Can you wear the ionic on your upper arm?

[Smileroo]

Where I work you are unable to wear anything below the elbow but I would still like to wear a smart watch and fitness tracker when there. I was wondering if you can wear the watch slightly above the elbow if I was able to extend the strap so it was big enough to do so (a standard watch strap linked in to the holes and buckle of the fitted strap should work). It could then still be pressed against my skin to measure heart rate but will it still measure steps etc ok when working.

I work long 12.5hr shifts and spend a lot of that time moving from one patient to another so would be interested to see my step count and HR through the day. I also like the idea of having and in built GPS for when I cycle and run outside of working hours so I can leave my phone at home.

[Julia_G]

Hi, @Smileroo, the best thing to do would be to experiment and try.  If you buy from Fotbit they offer an unconditional 45 day return period -- although if you return for any reason other than it is faulty you will have to pay postage.

The Ionic will certainly count steps reasonably accurately while in your pocket, so I don't see why it would 't count steps while on your upper arm.  It may not be quite as accurate, as the progams for processing the data are based on a wrist placement.  I do not know whether you would get a consistent HR reading as typically people have more fat on the upper arms and the blood vessels may not be quite as close to the surface.

Many people report wearing Fitbits on their ankle.  I have experimented with this and believe that this results in about a 20% overcounting of steps.  However, people do report  that they can get a consistent heartrate reading that way.