Best Fitbit for Seniors: A Complete Guide For The Elderly

Are you looking for the best Fitbit for seniors but can’t make up your mind as to which one to buy? Or maybe you already have an option in mind but you aren’t sure whether it can make the cut?

This guide is for you.

To be clear, the best Fitbit for seniors is one that has the right set of features for the elderly. It should count steps, track sleep, monitor heart rate, and even offer stress management. Also, the device should have a good battery life and be easy to use.

Apparently, the following models meet the above specifications:

	Fitbit Sense 2	Fitbit Versa 3	Fitbit Charge 5
Activities Tracked	Sleep, calories, steps, real time pace and distance,	Sleep, calories, steps, real time pace and distance	Calories, sleep, steps, real-time pace and distance, wellness trends
GPS	Built-in GPS	Built-in GPS	Built-in GPS
Heart Rate	24/7 heart rate monitor	24/7 heart rate monitor	24/7 heart rate monitor
Water Resistance	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters	Up to 50 meters
Stress	Stress management tools included	Not included	Stress management tools included
Notifications	Bluetooth calls, texts and phone alerts	Calls, text, and app alerts	Calls, calendar, text, and app alerts
Free Membership	6 months of free premium membership	6 months of free premium membership	6 months of free premium membership
Compatibility	Android and iOS	Android and iOS	Android and iOS
Battery Life	Up to 6 days	Up to 6 days	Up to 7 days
	Get Fitbit Sense 2	Get Fitbit Versa 3	Get Fitbit Charge 5

How to Choose the Best Fitbit for Seniors

There’s usually a lot to look at when choosing a fitness tracker or a smartwatch. And there’s no exception when it comes to Fitbit models.

Because you want to end up with the really best Fitbit for older adults, it’s important that you consider the following selection criteria:  

1. Sleep Tracking

Sleep tracking is one of the top features that make Fitbit fitness trackers and smartwatches stand out from the crowd.

By using Fitbit’s sleep technology, you can know how long and how well you sleep every night.

And the Fitbit sleep insights that you get from the device can be incredibly useful in helping you to optimize your sleeping habits.

2. Heart Rate Monitor

The best Fitbit for seniors should have an optical heart rate sensor for the following reasons:

• Heart rate helps you to understand your cardiovascular health and fitness level.
• The data you get from the sensor can help you to determine how hard you should go on your workout, especially if you never want to stop exercising even at an old age.
• Heart rate data is useful in determining how much calories you burn during workouts.

Keep in mind that older fitness trackers such as Fitbit Alta and Flex 2 don’t have the optical heart rate sensors.

So, you should consider getting only the latest model, such as Fitbit Sense or Fitbit Versa 2, as these have the heart rate monitor built-in.

3. Steps Tracking

Here’s the deal:

If you intend to use a Fitbit fitness tracker or smartwatch purely for step tracking, any model should work just fine for you.

Every Fitbit model features a three-axis accelerometer and a set of algorithm that monitor every step you take. As you move, the algorithm coverts your steps into digital measurement, which is information about your overall exercise.

The information that you get from the step-counting algorithm include:

• Distance traveled
• Calories burned
• The intensity of your walking exercise
• Number of steps walked

The bottom line is this:

Because every Fitbit fitness tracker and smartwatch currently on sale can track steps, you should do just fine with whatever model you choose.

4. Auto Workout Recognition

Some Fitbit models such as Sense, Versa, Surge, and Charge HR use the SmartTrack technology to automatically detect, record, and log the workout for you.

The SmartTrack technology works based on the principle of continuous movement. In other words, you’ll have to do the same exercise continuously for the feature to work.

But here’s the problem:

SmartTrack is extremely slow. While you can customize it to count an activity towards your exercise goals, you must initiate and remain on the same exercise for at least 15 minutes for it to detect and log the workouts for you.

That’s more time than it takes to manually log your workouts and get down to working out.

Given this limitation, I don’t think auto workout recognition is such a big deal to have. It can be a nice addition to your selection criteria for the best Fitbit for seniors, but it shouldn’t be a top priority.

5. App Integration

One of the things I love about Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers is the integration with third-party apps.

You aren’t going to connect the device directly to the external services, though. Instead, you can use the Fitbit companion app to connect to these services, as long as Fitbit support them. 

For example, Fitbit works with MyFitnessPal to give you access to a large food database, which an incredible option if you want to continue with healthy eating even at an older age.

If app integration is something important to you, you may first have to check if Fitbit supports your favorite selection before you settle for it.

6. Reminder to Move

You see:

The whole point of buying a Fitbit for seniors is to track your health and fitness. With the device, you can set exercise goals and optimize your future workouts based on the results that you get.

The problem is:

You’re not always going to be motivated to exercise. There are times when you’ll feel like procrastinating and resorting to a sedentary lifestyle.

This is where the Reminder to Move comes in.

Built into some Fitbit models, the Reminder to Move feature will alert you to get up and move if you’ve been still for the last 60 minutes.

The goal is to feed the smartwatch or fitness tracker with up to 250 steps an hour. What’s more? The device even motivates you to keep moving until you hit those hourly goals.

Given how often we need the reminder to keep our health and fitness in check, I strongly recommend that you get a Fitbit with the Reminder to Move feature. That way, you can stay on track and never for once become a subject to the sedentary lifestyle.

7. Alarms

Are you a heavy sleeper who needs help to wake up early? Or maybe you’re not a morning person but a little push can go a long way to get you up?

You don’t need the traditional alarm clock anymore.

Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers have built-in alarm with sound vibrations strong enough to get you out of sleep when it’s time to wake up.

Of course, every Fitbit has a built-in alarm, but whether or not you use it comes down to your personal preference.

8. Music Storage and Playback  

I don’t think music storage and playback is a must-have feature to prioritize. But, still, it might be an important factor to consider if you love listening to music.

Now, let me be clear:

Fitbit removed the option to add music to its devices. And you cannot stream music on platforms such as Spotify and Pandora.

The ability to control your phone’s music is the only option left on the table. And it isn’t even available on Fitbit Sense 2 or Versa 4.

So, if music functionality is one of the things that you’re looking for, a Fitbit won’t make the cut. You may have to consider some other Fitbit competitors instead.

Final Thoughts 

Now that I’ve shown you how to choose the best Fitbit for senior citizens, it should be easy for you to figure out what would work for you.

Remember, everyone’s needs are different. That’s why I’ve tried my best to cover all the specs to look for when looking for a Fitbit.

I hope this helps.