Wearable fitness trackers are touted as motivation on your wrist. But fitness wearables— so-called to encompass all forms, from watches and bracelets to rings and pendants—work best as monitoring tools.
Whatever your wellness goals—increasing physical activity, developing mindfulness, or improving sleep habits—your wearable can provide data for supporting your efforts. While fitness trackers are not magic bullets, they can help you set goals and track your progress, which might be just the thing to help you get off your duff.
If you’re thinking about joining the hundreds of millions of fitness watch users worldwide, start by asking yourself how you plan to use the technology.
What are your fitness goals? Just want to count your daily steps? Choose from a wide variety of basic level devices by makers like Fitbit, Apple or Garmin. These wearables can set reminders, such as moving every hour or drinking more water. Choose the insights you want to track: the number of laps you swim, for example, or an alert that tells you when you’re in your fat-burning zone.
Please join us at the October 1, 2023 Booming BETTER Expo in Purchase, NY for a day of fun, learning and engagement. Pre-register for a chance to win!.
Do you prefer simple or high-tech? If you’re overwhelmed by too many options, buttons or screens on your fitness watch, you’ll be less likely to use it. But if you’re a data geek, you might benefit from a more sophisticated device—sold by Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and more—that can track dozens of activities, suggest workouts, and connect to your phone or tablet for articles and forums. Some allow you to set reminders for taking your medications or provide data to help you understand your sleep patterns. Some devices track variations in blood oxygen levels, which can be an early indicator of impaired lung function or sleep apnea.
How connected do you want to be? All fitness trackers come with built-in GPS which, at its most basic, can help you find your way or help someone find you. Then there are the stories you hear about the hiker who fell into a crevasse and was saved after their watch transmitted key information to first responders. Fall detection, indicators of an elevated risk for a cardiac event and a button that notifies a trained emergency responder are other features you can choose from—at a price. But if you’re someone who likes to just put on your trainers and go, without deciding your route in advance, you might benefit from one of these features.
Bottom line: Fitness wearables work best if used consistently in ways that support your goals. But in the end, such devices can only provide you with data. Getting off the couch and out the door is up to you.
Donna Moriarty is a lifelong writer, editor and author who writes about education, wellness, and personal development. She and her husband are Ossining residents, with three grown children and two elderly dachshunds. Learn (and read) more at www.silversmithwriting.com
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19 Jun 2023
0 Commentsmotivation or wrist candy?
Wearable fitness trackers are touted as motivation on your wrist. But fitness wearables— so-called to encompass all forms, from watches and bracelets to rings and pendants—work best as monitoring tools.
Whatever your wellness goals—increasing physical activity, developing mindfulness, or improving sleep habits—your wearable can provide data for supporting your efforts. While fitness trackers are not magic bullets, they can help you set goals and track your progress, which might be just the thing to help you get off your duff.
If you’re thinking about joining the hundreds of millions of fitness watch users worldwide, start by asking yourself how you plan to use the technology.
What are your fitness goals? Just want to count your daily steps? Choose from a wide variety of basic level devices by makers like Fitbit, Apple or Garmin. These wearables can set reminders, such as moving every hour or drinking more water. Choose the insights you want to track: the number of laps you swim, for example, or an alert that tells you when you’re in your fat-burning zone.
Please join us at the October 1, 2023 Booming BETTER Expo in Purchase, NY for a day of fun, learning and engagement. Pre-register for a chance to win!.
Do you prefer simple or high-tech? If you’re overwhelmed by too many options, buttons or screens on your fitness watch, you’ll be less likely to use it. But if you’re a data geek, you might benefit from a more sophisticated device—sold by Apple, Fitbit, Samsung and more—that can track dozens of activities, suggest workouts, and connect to your phone or tablet for articles and forums. Some allow you to set reminders for taking your medications or provide data to help you understand your sleep patterns. Some devices track variations in blood oxygen levels, which can be an early indicator of impaired lung function or sleep apnea.
How connected do you want to be? All fitness trackers come with built-in GPS which, at its most basic, can help you find your way or help someone find you. Then there are the stories you hear about the hiker who fell into a crevasse and was saved after their watch transmitted key information to first responders. Fall detection, indicators of an elevated risk for a cardiac event and a button that notifies a trained emergency responder are other features you can choose from—at a price. But if you’re someone who likes to just put on your trainers and go, without deciding your route in advance, you might benefit from one of these features.
Bottom line: Fitness wearables work best if used consistently in ways that support your goals. But in the end, such devices can only provide you with data. Getting off the couch and out the door is up to you.