working hard behind the scenes to track your body.
The best feature has to be the fact that it includes a ‘body battery’ monitor, measuring your energy levels to let you know when to turn down the intensity. It also features a wallet for contactless payment and syncs your music and messages to the watch face.
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Suunto 7
Shop Suunto 7, £429
A big enough face to make swiping through the touch screen fun rather than frustrating. But the selling point of the Suunto 7 is it’s durability and versatility: waterproof, shockproof and dirt proof, this is one for those who don’t know where their workout will take them.
Best used with a Google phone to sync workouts and health stats, tracking your data with Google OS and syncing with your calendar, Google Play and other apps you rely on.
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Apple Watch 5
Shop Apple Watch 5, £399
If you’re an Apple user, you’re probably already pining after the new watch. Coming with countless different straps and colours, not only does can it connect to cellular to make calls and play music, but it’s great at tracking your health.
With the ability to alert you to unusual heart rates, alert you when your environment is too noisy and track your menstrual cycle, it’s got all areas of your life covered. Plus, it does the basics well, including tracking and syncing workouts and runs.
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Whoop
Shop Whoop, from £30
If you’re after something a little different then try Whoop. This simple strap focuses on wellbeing data, rather than just tracking your training and energy expenditure.
The three main areas of tracking are sleep, including quality and efficiency; strain, which focuses on daily stress loads on your body from exercise, commuting and working; and recovery, showing your bodies well-being every day so you can plan your session. The strap comes free with your subscription to the app, which starts at around £30 a month.
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Images: Brands own
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