Is a Fitness Tracker Worth it for You and Your Health?

Fitness trackers are some of the hottest technology gadgets available. They can measure your daily step count, monitor your heart rate, log how many calories you’ve eaten, and even analyze your sleep quality. Some models can read your blood oxygen levels and use GPS technology to keep track of your running, walking, or biking route. Many people swear by making this type of “wearable” technology a part of their daily routines.

If you’ve ever wondered, “should I use a fitness tracker?” you’re not alone. Many people want to know if fitness trackers are just a passing trend or a worthy addition to their health and exercise routine.

Why Wear a Fitness Tracker?

We all know that it’s important to exercise regularly, especially as we age. Studies have shown that physical activity can extend longevity, prevent cardiovascular disease and stroke, and combat the onset of dementia. Having a regular exercise routine is an important part of keeping your body feeling young and in shape. The trouble is that many people struggle with keeping a consistent workout routine. This is where fitness trackers come in.

Fitness trackers are wearable health devices designed to monitor your activity level. They come in all shapes and sizes, from simple models that are little more than glorified pedometers to advanced smartwatches — and even jewelry — that can track your body’s vital signs in micro detail.

Tracking your fitness activity can also be an important step toward taking charge of your health because it makes people more conscious of their health. Having a log of your activity level and vital signs can also be a valuable tool to share with your doctor or personal trainer. Seeing hard data makes it easier to create a sustainable routine you can stick to. Many Aviv Clinics clients receiving our innovative hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol use the Aviv App and Garmin smart watches to stay on track with their prescribed customized therapies.

Top Benefits of Using a Fitness Tracker

1. Helps Build a Consistent Fitness Routine

For many people, exercising without any way to track their progress can be frustrating. It can be hard to find the motivation to get moving when you don’t know if your efforts are working. Wearing a fitness tracker allows you to see your progress in real-time and make adjustments. If you track 5,000 steps a day, you can make it a goal to gradually increase your walking to the recommended 10,000 steps per day. When you see your numbers improve, you become more apt to stick to your routine.

2. Gets You Motivated to Move More

Most of us spend far more time than we’d like to on the couch. Sitting too much can be deadly. It’s a good rule of thumb to get up and move for 15 minutes for every hour that you spend sitting down. Many fitness trackers come with built-in reminders for this exact reason, helping you remember to get up and move throughout the day.

3. Tracks Your Diet and Nutrition

Many fitness trackers offer ways to input your daily food and water intake via connected apps. Keeping track helps make sure that you’re getting adequate nutrition. Studies have shown that tracking your food intake can lead to weight loss, even without following a specific diet plan. The information can also help a dietitian or a personal trainer get a close-up look at your daily meal plan. They can then employ this data to help you formulate a healthy diet, and logging your choices regularly can help you stick to it.

Drawbacks and Limitations: The Cons of Fitness Trackers

1. Too Much Data Can Be Overwhelming

Some people be intimidated by the amount of data recorded by their fitness tracker. Many devices offer far more options than the average person needs, and the high cost of some premium models means they may not be an ideal investment. Those who are less technically savvy may also find the device’s smartphone app frustrating to use or simply not worth the trouble.

Ask yourself what variables are most important for you to track, like heart rate, number of steps, and estimated number of calories burned. Once you determine these variables, look for models that only track those features. You’ll save money and save your brain from information overload.

2. The Risk of Obsessive Tracking Behavior

The detailed stats that a fitness tracker provides can be a tremendous motivation for some people. But for others, this may open a gateway to obsessive behavior. Many people can’t help but fixate on obtaining perfect stats, and may push themselves too hard to achieve them. It’s also worth noting that because fitness trackers are not true medical devices, there may be vast discrepancies between different models.

3. Fitness Trackers May Lose Effectiveness Over Time

While a fitness tracker can be a valuable tool to motivate you in the early stages of your fitness journey, they’re not as useful for keeping the weight off in the long run. Surveys have shown that around one-third of people who buy fitness trackers stop wearing their devices after six months. Other studies have found that they’re not as helpful for losing weight as most people would believe. A randomized trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who didn’t wear a fitness tracker actually lost around 8 pounds more on average compared to their device-wearing counterparts.

Does that mean that wearing a fitness tracking device will inhibit your progress? Not necessarily. Those in the study who wore the trackers still saw improvements to their body composition and physical fitness thanks to their new diet and exercise routines. That’s because the trick to living a healthy lifestyle is finding a routine that works and sticking to it.

The Best Alternatives to Fitness Trackers

It’s worth noting that spending hundreds of dollars for a fitness tracker isn’t the only way to monitor your health. If you want to gauge your heart rate while exercising, try this simple experiment: go for a brisk 30-minute walk around your neighborhood. When you get to the halfway point, try singing one of your favorite songs. If you can sing it perfectly without any hesitation, up the pace.

You can also set “stand up and move” reminders on your watch or smartphone. For tracking your food intake, several apps allow you to log your daily meals. Some people enjoy keeping a physical food journal rather than using a purely digital route. You can always experiment until you find the right method.

The Bottom Line: Are Fitness Trackers Right For You?

When used correctly, a fitness tracker can be a helpful tool that offers detailed feedback on your body’s activity level and other aspects of your health. If you need an extra boost to get moving or want to keep a close eye on your progress, a tracker can be a worthwhile investment. However, if you have a tendency to obsess over small details, or don’t need the extensive data that a fitness tracker provides, another option might be better for tracking your progress. Ultimately, how you choose to track your activity is your choice. Whatever option you choose, the important thing is that you keep moving and stay active at a healthy level.

Physical performance training is a key component to health and aging, which is why exercise is a pillar of treatment at Aviv Clinics.  The Aviv Medical Program is a personalized treatment plan crafted for each client, and can include physical activity, a unique evidence-based hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol, or other therapies as prescribed by our physicians. Our medical program closely tracks clients’ progress before, during, and after the treatment program.

Want to learn more about how the Aviv Medical Program can optimize your performance, reverse aging, or aid in your recovery from stroke, traumatic brain injuries, or other conditions? Contact us today to request a complimentary consultation.