They can also help improve your health too.
In a previous article, I wrote about Free Money in Medicare and how many fitness trackers can automate data logging for your Medicare Rewards Program to earn that extra cash.
“In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) permitted Medicare Advantage plans to offer limited rewards and incentives to beneficiaries. The guidelines were slightly expanded in 2016.
According to CMS, the goal of rewards and incentives in Medicare Advantage “is to encourage enrollees to be actively engaged in their health care and, ultimately, improve and sustain their overall health and well-being.” In 2016, CMS expanded the ability to offer rewards and incentives, but more improvements are needed. ( Better Medicare Alliance Fact sheet July 2019).”
Tracking physical activity to qualify for these perks can be reported manually via your Medicare Advantage Plan account page or automatically tracked via devices like my Garmin Fenix 6XPro watch, a Fitbit, or many other brands of fitness trackers that connect directly to your Advantage Plans Rewards Page. You do your stuff and collect those Rewards dollars. These are two of many brands and models of trackers.
Do your research and find the one(s) that most closely match your current and future needs. Are basic health metrics sufficient for you, or are you planning on running a marathon or the R2R2R(Rim to Rim to Rim crossing the Grand Canyon from one side to the other and back, where serious health parameters tracking like VO2max or continuous O2 Saturation, Sleep, body battery, and HRV…
The Garmin Fenix 6XPro, $750 on release, has been replaced by the Fenix 7 Series. The Fenix series is a fantastic sports and outdoor device with Full US Topo maps and built-in GPS. It tracks health and sleep metrics (HRV, Sleep, Body Battery, Exercise Activities, and more).
The Garmin 6XPro on my wrist is about five years old, so there are newer models in the lineup. https://amzn.to/4fp7WWl
The Fitbit Inspire 3, released September 2022, is around $99(July 24) and is a great “starter” health and fitness tracker. The Inspire 3 lacks heart rate on exercise equipment(does not communicate with equipment), no heart rate training zones, floors climbed, and fall detection(yes, they do have that). https://amzn.to/4dcnpHA
These are shortcomings ONLY if you are further advanced in clawing back any Medicare dollars you can get and probably have a more advanced tracker. This article is for those who haven’t started to earn some of your retirement money back.
Here is the direct link to Garmin Watches. Depending on your sport, they probably have a model just for you with price and feature sets that will fit your budget. See the features and compare at https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/wearables-smartwatches/
Keep an eye on Amazon for deals on Garmin watches. They have some amazing deals that pop up that should show up in this link. https://amzn.to/3SrgLVW. As an example, in May, my friend John I am coaching, grabbed a Garmin VivoActive 5 for $250. Currently $299 https://amzn.to/4dha5Sa
The data below are screenshots of the Garmin Connect App online(desktop version). This data is compiled automatically, other than initiating an activity like a hike, walk, or bike ride by pressing the right button or touch screen. You can access the same data on your phone but in a more compact form.
The image below is a screenshot of the (the day I wrote this article). Notice the sleep score is a crappy 37. I gave myself a 1st degree in AC joint separation by doing a poorly excited forward roll in Krav Maga class; hence, more pain and less sleep were recorded. My 6XPro automatically tracks this data.
The next screenshot is of the daily metrics in the middle of the day.
Below are more of yesterday’s metrics and the Last Seven Days.
I ruck(hike with a weighted backpack) 2500-3000 miles a year, ruck/ride (ride a gravel bike with a 30lb backpack) 3000 miles per year, Weight Lift 6+ hours per week, and do 2-6 hours of Krav Maga and my Garmin tracks it all for me.
For more reviews of just about every fitness tracker and product, go to the https://www.dcrainmaker.com/ website. It is one of the most trusted names in fitness product reviews.
Let me know if you have any other questions on trackers.