ONE can argue that a fitness tracker is a must for any fitness enthusiast these days.
A decent one helps you track various parts of your daily life, be it the amount of steps, the calories you burn, the length of your exercise and and some even tracks your blood oxygen level.
Studies show that consistently using a fitness tracker — a device that tracks your movement, such as a traditional pedometer or other wearable device, or a smartphone app — can increase your steps per day by more than a mile, especially if you establish a heart-smart daily goal.
“Fitness trackers are a great tool for heart health,” says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Seth Martin.
“Being more active and changing your habits is important, but it can be difficult.
Tracking likely helps a lot of people when combined with a clear goal to shoot for.”
The heart-smart power of a fitness tracker
Having an objective daily record can open people’s eyes to how little exercise they’re getting, Martin says, which can recalibrate their mindset and become an incentive.
People find ways to incorporate more activity into their day, whether it’s dedicated walking or gym time, walking during meetings or personal calls, or simply taking the stairs instead of an elevator.
“It gives people information and empowers them to start making changes for heart health,” Martin says.
“And often, their activity level was not something they were paying attention to before they started tracking.”
Where to start, how to stick with It
Try a few pedometers, smartphone tracking apps or wearable devices, until you find one that’s comfortable for you and your budget, Martin suggests.
Next steps once you’ve made a match: Use the tracker consistently, every day.
Set a goal.
The most common figure is 10,000 steps per day but check with your doctor.
If that is unrealistic or unhealthy, he or she can suggest an individualized plan, such as doubling your 2,000 steps to 4,000.
Find activities you enjoy that also fit into your daily life and can be sustained over the long-term.
Recruit friends and family to use trackers as well. It can create a social support network and even foster a sense of competition.
Be accountable.
Check your numbers every day and share them with your doctor at your next appointment.
Follow those five tips, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier lifestyle — and a healthier heart.
How does a fitness tracker work?
A fitness tracker continuously records data, provided you wear it and power it up.
It will sense the movements of your body, regardless of the activity you engage in.
When you access the software associated with the tracker, this data goes through a personalized algorithm.
As a result, the software can detect what the recorded movements imply and categorize them into various activities.
After the software registers the movements, it can generate more information about them.
You can track your fitness patterns by accessing the appropriate heading in your fitness tracker app.
Do sleep trackers improve sleep?
Currently, there is no definite information yet, as sleep is different for each individual.
Although there are experts who believe tracking sleep could be doing more harm than good for some.
For some who keep track of their sleeping patterns, it becomes a cause of unwarranted anxiety and worries.
There’s even a name for it — orthosomnia, which describes people who obsess over the results of their sleep and fitness trackers.
How accurate are fitness trackers?
The accuracy of a fitness tracker can vary significantly based on its type and level of personalisation.
Different trackers use different sensors to measure what you’re doing, which, in turn, use different algorithms to convert the raw data into easily digestible statistics.
Measuring your fitness tracker against information that’s well known to you might be the easiest way to check how accurate your tracker is.
For example, check if it accurately represents the distance between work and home.
However, the problem usually lies in smaller movements.
Some trackers might interpret a bumpy car ride as an exercise, throwing off the reading’s accuracy.
Regardless of the accuracy, a fitness tracker can help you strive toward a healthier lifestyle.
Depending on the model, this compact device and the accompanying app can motivate you to: set and accomplish fitness goals, stay active daily, burn a specific number of calories, drink a set number of glasses of water, improve your overall fitness level and share your progress online and receive feedback.
When choosing a fitness tracker, therefore, go for devices that can provide you with the features necessary to achieve the goals you have in mind.
On top of that, the tracker should present the collected data in an easily understandable manner.
