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6 Fitness Bands (Xiaomi, FitBit, Applewatch and Garmi) To Monitor Your Fitness Activities And Win Prizes

Don’t let your weekend activities go to waste, get a fitness band to track your fitness now.


According to Strategy Analytics, global sales of technology wearables such as fitness bands and wireless ear pods jumped by 37% from 2019 to 2020. The number of units sold in 2020 broke the record with 527 million units with fitness trackers accounting for over 36% of the market share.

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Fitness Band Is The Watch Upgrade You Never Knew You Needed

Apart from helping us to keep track of time, the fitness band goes a step further in helping us keep track of our health and fitness activities. Most fitness band includes basic monitoring features such as heart rate, steps counter, and location tracking. There are additional functions such as caloric burn and sleep trackers. Depending on the price point we are willing to invest in, a fitness band can also act as our second mobile phone, with notification and payment functions.

For those of us who are going outdoors more or trying to hit a new fitness goal, getting a fitness band would allow us to better monitor our efforts. Studies have shown that having a fitness tracking device can help increase daily step counts which is good for overall health.

Here are some fitness bands to consider getting based on different price points.

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#1 Xiaomi Mi Band 5

One of the most affordable and value-for-money fitness bands, Xiaomi Mi Band 5 has all the necessary features needed to help monitor our fitness activities.

The Mi Band 5 allows us to track over 11 sports modes such as walking, outdoor running, swimming, and yoga. With a high precision 6-axis and PPG heart rate sensor, it provides round-the-clock heart rate and sleep monitoring.

Durable and water-resistant, the Mi Band 5 also boasts a long battery life that lasts up to 14 days.

At a bargain of $60 on Lazada, this is one deal that we do not need to wait for 11.11 to buy.

#2 Huawei Band 6

Another affordable option with extensive features, Huawei band 6 offers more extensive features than Xiaomi at a slight price premium.

Huawei tracks an exhaustive number of sports with 96 different sports modes. On top of being able to monitor heart rate and sleep, Huawei can also track our blood oxygen saturation levels. For those of us with intense workouts regime, the band can let us know when to take breaks for recovery.

As mental health is as important as physical health, Huawei band also provides a stress monitoring feature that reminds us to pause and recentre ourselves if we are too stressed.

Not just a fitness tracker, Huawei also has a personal assistant feature that allows us to link up with our mobile phones to pick up calls and reply to messages, all through the fitness band.

With all the additional features, Huawei Band 6’s battery life stacks up against Xiaomi Mi Band 5 with an equally long battery life of 14 days.

The price of the Huawei Band 6 is now at $88 on Lazada.

#3 Samsung Galaxy Fit 2

For all Android lovers, this fitness band is for you. The Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 has an ergonomic sleek panel design, similar to the Xiaomi Mi Band 5.

Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 covers over 90 workout modes, including swimming if we activate the Water Lock mode to disable the display for diving in. The band also monitors heart rate and sleep. Its battery life is slightly better than Mi Band 5 at 15 days compared to 14 days.

Likewise, the band provides the notification features for messages and calls. Additionally, if your Galaxy Fit 2 is synced with your Android phone, we can input pre-set replies on the fitness band, enabling us to reply on the go with just our fitness band.

The Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 can be purchased at a price of $111.23 on Lazada.

#4 Fitbit 2

From one of the pioneer brands that started the wearable fitness tracker revolution, we can trust Fitbit 2 to have one of the most advanced monitoring systems. Tracking over 20 exercise modes, the band has a reasonable battery life of about 10 days with an in-built GPS feature.

Covering all aspects of health other than heart rate and sleep monitoring, Fitbit 2 also allow users to track their stress levels, breathing rate and caloric burn. Fitbit 2 is geared to help users achieve their health goals. This includes keeping a food log and having a silent alarm feature that nudges us awake gently through wrist vibrations.

With a one-year warranty, Fitbit 2 cost $168 on Fitbit.

#5 Garmin Vivosport

A popular brand among outdoor enthusiasts and athletes, Garmin is known for its durability and advanced performance monitoring metrics and sensors.

The fitness band has an in-built GPS for the most accurate outdoor tracking capability. It also has preloaded sports activities for users to follow. Having a Garmin also means that we have access to their app which is able to take our heart rate monitoring data and give us feedback on exercise optimisation.

With the heart rate variability feature, it is also able to track our stress levels. Thin and lightweight, the screen is smaller than other bands, while still allowing us to receive smart notifications from our phones.

Priced at $267.76, we can purchase it from any of Garmin outlets.

#6 Apple Watch 6

A watch that needs no introduction, Apple watch is one of the most coveted watches and fitness trackers among Singaporeans. Sleekly designed with exceptional technological capabilities, Apple redefined how watches should look and perform with this release.

On top of the basic features of being durable and waterproof, Apple Watch 6 also allows us to monitor our blood oxygen levels. Not only does it allow us to monitor our heart rates, but it also allows us to take a basic Electrocardiogram (ECG) test using an app to test any irregular rhythms.

Apart from being a fitness tracker, the Apple Watch 6 is almost like a mobile phone by itself. We can command Siri from our wrist, pick up calls, reply to messages, use Apple Pay and get a map display.

The extensive features and capabilities also come with a hefty price tag. Depending on which model we are getting, a 40mm case size with GPS and cellular capability comes at a price of $749 on Apple.

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Monitor Your Fitness Activity And Stand A Chance To Win Prizes (Or Redeem Vouchers)

After selecting a trusty fitness band, we can start keeping track of our fitness activities and use them to redeem prizes and vouchers. Here are three programmes we can join to start monetising our fitness journey.

#1 National Steps Challenge

An extension of Season 5, Singaporeans and PRs can sign up from now till 15 August 2021. Participants can accumulate points not just from daily steps, but from the number of minutes of Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activities (MVPA).

Each day, the maximum number of points we can accumulate from both walking and MVPA minutes is 40 points. To hit this target, we can clock in with either 10,000 steps or more than 30 minutes of MVPA.

Each time we accumulate up to 750 points, we can redeem a $5 e-voucher which can be used with participating merchants which include 7-Eleven, Cold Storage and more.

#2 Lumi Health

Exclusively for Apple Watch users, Apple has partnered with the Health Promotion Board to keep Apple users incentivised with monetary rewards for physical activity.

On the LumiHealth app, users can complete activity challenges that consist of clocking in daily steps, exercise and improving sleep habits. Upon collecting up to 1,500 coins, we can redeem a $5 HPB e-voucher.

#3 AIA Vitality Singapore

Only for AIA health policyholders, the scheme allows users to accumulate AIA Vitality points. When 100 points are accumulated, we can redeem it for a single spin on the Vitality wheel. The spin will reward us with coins which could then be redeemed at 7 participating merchants, such as Cold Storage, Grab, GrabFood, Mr Bean, Singtel. Starbucks and Ya Kun Kaya Toast.

To accumulate 100 AIA Vitality points, we need to hit 10,000 steps for 50 AIA points or track our workouts with our fitness bands.

 

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