In this post I’m going to review the Huawei Band 3e Smart Fitness Activity Tracker. It’s the updated version of the one I’ve been using every day for the past two years.
I’m not going to list out every single feature of this useful little item. If you’re interested in its ability to coach your running stride then this review is probably not for you.
But if, like me, you want a straightforward, easy to set up and easy to use fitness band that tracks your steps and helps you achieve your fitness goals then keep reading.
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Features of the Huawei band 3e at a glance
- Lightweight and comfortable to wear
- Waterproof – use in pool
- Face shows time, date, steps and battery charge
- Scroll through basic settings – steps are first
- Easy to link to an app on your smartphone for full data and history
- Counts steps (pedometer) and keeps a record so you can see if you’re improving over time
- Measures routes you walk
- Counts calories used
- Also tracks swimming, running and cycling
- Target attainment alert
- Prompts you to get up and stretch every hour
- Alerts you to phone calls
- Shows texts received by your phone
- Needs recharging about every couple of weeks
Why I needed a fitness tracker
I’ve been downsizing my footprint on this earth and happily shedding shed-loads of stuff in the process. So gadgets – or should I say wearable tech accessories – are not my thing. So it was by accident that I bought my fitness band.
Here’s what happened. I started this blog two years ago. I’d been thinking about it for months but putting off the decision to actually start because I knew I would be back at a desk writing. And I really couldn’t face putting weight on again.
You see I’ve only once in my life had a job where I sat at a desk all day. I was writing all day, all week. It’s something I enjoy doing. But within months my shape literally ballooned. I put on over 20 lbs.
I felt fat, ugly and uncomfortable. After a year I handed in my notice and left. Never again I said to myself.
But I just can’t say no to a challenge. (Spoiler alert – if you have this mindest too, you’ll do well with a tracker.) So when I discovered a blog challenge I couldn’t resist having a go at creating one. After all, I figured, I’d be working from home and could easily include an exercise routine into my day.
Why I bought the Huawei band
Ok, so I’m sure you all know what happened.
The first week was great. The second week was bad weather so I ‘couldn’t ‘ do my long walks. The third and fourth weeks I was loving the blogging course I had joined so much that I didn’t want to ‘waste time’ walking. Thank goodness I have a dog with needs.
But the weight started to creep on. And I was so stiff when I got up from my desk that I felt as if I were 90 let alone 70.
For my blog I started looking into his and her wedding gifts that would help the couple to ‘stay in step’. (You can see what I found in this post.) I came across fitness trackers and smart watches. Then, as often happens with me, I got so interested I found myself ordering one from Amazon.
Perfect I thought. This will keep me fit – I hope.
I was worried I’d find it difficult to link to my phone. But it wasn’t. I downloaded the Huawei health app and it linked straight up.
Counting my every step
It is generally thought that if you consistently walk 10,000 paces a day you will maintain health and weight. So that’s what I bought it for – to push me to walk those 10,000 paces every day. And it did that admirably.
I would sometimes dash out at the end of the day just to make up those last 500 paces. I told you I love a challenge.
Forget you’ve got the tracker on
I loved the fact it was so lightweight I didn’t notice it on my wrist so never felt the urge to remove it. Because you have to wear it full time for it to be much use.
You can shower with it on, though I don’t. But I do wear it whilst swimming in the summer.
Measures the route you walk
Then in mid March 2020 France went into the first lockdown of the pandemic. We were rationed to exercising within a kilometer of our front door. Most shops closed. Walking groups and most other clubs ceased to function and you couldn’t even meet up with friends for a coffee. A lot of people started watching day-time TV – all day.
Was I glad I had my tracker! I just had to plan a route that never took me over a kilometer from home but needed all my 10,000 steps. That’s when I started using my fitness band to measure various routes.
I found two or three favorite looping walks and stuck with them. The sense of being told not to do something always gets my mind busy finding a way of obeying the rules but doing what I want to anyway.
I’m not saying I never put on a single pound but I know I felt healthier and more in control than if I’d accepted lockdown as a jail sentence that meant me doing very little walking.
Tells me the length and quality of my sleep
Meanwhile I had started watching how long I slept, the depth of my sleep and how often I woke up in the night. As we age it can be difficult to tumble into bed and pass out within minutes.
Although the sleep data isn’t 100% accurate – if I lay on the sofa watching a film for 90 minutes without moving that would count as sleep – it did stop me worrying that I was not getting enough sleep.
I noticed that if I missed sleep one night then I’d make it up during the following one or two nights. Knowing that helps me relax at night even when I’m not sleepy – and so I tend to fall asleep more quickly anyway.
Monitors my heart rate
The wrist band checks heart rate too. I like to push mine up for a short while so I get out of breath then note how long it takes to come back to normal resting heart rate. That’s a good indication of general heart health.
Reminds me to stop sitting down
If I’m deep into my blog and not aware of the time, I get a little buzz on my wrist to remind me to get up and stretch and take a few steps around the room. I find this feature much more useful that I thought I would. It means I don’t need to keep checking the time and breaking concentration.
Let’s me leave my phone at home
Talking of time, you may wonder why I don’t just use a phone app. There are plenty of pedometer apps available. But I like to walk with my hands free. I only look at my phone a few times a day. I’m much less interested in social media than in the natural world around me.
So the Huawei tracker band suits me better. I can check paces and heart rate on the go and look into other data via the mobile app, comparing this week and last for example, over a cup of coffee before I get up in the morning.
Decide to answer the phone or not
I know most people can’t resist answering their phone or checking their messages. But I don’t do that. I enjoy focussing on one thing at a time.
My fitness band alerts me if the phone rings and I can decide to answer or not.
And it tells me when a text is received so I don’t need to keep checking if I’m waiting for a delivery for example.
This system works really well for me. And if you find the whole palaver of finding your glasses, finding your phone and accepting a call irritating, then you’ll love this feature too.
Excellent value
Finally, for those of us on a pension, let me mention that the Huawei Band 3e is very affordable. I checked out other similar bands such as Fitbit but no reliable brand came close to the Huawei.
Fitbit is the brand leader and offers lots of colorful bands. Huawei is just in black or pink. I bought black because it goes with everything and I’ve not regretted it.
Check out the current prices of other fitness bands for women on Amazon
This website is all about helping women over 50 feel and look great. This fitness tracker can certainly help you on this journey. But you have to wear it all the time. And you have to be up for the challenge of increasing your number of daily steps each month.
By the way just in case you are wondering which blogging course I’m on, it’s called Income School (Click for the link). If you have a hobby you’d like to dive deeper into and publish what you learn, or if you want to make income from blogging (this takes commitment and time), then I think you’ll love the friendly team at Income School and their clear step-by-step approach. I do!