I got a Fitbit in 2022, and these are the best things about it

We all know that the pressure to buy a smartwatch or fitness tracker is never higher than at the start of each year when most of us are looking ahead at how we can become the healthiest version of ourselves in the coming months. While resolutions don't always pan out, there's no doubt that devices from the likes of Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple help us along to achieving our goals.

I got my hands on a Fitbit Luxe in 2022, and it has lived on my wrist ever since. It's not hyperbole to say that it has changed the way I live my life in big and subtle ways that expand beyond fitness and weight loss. My sleep is better, I'm better at managing chronic health problems, and I have found a community that makes staying healthy a fun social activity instead of a solo endeavor.

And a month hasn't gone by this year where someone has commented on how good the Fitbit Luxe looks. And it has that over many other fitness trackers - it hides all that tracking power within a sleek and customizable package.

We have collated all of our favorite things about the Luxe right here, and you can head to our ranking of the best fitness trackers for more.

Accurate sleep tracking

I'm someone who is obsessed with getting the best night's sleep possible, and I have tried everything under the sun to make this possible. While apps go a long way to recording your movements, snoring, and approximate wake times, they just can't compare to the accuracy you get with a smartwatch.

The Fitbit Luxe gives me a detailed sleep score as soon as I wake up, showing me how long it took me to go to sleep, how long I was in REM sleep, and so much more. Even better, it uses this data to inform other parts of its reporting, as we all know that sleeping well is the first step towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Daily readiness score

The daily readiness score is a premium feature, but it's the most useful thing that Fitbit offers in my book. Based on a lot of other data collected by the tracker, your readiness score is basically a number to indicate how hard you should push yourself on every given day. This is invaluable whether you're training hard and don't want to injure yourself or you have a reason not to overdo it on an everyday basis.

The score is based on your recent activity levels, how good your sleep has been, and your heart rate variability. In my experience, a lower score does tend to correspond with when I'm feeling a little more fragile and prevents me from pushing it too far. It's also a good encouragement when you see a high readiness score on a particular morning when you were tempted to stay in bed.

Stress tracking, metrics and trends

Sleep and readiness aren't the only things that the Fitbit Luxe tracks, as it offers stats on everything from stress to oxygen saturation. During the year, I was also offered the option to get irregular heart rhythm notifications, alerting me before things potentially got dangerous. We may take the ability to track some of this information for granted in the modern world, but they have been invaluable for my peace of mind.

As someone who suffers from chronic health issues that aren't life-threatening but which impact my daily life and health, I have been blown away by how much a fitness tracker can offer me. I'm no athlete, but Fitbit has something for everyone.

Community groups and challenges

Online health and fitness groups aren't hard to come by, but Fitbit's community page has been really well thought out. Tell the app your interests (healthy eating, hiking, diabetes, etc.), and you'll get a helpful, positive feed full of stories, experiences, and tips from other users.

The discover page features a huge collection of workouts (short and more substantial), meditations, recipes, challenges, and games that will suit those who approach health and fitness from a certain angle. I, for one, like there to be a gamification element, so it suits me brilliantly.

Overall, Fitbit's commitment to health, as well as fitness and exercise, has really impressed me and has actually made me pay more attention to certain parts of my health I was clueless about before.