Erin here from Grand Bay-Westfield, NB, Canada. I’ve been interested in Quantified Self and health tracking for some time now although I only recently started using some apps on my iPhone 5s to do so. I would like to get a purpose-built device like a Fitbit but that’s not in the budget right now. I’d be interested in hearing advice on how best to set up my iPhone as a pseudo-Fitbit until I can get one. I’m currently using Moves to track steps and movement and Smart Alarm for sleep tracking.
Otherwise I’m very interested in the interconnections between food, sleep, movement and exercise, and mood. Especially how to mitigate stress and anxiety through diet and exercise.
Anyway, happy to be here. I look forward to interacting with you all.
You mentioned you use Moves. Is that not enough of a Fitbit replacement for you? If you’re just interested in getting step data into the Fitbit ecosystem you can download their iOS app. If you have the iPhone 5S it can use the M7 background processor to track your steps.
You can get a pedometer for $15 or less, though those don’t come with fancy apps etc (so you’d need to remember to write down the step count once a day).
Thank you for the welcome. I guess that’s part of what I’m trying to figure out. If I can get the right combination of apps on my iPhone, do I really need to get a Fitbit? Moves has been excellent at tracking steps, activity, and location. I picked up a new sleep tracking app yesterday called Sleep Cycle and I think I like it better than Smart Alarm already. I’m going to test out the intelligent alarm functionality tonight but so far I’m very happy with the stats I got out of it after just one night.
Do you have any app suggestions?
Thanks.
Hi Eric.
Thanks for your reply. I am ultimately interested in tracking more than steps, it’s only my first foray into statistical analysis of my activities. As I said in my reply to Ernesto in this thread, I’m really just experimenting with QS at this point; trying to figure out how best to track data and what the best tools are. Do I need a dedicated activity monitor like a Fitbit? Can I do this all from my iPhone? Still very much a newbie and looking for guidance from the community.