Over the years, my interest in fitness trackers has been minimal to say the least. While I have reviewed one on this blog previously, I’ve never become one of those people that links it to an app and uses it each day to track my steps or activity. I partially blame this on the fact that our move abroad coincided with when trackers became popular in the US. But, at the root of it, I know that there is one primary reason I’ve never been interested in them. These days, I always get enough activity. In fact, if you were to ask Bo or my friends, they’d say I need a tracker that reminds me to chill out and relax.
Therefore, when my friends at Spright invited me to try out and host a giveaway for the Misfit Shine activity tracker, I was a bit hesitant. But, after going to the website and reading more about the fitness tracker, I quickly realized that this little, sleek device seemed perfect for my interests.
As soon as the Misfit Shine arrived, it was love at first sight. While I know you’re not supposed something based on looks alone, the lightweight, sleek, black activity tracker looks more like a watch or bracelet than band that screams “I’m trying to log my 10,000 steps.” In fact, at least once a day someone asks me what type watch I’m wearing. Unlike other activity trackers on the market, this piece of arm candy is also water resistant up to 50 meters, meaning that I don’t have to worry about taking it off in the shower or while washing dishes. If I was currently swimming, it would also allow me to easily track my pool activity as well as other common workouts.
Aside from looks, there are five key things that made me fall in love with the Shine versus other fitness trackers on the market.
- Battery
- Do you find yourself constantly losing or misplacing chargers? I certainly do! Luckily, the Misfit Shine is battery powered which means I don’t have to think or worry about the charge or the tangled mess of cords. Since the average battery life is six months, I only have to replace that bad boy two times a year which is a far improvement from charging multiple times a week.
- iPhone Application
- I really appreciate that I can see all the information I need inside the app versus having something beep and alert me on my wrist. The app, which is very simple to use and straightforward, syncs to your tracker multiple times per day as long as your Bluetooth is on. In addition to the app which shows sleep duration and patterns, movement and goals there are also additional inputs you can use such as food tracking and food photo storage.
- Sleep
- Remember I said that I need something that reminds me to relax more versus move more? Well, the sleep tracker portion of Misfit has been doing just that these past few weeks. The Shine automatically tracks your sleep, without requiring any extra attachments, and breaks your sleep duration down into awake time, light time and restful time. Since wearing it, I’ve noticed an increase in the length of time I sleep as well as better understanding restful versus light sleep. I’ve seen the number 8 in front of the little h more than the 6 as seeing 6h 30 on the screen made me realize how little sleep that really is. There is something to be said for the power of numbers on a screen to help something become real. I’ve been carefully monitoring this, trying to understand things that lead to more restless or restful nights such as screen time, reading, alcohol or stress. In addition, there is a great alarm feature which can be set to wake you up at the perfect time during your sleep cycle. I’ve only used this once but really liked it and felt the difference.
- Design
- The Shine is designed to flex with you. If you’re not bothered by a wrist accessory then you can easily wear it on your wrist similar to the way you’d wear a watch. But, want something a bit less visible? You can easily remove it and use the included clasp to slide it into your jean pocket or hook it on your yoga pants. For spin class, I transferred it from my wrist to my spin shoe so it would more accurately measure my movements.
- Price
- As someone who is a self-proclaimed beauty and fitness junky, the last thing I want is to invest in a product that I may only use for a few months before discovering a newer version or model. At just $69 this is a fitness tool that everyone can enjoy and even gift to others during the upcoming holiday season.
What do I wish I could improve?
- I wish it was easier to track activities like Bar Method. While I know that you can adjust the activity to reflect specific sports like swimming, cycling or running, there isn’t currently a barre option so this is rarely reflected in my daily score.
Now comes the fun part. Want to try the Misfit Shine for yourself or give it as a gift this holiday? Just enter the giveaway made possible by my friends at Spright! It is open until next Friday, November 20th! Good luck!
