New Fitbit Blaze? Lucky you! Hopefully by now you’ve set up your device and explored the Fitbit app a bit. Good, you’re on the right track.
Now, here’s the number one thing to keep in mind: Don’t be intimidated! Although it’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed when adopting a new piece of technology, the Fitbit experience is designed with newbies in mind. As you get to know your new Blaze and the app, you’ll notice prompts, pop-ups, and other intuitive features guiding you through the process.
That said, you might still have some questions, so read on. The 12 tips below will ensure you and your new Blaze hit your activity-tracking in stride.
How to Hit the Ground Running With Your New Fitbit Blaze
Wear it right. The accuracy of your heart rate readings is affected by where you put your tracker, so make sure you’re following these best practices. First, let your Fitbit app know which wrist you’re wearing your new Fitbit Blaze on—your non-dominant hand is preferred since the extra movement from your wrist can impact your charts. To confirm your settings, go to your account, tap Blaze and then select either Left or Right for both “Handedness” and “Wrist”.
Next, make sure the tracker is in the right place on your wrist. In general your tracker should lay flat about a finger’s width below your wrist bone (away from your hand). During exercise, wear it a bit farther up your forearm—about three fingers widths from your wrist bone where an increase in blood flow can improve the heart rate signal.
Lastly, make sure the tracker is snug but not constricting (especially during exercise), so it doesn’t restrict blood flow.
Navigate it. The screen on your Blaze is dimmed when not in use. To wake it, press any button, lift and turn your wrist towards you (known as Quick View), or double-tap your tracker where the screen meets the band. The default or “home” screen is the clock. From here you can navigate your Blaze by swiping side to side and up and down.
- Swipe up to see any notifications.
- Swipe down to control music and turn notifications on and off.
- Swipe left, then tap to open specialized menus.
- Today: See your steps taken, current, heart rate, hourly activity, distanced covered, calories burned, floor climbed, and active minutes (collectively known as all-day stats).
- Exercise: Swipe right to find a specific exercise.
- Fitbit Coach: Choose from three Fitbit Coach bodyweight workouts.
- Relax: Complete a guided breathing session.
- Timer: Swipe right to choose a stopwatch or countdown.
- Alarms: Set and manage any alarms you’ve set.
- Settings: Swipe up to see your options.
At any time you can press the Back button (left of the screen) to return to the previous screen and eventually the clock. The functions of the Action and Select buttons (top right and bottom right, respectively) depend on the screen. Generally they’re an alternative when you’d rather not tap the nearest action.
Select a clock face. Blaze comes with several clock styles. You can change your clock face in the settings of the fitbit app (Account icon > Blaze > Clock Face). You can also watch this video for step-by-step guidance. The new style will appear once you sync your tracker. Note that if you see an error screen after changing the clock, you should restart your Blaze and try updating the clock again.
Create goals. One of the most important things you can do when you start using a new Fitbit Blaze is to determine where you are in your health journey and where you want to go. Personal Goal Setting can help you set realistic and achievable targets around daily steps and activity, exercise and workouts, sleep, diet, and weight. You should see a prompt on your app’s dashboard. Tap it when you have a few minutes to go through the process (don’t dismiss it just because you’re currently busy or in a hurry; you won’t be able to use the guided feature again and will have to manually set your goals).
Set a bedtime reminder. After you’ve set a sleep goal and a sleep schedule, create a bedtime reminder. Scheduling an alert that prompts you to start unwinding 30 minutes before your bedtime target can help you maintain a consistent sleep schedule, which experts say may benefit your health.
Keep heart rate sensors on. Unless your tracker battery is low and you won’t be able to charge it anytime soon, consider leaving your heart rate settings on “Auto.” (To find this option, tap the Account icon in the top right corner of your dashboard, then Blaze, and then Heart Rate.) Here’s why: Having continuous heart rate data bolsters the abilities and accuracy of other features. For instance, all-day heart rate tracking powers better measuring of total calories burned, optimizes exercise by helping you pinpoint heart rate zones, and takes classic sleep tracking to a whole new level by powering Sleep Stages.
Opt into Reminders to Move. If you followed the goal-setting directions above, then you’ve already elected which hours of the day you want to commit to taking at least 250 steps. This hourly activity goal ties into Reminders to Move, an alert you can receive on your tracker at ten to the hour if you haven’t fulfilled your step requirement. To turn on Reminders to Move, tap the Hourly Activity tile on your app dashboard and then the gear icon in the top right corner. Slide the circle over until the background is green. Your start and end times should match what you set as your goal, but you can also confirm which days of the week you want to use Reminders to Move.
Set a silent alarm—or eight. Your tracker will vibrate at the specified times, making the alarms a great way to wake up gently, remember to take your vitamins, and so much more.
Configure your notifications. Over 200 compatible iOS and Android mobile devices let you receive incoming phone call, text message, and calendar event notifications on your Blaze. Determine whether your device supports these features, and then enable or disable them using these instructions.
Share your accomplishments. The next time you rock a workout, hit your step goal, or snag a new badge, spread the news. You can share a photo of your exercise, stats and accomplishments, Adventure landmarks, challenge results, and badges straight from the Fitbit app. Need some inspiration? Want to see an example? Check out these 8 super inspirational selfies from Fitbit Community.
Stay fully charged. The battery in your Blaze can last up to five days*. Learn specific ways to extend the battery life and then develop a charging strategy so that a drained battery doesn’t leave you trackerless. In your Fitbit.com settings, you can sign up to receive a push notification on your mobile device or an email (or both!) when your tracker’s battery is low.
Accessorize! Now that you’re dialed in, commit to wearing your new Fitbit Blaze every day. The variety of accessories available—from fun and sporty to eye-catchingly luxe—make it easy**. Check out the Blaze Lookbook for the full range of styles.
*Battery life may vary with use and other factors.
**Tracker sold separately.
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Source: Fitbit Blog
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