Mio SLICE Fitness Tracker Review by My Clients, Danny and Kyle!
August 14, 2017 -
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Something that actually makes us accountable for not only my workouts? We’re in!
We’re Danny & Kyle — two of Kasey’s clients and here today to guest post! We’ve been working with Kasey for about a year and a half now here in Rhode Island and we’ve both made some big positive changes to our lifestyle during that time.
Over a month ago, Kasey & Mio Global gifted us with their fitness tracking bands called the “SLICE” as we were looking for that extra dose of motivation for our workouts and healthier lifestyle.
We know that Kasey is all about balance & being true to yourself, so a fitness tracker band isn’t always for every person out there – but for us, it’s a positive to keep motivated and accountable.
We did well in years prior with wearing a fitness tracker for accountability so we we’re pumped to review these new bands & share with you all what we think from a client’s perspective (and our pugs, Lily & Luna).
Overall, the Mio Slice has been a wonderful addition to our daily rituals and routines. While it does have some hiccups, overall the device has succeeded in making us work harder to achieve new levels of health and wellness.
Kyle: As an active person and previous owner of other fitness tracking bands, I was excited to try the Mio Slice. Most fitness tracker owners, including myself, have two things in common: They are trying to reach the prescribed 10,000 steps in a day and have had a device fall apart on them over time which I didn’t even bother replacing when it died after a few months of use.
The creators of the Mio Slice have tackled these problems head-on to build something much more sophisticated.
Physically, the band is strong and durable. It advertises as water resistant up to 100 feet and has proven fairly resilient so far. I’ve had no problems with it breaking due to outside stresses.
I’ve worn the band through heavy yardwork, swimming laps, and outdoor circuits. The Mio Slice functions as a watch, distance / sleep tracker, PAI calculator (I’ll explain about that later), heart rate monitor and can send notifications if you get a text or phone call.
The battery life for this device is a few days if you leave the notifications off, but I suppose it depends how many texts and phone calls you expect throughout the day. One major concern is that the Mio Slice battery actually would never charge above 90% for me.
This might have been a factory defect, but it was frustrating that leaving the band charging overnight wouldn’t allow it to maintain a maximum charge and I missed out on the tracking of my sleep cycle a few times. I turned off my notifications to compensate for this and I manage to get about 2 days of battery life including a tracked workout each day.
So, what makes the Mio Slice different?
The creators of Mio Slice also decided to put an end to the “steps” we all know and add PAI in its place. Mio Slice users are challenged to achieve 100 PAI points each week instead of the 10,000 steps per day recommended by other bands.
Instead of step counting, PAI is an activity metric that focuses on heart rate, and takes your heart rate and personal data and turns it into a meaningful, actionable score (your PAI score) guiding you on how much activity you need to stay healthy.
While it’s true the Mio Slice DOES generalize by giving everyone a goal of 100 points a week, let me take a moment to explain the differences.
PAI, or Personal Activity Intelligence, is a point system where you earn points based on your heart rate throughout the day. It took me a while to fully grasp the concept, but to make it really simple: higher heart rate generates more points.
You can also “bank” points earlier in the week so that you even out if you know you wont be able to train later in the week.
“It’s a scientifically-backed metric that takes your heart rate during all activity and translates it into points, known as “PAI points. If you maintain a score of 100 PAI throughout a rolling 7 days then you will gain maximum protection from cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle related diseases.”
The Mio Slice doesn’t let you get away with putting in a “good” effort during a workout. If your heart rate isn’t high enough, you won’t earn the points.
Let me give you an example.
My partner and I might go for a 1 mile run together. Because I run regularly, my heart rate levels out to moderate levels during the mile and I earn some PAI. My partner, who doesn’t run often, is challenged by the 1 mile. His heart rate maintains a high rate and he earns lots of PAI. I would have to either run harder or longer to make up the difference in PAI. This makes the 100 PAI more personalized because everyone is challenged differently during a routine. You can’t hide behind the leisurely 10,000 steps a day anymore!
PAI is the great equalizer; it’s based on each person’s physical makeup (maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, and the body’s response to exercise.) The activity everyone does to achieve their goal of 100 is unique to them. [read more here on calculating PAI points]
You can go into your settings and adjust your max and low heart rate in your app which makes it even more individual to the person wearing it and earning points as everyone’s will be unique.
For the first week or two, I honestly struggled to earn my 100 PAI each week which the company said is TOTALLY NORMAL as it adjusts over time. On average, my workout week includes 2 full body workouts with my trainer Kasey, a power circuit and a TABATA class. I was disheartened but I still kept trying to meet the goal by pushing myself.
To give you an idea of what amount of PAI you might earn, an energetic walk for about an hour might earn you 2-4 PAI (if you were brisk about it) while that same hour with Kasey (who will always challenge you to pick up the heavier weight) earned me about 20 PAI on average.
I would personally not be able to get 100 PAI by simply walking 10,000 steps in oue neighborhood.
Things started to level out by the end of the second week and we both reached 100 PAI for the first time! The band does a fun jubilation when you’ve reached your goal and then keeps tracking the PAI you earn over 100.
Each point we earn over 100 makes me feel even more accomplished and enthusiastic to keep going and be in a friendly competition with one another.
At the moment of writing this review, I currently sit at 121 PAI with a TABATA workout on the horizon tonight with Kasey… and that feels amazing. There is a clear difference and distinction between a casual fitness tracker and dedicated Mio Slice user.
If you have a Mio Slice, definitely give it a few weeks to sync with your heart rate and adjust the settings as needed to make sure your heart rate readings are accurate.
This is essential to earning that PAI. I found out that I wasn’t earning all the points I should have been in those first few weeks. Here are a few helpful hints that helped me keep those points I earned.
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Make use of the workout tracking feature. Simply hold the button (the single, big button) for a few seconds and the Mio Slice will begin tracking your workout. I think this increased the rate that the band checks your heart rate. It regularly checks your heart rate every 5 minutes, but during workouts it checks every 1 second. I forgot to push the button for a few workouts and I think it missed some of those precious minutes where my heart rate was high enough to earn PAI.
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If you totally flake out and forget to put the band on your wrist before a workout, you can always enter your workout into the phone app manually. ALWAYS make sure you give yourself honest credit for every point you can. You are only allowed to do this one time per day so make sure you do this only when necessary. I usually only find myself using this feature about once a week now.
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Make sure the band isn’t loose on your wrist. If the band isn’t tight enough, it won’t track your heart rate accurately. Don’t put it on so tight that it cuts off your circulation… but make sure it is snug so you get those points.
- Once you’ve got a good understanding of your heart rate, go into the app and adjust your max and resting heart rate so it’s tailored to you.
Personally, I’m in love with the accountability the PAI score. It is certainly more challenging to hit the 100 PAI than the 10,000 steps from a Fitbit, but I feel a lot more accomplished and know it is much better for my health and wellness in the long term.
Mio Slice also tracks things like sleep, distance, calories, and you can also receive phone calls and text alerts.
This band is for those who are truly dedicated to their own health and wellness in the long term.
One thing we do wish the SLICE offered is a social networking feature or some sort of account linking with a friends list to interact and challenge others. We’re looking forward to the possibility of new features that may be added in the future.
Thank you Mio Global for letting us give you an honest client perspective review!
Kyle & Danny