Fit Teacher Gear Review - Samsung Gear Fit

So, I'm usually ALL about the cheapest possible way to work out. It's no secret that teacher's don't make that much, so each penny is precious. A lack of funds shouldn't be an excuse for not staying active. With that in mind, I tried to resist the "smart watch" craze as long as possible. Really, I did...

But, then the Samsung Gear Fit went on sale....then it was further reduced at Best Buy for being an open box. Basically it was calling my name.

Right out of the box, it's pretty tech-y looking, with a shiny screen that you can customize with different wallpapers.

Here's my Gear Fit on, with the multicolor wallpaper. You can change the 'timeout' of the screen, so it goes back to black in 15, 30 seconds or a minute - just like a cell phone.

I have a Samsung Note phone, so it was super easy to sync to my phone. You literally just turn on Bluetooth and they sync together. It is supposed to be as simple with Iphones and other brands as well, but I can't guarantee.

You do have to download an additional app - the Geat Fit Manager- in order to store and look up your stats. Now, here's the tricky part. The Gear Fit Manager syncs your Gear Fit (the watch), to another app - the S Health app. That's where you can actually pull up all your stats. So, there's all that to deal with, which is a little bit of a task. But I think it's worth it for everything you get.

The S Health app is where you go to access all your data that the GearFit collects, however, you can see recent data on your GearFit without ever going to your phone. 

Other devices, like the FitBit don't have screens, so you can't see your progress without acessing another device. 

I love being able to check at any time how many miles I've walked (P.S. I average 4 miles of walking just around the classroom!)

I used my GearFit on a treadmill to check for accuracy, and it was off by about .02 miles, during a run. That's not too much, and I'm sure it was affected by me holding a water bottle while running. 

You can also use the S Health app to keep track of your food intake, track your heart rate (taken from the GearFit sensor) and track your weight. The app is similar to most other health and fitness tracker apps, but I like that it's super easy to use and syncs with my Gear Fit so easily. 

Here's where it really gets awesome:
For  roughly the same price, the Gear Fit lets you sync your email, phone, texts, calendar and other alerts. This means, when I'm teaching, or just out and about, I can feel my watch vibrate and know if I have some sort of alert that needs attention. For phone calls, you can accept or reject the call from your watch. (VERY awesome when you forget to put your phone on vibrate during class, but it's somewhere at the bottom of your purse!)

I sync my Gear Fit with my calendar, and I  get a quick vibrating reminder if I have an IEP meeting that day, or something due, all without reaching for my phone, planner, or computer to double check. For multitasking teachers, it almost feels like having a personal assistant (or so I can dream!) I've had my Gear Fit for about 3 months and it's already saved me several times from an almost forgotten meeting!


Overall, I recommend that for busy fit teachers, if you're going to get a fitness tracker, the Gear Fit is the best bang for your buck. It's priced at the same price point as other fitness trackers, but with tons of practical features for those with hectic schedules. You can't beat the calendar, phone, and text notifications. Ironically, I feel less tethered to technology because of it. I'm not constantly checking emails, online calendars, planners, or other random checklists. I just check my watch!

Do you use a fitness tracker? If so, what kind, and how has it helped you?