Reviews, Health, and Other Stuff: FitBit

Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time. As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree.

Friday, September 29, 2023

Product Review: Fitbit Alta HR Charging Cable

The charger for the Alta and Alta HR will likely break down eventually and they are not like other charging cables that use a mico-USB connection. This charger has prongs that have to connect to the back of the Alta HR, that do break off or lose a good connection over time. This is the official Fitbit cable and is a bit more expensive than the knockoff cables, but I have seen reviews of some of the cheaper cables that cause the units to go haywire. And, Fitbit is very particular about what they will not warranty and what will void the warranty on the Fitbit, so it is best to use their cable.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Product Review: Fitbit Alta

This is an older model Fitbit and did not have all the bells and whistles of the higher-end models (especially the newer models), but it does the step and sleep tracking. You can also track food through the Fitbit app, or pair it with an app like My Fitness Pal to log your meals (which is what I do). It can also detect when you are doing a workout on an elliptical or something comparable. It has notifications you can set for inactivity alerts or when you reach your daily step goal.

The display is turned off normally to save battery power, but you can turn it on by either tapping the fact of it twice or just turning your wrist. My only complaints are that the display turns off after a couple seconds, and the fasteners on the strap are a pain to close. It would be nice if they gave it a little longer on time for the display and a normal watch-like band. And, it does not use a regular USB-C charger. It has a charger with a clamp-like end that clips on to the back of the device. Of course, if you lose the charger you have to get a new one and you will have a non-functional device until you do. Overall, however, I am very satisfied with it.