Updated for 2017!

One of the best parts about a Disney vacation is enjoying the food and snacks, but sometimes it’s tough to abandon established workout regimens and daily food goals you’ve been working on maintaining for month, sometimes years. Can you continue healthy eating and exercising on vacation and still relax and have fun? Like aren’t exercise and vacation opposite concepts?! Will you come home from trying to stay in good shape on your trip with regrets you’ve missed out on fun and Disney FOOD?!

America is not a nation in great shape. Niddk.nih.gov reports that more than one-third of adults are considered to be obese. About one-third of children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be overweight or obese. More than 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 are considered to be obese. Livestrong.com cites Boston Medical Center information indicating that approximately 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products in their efforts to love weight and look better.

Read: Walking Miles & Miles at Disney Theme Parks

If you are one of the millions on a diet and exercise plan this year, your time spent on a vacation is a struggle to return home with more souvenirs than extra pounds. There are unlimited diet plans and weight loss products out there, but the one I took to Disney World on our last trip was a Fitbit.

To sense movements of the user, a Fitbit Tracker uses an accelerometer, which is three-dimensional technology similar to Wii gaming remote controls. The Tracker measures the steps you take, combining that information with user data to calculate distance walked, calories burned, floors climbed, activity duration, and activity intensity. Using OLED display, the Tracker also measures sleep quality by recording periods of restlessness, how long it takes the wearer to fall asleep, and your length of time asleep.

A wireless base station is included in your Fitbit purchase to receive data from the Tracker and also charge the battery. When you connect the Tracker to a computer, the base station will upload data to the Fitbit website. Free for you to use, the website allows you to see an overview of your physical activity, setting and tracking goals, keeping food and activity logs and interacting with friends. You can do of this on your mobile apps. as well.

The battery for most Fitbits lasts 5–7 days, and it can take 1–2 hours to charge. You may need to charge your Fitbit on at least one  night during your vacation.

Read: What You Can NOT Wear to Disney Theme Parks

Are Fitbits Accurate?

Many studies have been completed to determine how accurate Fitbits are. Iowa State University‘s tests determined the bands were at best “reasonably accurate,” with the Fitbit Zip and Fitbit One scoring 10.1% and 10.4% error ratings. The Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center tested the accuracy and reliability of Fitbit devices, including the Fitbit One and Fitbit Flex. Their test results showed that, overall, Fitbit devices worn on the hip accurately measured steps taken within 1 step of 100% accuracy. Devices worn on the wrist, however, were off by an average of 11 steps per minute.

When measuring the number of calories burned Fitbit devices worn on the hip underestimated by an average of 6%, while devices worn on the wrist overestimated calories burned by 21%. Authors concluded that both the Fitbit One and Fitbit Flex devices reliably measured step counts and energy expenditure, with hip-based Fitbit devices being more accurate than wrist-based devices.

Back in 2012, Fitbit released a “Wi-Fi smart scale” called the Fitbit Aria. It recognizes users who are wearing Fitbit trackers and measures weight, BMI = body mass index, and percentage of body fat of the user. The scale can keep track of up to eight individual users and will update information to fitbit.com automatically using Wi-Fi networks. The information is also updated to the mobile apps. So you could return from your trip, and your Fitbit compatible scale will already know the results of your vacation.

Read – A Cheapskate Princess Guide: Walt Disney World MagicBands

Sometimes they go on sale, and many stores will price match lowest prices.

There are many different styles and options in different price ranges to fit your needs.

My choice was the Flex, even though there was no clock function. I wanted something very thin and lightweight.

I like how easy to follow the numbers are on the iPhone app.

Read: Disney World Resort Hopping

Fitbit Reviews From Our Readers 

We asked our readers if they wore health tracking devices on Disney vacations.