Hello Beautiful People!

It’s been a full week and enjoying the weekend.

In the past year, fitness bands have become the craze for people who are looking to track the fitness goals. I had considered purchasing one for myself, but was not sure which one would be best for me. Recently, I had the opportunity through Verizon to demo a UP3 Fitness tracker created by Jawbone.

The UP3 Fitness Tracker, courtesy of Verizon Wireless

On the Jawbone website

“The world’s most advanced tracker.”

Key Features

Tracks steps, sleep quality, exercise, overall calories burned
Tracks resting heart-rate and overall heart health
Automatically logs your fitness activities
Smart Alarm™ wakes you at the optimal time in your sleep cycle
Slim compact design for 24/7 wearability with up to 7 days battery life
Wirelessly syncs with compatible Apple and Android devices

When I first received the band, it needed to be charged for about 45 minutes. A fully-charged UP3 will last you for six days, which is a good amount of time. Since you need to wear the band at all times, you don’t want to spend long amounts of time to charge it. While it is charging, you will see different lights on the band. When you see the orange light, the UP3 tracker is fully charged. The charger plugs into the USB port of your computer, the band attaches to the opposite end of the tracker. I had to get the band just right on the charger to make sure that it’s charging. After the initial charge, I downloaded and installed the UP (free) app on my phone. I created an free account and then paired the UP3 with my phone. Once the UP3 is paired, the fitness tracking begins. The UP3 band does not show your steps, but instead you need to check your phone for the statistics. If you like to see every step you take, this may not be the band for you. I, on the other hand, do not mind checking my phone. The UP3 band is chic, does not take up a large foot print on your wrist, and looks more like a bangle than a fitness tracker.

The Fit
My first attempt to put on the UP3 seemed awkward. I asked my hubby and we realized that I had to adjust the fit and then attach the enclosure. After that first initial fitting, I can put on the band by myself with no problem. The band has sensors that need to be next to your wrist so that it can track your movement, but the fit does not need to be tight. The band is not water resistant, dot not get in the shower or the bath. But you can get water on it, you just need to wipe it off.

A way to reach my goals, each day, the UP3 showed my steps and how many calories I burned.

It will track when you are working out. With the stopwatch feature, you can track how long you work out, select what type of work out it is, and select an intensity level. For the image below, it shows that I completed a 45-minute Zumba workout at a Gut Buster intensity.

The UP3 also monitors your sleep patterns and lets you track the levels of your sleep: light, deep or REM each night. Having the UP3, made me realize how important it is to get adequate sleep and to rest my body. The UP3 tracks heart rate while sleeping and not during the course of the day. I have read that Jawbone may be doing upgrades in the future, we will see.

Tracking REM SLEEP

My sleep patterned was totally off in the reading below and I put the band in sleep mode before I went to bed, however that happened one time. Probably was a fluke. What was good is that I can manually go into to my phone settings and change the sleep time.

The longer you use the UP3, the more your own Smart Coach will be there to help you along the way. As a part of the app, you have a Smart Coach who helps you achieve better health goals. For example, if the Smart Coach sees that you are getting less the desirable amounts of sleep, it will provide you with tips on how to sleep more at night. Or, the Smart Coach will tell you what your step average is for the week and challenge you to walk more steps for the next week.

I am a fitness-minded person without the band. But with the UP3 band and the Smart Coach, it made me want to walk more and do more to achieve my goals. Tracking my sleep patterns was a bonus because I like to stay up late at night and it is so important to rest the body. You can also use the UP3 to track what you eat and the amount of calories taken in during the course of the day.

If tracking your fitness levels is important to you, I recommend that you try the UP3 by Jawbone. It is easy to learn how it works and you don’t even remember that you are wearing band. It will help you know if you are getting the right amount (and kinds) of sleep or walking the right number of steps. The Smart Coach gives you daily tips for a healthier lifestyle and will challenge you to take you the next level.

DISCLAIMER: Verizon Wireless allowed me the opportunity to try the UP3 by Jawbone for three weeks to write this review. At the end of the three weeks, I returned the UP3 back to Verizon. I was not compensated in anyway to write this review.

Side note: My hubby noticed that I enjoyed the UP3 and he surprised me with one of my own. I am able to continue tracking my steps and sleeps with the same account that I created initially. That data collected is now being compared with the new data from my own UP3. It is so great.

If you have tried the UP3 or any other fitness band, please let me know what you thought about it.