Fitbits and Fitness Trackers have become popular gadgets among athletes and people who want to keep fit. However, most fitness trackers and smartwatches are designed to be worn on the arm(wrist). But there’s a new twist. An increasing number of people seem to be preferring to wear fitness trackers on the ankle.
Depending on the make and model, wearing a fitness tracker may provide more accurate heart monitoring and step count. Unfortunately, it can also provide less accurate data for other health metrics and other activities being tracked.
With most gadgets performing the same functions, we’ve started seeing the main differences being utility and design. Fitness tracking devices can help you monitor your heart rate, calories burned, count your steps, and even tell you the exact performance of your health. While some people use fitness trackers casually, others use them for intense and professional workouts. In either case, some factors have got to be considered. The main factors being size, comfort, durability, and accuracy.
For casual workouts, the fitness tracker doesn’t need to be all that accurate. On the other hand, professional workouts need fitness trackers that provide precise and accurate data.
One should choose a fitness tracker based on the kind of data/information that they intend to get from it.
E.g for fitness trackers that are meant to be worn on the wrist, the onboard accelerometer records movement based on the movement of the wrist. This in turn means that they might not record the number of steps taken too accurately.
Wearing a fitness tracker on the ankle means you can get more accurate step count data.
Best Fitness Trackers for the Ankle in 2023
We have tested a good number of fitness trackers and fitbits for the ankle and we’ve found three favorite options. We will discuss each one of them and tell you why they made this list.
However, if you’re in a hurry, I’ll just go straight to the point to save time, and tell you our ultimate best; The Moov Now Fitness Tracker.
This is our top choice for the Best Fitness Tracker for the Ankle. We will discuss its full features and specifications in detail below.
An in-depth look at the Best Fitness Trackers for the Ankle
The Moov Now 3D Fitness Tracker (Best Overall)
As stated above, this is our top choice. It combines most of the features that you’d expect from a fitness tracking device into a small factor, comfortable and durable design. It has been around for a while and it has still managed to stand its ground. It is actually the only fitness tracker that is calibrated for both the wrist, and the ankle.
The retail package comes with two straps; one for the wrist and the other one for the ankle.
Ankle Straps (Turn your Fitbit into an Ankle Fitness Tracker)
Ankle straps are a good way of turning your regular Fitbit into a fitness tracking device for your ankle. Basically, they allow you to take off your original tracker from its original band and place it into a mesh pouch that you can wrap around your ankle. All you have to do is use your thumb to open the little hook and loop fastener, and then fit your Fitbit tracker into the mesh pouch. In addition, you have to ensure that the HR monitor is against your ankle when your Fitbit tracker is in the Mesh pouch.
The ankle straps allow your fitness tracker to read your steps more accurately while doing exercises where your hand are stationary. The strap is lightweight and smooth against the skin. It fits comfortably on your ankle even with long hours of use.
GARMIN FOOT POD
This is another great alternative to wearing an ankle fitness tracker. It’s not exactly an ankle device. Instead, it attaches to your shoelaces to track all your foot’s movement.
While the foot pod might not provide data such as your heart rate, it provides very accurate data regarding walking, jogging, or running. It provides data on distance traveled, speed, and cadence.
Those are our top three picks for the best Fitness Trackers for the ankle. You’re probably wondering how we made our decision. Below are the factors that we consider when shopping for a fitness tracking device.
Factors to consider when choosing a Fitness Tracking Device for your Ankle
As we had mentioned earlier, there are various factors to consider when choosing a Fitness tracking device. In this part, we are going to look at each one of them in more detail.
Design
This is an important factor when choosing most devices. It is recommendable that you find a compact, lightweight fitness tracker for comfort. Bulky trackers might interfere with your workouts and make you uncomfortable. The straps should be soft and comfortable to wear. Moreover, it is important that you find a well-built fitness tracking device that is going to be durable
Display
The display might not be the most important factor when choosing a fitness tracker for your ankle. This is for the obvious reason that most of the time you won’t even be looking at it. In the case where your fitness device has a monitor, it is advisable to have a screen protector to avoid adding scratches.
IPv6 Rating
A good fitness tracker should be dust and waterproof. At least to some extent. This is for those sweat workout sessions or in case you need to wear it during swimming.
Battery Life
This one is a no-brainer. A good Fitness Tracker should have decent battery life to ensure that it does not run out of battery during workouts. At least 7hrs.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a fitness tracker to accurately track your footsteps, then an ankle-based one would be your best choice. At its price, we feel that the Moov Now is the perfect choice for this category. Besides, it is the only fitness tracker that is designed to be used both on the wrist and on the ankle. It is lightweight, dust and waterproof, and also well built. Even more, it has an Omni motion sensor that analyzes motion in 3D. All these features combined give you an incredible amount of information about your workouts. It is a very easy fitness tracker for the ankle to recommend.
I hope that I helped you to find the kind of device that you’re looking for. If you know of any other Fitness tracking devices that can be comfortably worn on the ankle, please let us know in the comments section.
