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How to Find the Fitness Tracker That’s Right For You

You’re making fitness moves.

Maybe you’re ditching the elevator for the stairs, fitting in a few more days at the gym or throwing a few more miles onto that run. You’re stepping up your game big time but still need that push every now and again.

Let a fitness tracker help you.

We get it — with plenty of health and fitness wearables to choose from, finding the right one to slap on your wrist can prove challenging.

But it’s all good. We’ve got you covered.

Here are a few tips (and gadgets) to keep in mind if you’re thinking about entering the wearables game.

The Basics

Health and fitness trackers offer a bunch of in-depth fitness features that vary by device, but most offer the same core features: step tracking, sleep monitoring and calories burned.

They all sync up with your smartphone and work with apps and social media to help you stay on top of your fitness and track your progress wherever and whenever you want.

Every Day Tracking

Are you a minimalist who doesn’t need all the bells and whistles?

If you don’t have time to get to the gym every day but still want to keep an eye on your activity levels, stick with a fitness tracker that keeps tabs on steps, sleep and calories.

Check out the Garmin Vivofit 2 ($79.99). This device monitors steps taken, distances traveled and sleep quality. Even better, the Vivofit 2 sets off an alarm after one hour of inactivity to remind you to get up and move. That’s perfect for those tempting binge-watching sessions of your favorite show.

Swimmers out there should take a peek at the Polar Loop 2 ($119.99). Its water-resistant design lets you bust out a few laps in the pool without ever worrying about damaging your device.

Performance Tracking

Need to take your workout game up a notch?

You’re pretty active, hitting the gym frequently. You eat right. You’re even considering signing up for that 10K in September. But you want just a little bit more, and that means a fitness tracker that throws heart-rate monitoring into the mix.

The Fitbit Charge HR ($149.99) and Garmin Vivosmart HR ($149.99) are constantly measuring your heart rate from your wrist. They keep tabs on your heart rate zones, perfect for maximizing your workout.

Don’t sweat entering your workout stats into the Fitbit app. The Charge HR uses a feature called SmartTrack to automatically recognize when you exercise and record your workouts.

The Vivosmart HR, on the other hand, learns how active you are and automatically adjusts your step goals each day, pushing you toward a healthy lifestyle.

Run-fanatics

We feel you, hardcore runners. Upping that run game means you need to pull a few more stats from your device.

Cue the Garmin Forerunner 235 ($329.99), which uses GPS to not only calculate distance but also your pace. And for you indoor runners, the device uses an accelerometer to capture even more pace and distance data when running on an indoor track or treadmill.

Bottom line: no more second guessing how far or how fast you went on that run.

The waterproof Polar A360 Fitness Tracker + Heart Rate ($198.99) lets you monitor your heart rate during workouts with its high-resolution color touch screen. Plus, the Polar Smart Coaching feature instantly maximizes your workout in real time.

The Ultimate Connection

Want to stay in the know — and do so in style? Then you need a fitness tracker that doesn’t just alert you to texts and calls, but also lets you holler back at them, all while sporting a sleek and stylish design.

The Apple Watch Sport ($349.00), Samsung Gear S2 ($299.99)  and Moto 360 Sport ($299.99) keep track of your health and activity levels while also keeping you connected to the world. Each of these devices provides fitness tracking and lets you respond to texts, make calls and browse the Internet. Throw in some of the freshest designs out there today, and you’ll no doubt have everyone talking because they look so good.

Learn more about health and fitness wearables on BestBuy.com or stop into a store near you.