Want a fitness buddy? Look no further!

The Who:

I had the lovely opportunity to review the BodyMedia Core armband by BodyMedia (click me!).

The BodyMedia FIT CORE armband is meant to be worn on the back of your left upper arm (aka left tricep). The device is pre-calibrated for this location to give the most accurate data collection. It can be worn up to 23 hours a day, and syncs with your computer via USB cable and provides updates of your calorie burn and activity levels.

The device’s four sensors measure your skin temperature, heat flux, and galvanic skin response;  a 3-axis accelerometer built into the armband tracks motion/movement. These measurements are used to track calorie burn, physical activity, steps taken, and even your sleep duration and efficiency. BodyMedia claims their FIT devices are the most accurate over-the-counter calorie-burning monitors available. According to them, the BodyMedia FIT system captures 5,000+ readings every minute for over 90% calorie accuracy.m How neat is that?


The Process:

You can view your activity as well as track your food consumption via the online Activity Manager or smartphone app, giving you a real-time, full picture of your daily calorie intake, calorie burn, and physical goals. The service also enables you to set activity and nutritional goals based on how much you want to lose, how many steps you're willing to take, etcetera.

It is amazing because it will count the physical activities, calories burned, steps taken, sleep duration however, you'll have to input the calories consumed! 

Here you can tell the system how much you ate for every meal. This is a manual input and I loved and challenged the system by inputting indian foods and yet it understood and knew an average calorie count of! I find this important because when you keep a log, it makes it harder to do a splurge without a corresponding calorie burned desire! This was key towards my weight loss!

There are two armband models to choose from, each with its own benefits.   The CORE Armband is sleek and small, pictured above. This has to be plugged into your computer and managed via the Activity Manager. The LINK armband is probably the smartest decision considering Bluetooth!

I was worried about the commitment to wear this armband for 23 hours every day, but it's so so so easy. After my husband got used to the armband whilst we slept, it was super easy and did not disturb my sleep in any way. The charge lasts up to two to three days!

The BodyMedia LINK armband is $149.00 plus $7/month to access their subscription service. It may seem tedious but is very sensibly priced given similar products in this industry.

Oh, and I lost 10 pounds with consistent usage of this product and a healthy lifestyle during the last month. YAY New Year and yay BodyMedia for an amazing uncomplaining fitness buddy!