Fitness wearables like smartwatches and activity trackers have exploded in popularity recently, thanks to advances in technology that allow us to wear these devices on our wrists and track our activity. But are these sleek gadgets all they’re cracked up to be? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons fitness tracker devices offer and whether you need one to get in the best shape of your life.
The Pros of Fitness Trackers
First, let’s look at the pros of wearing a fitness tracker:
Goal Setting and Motivation
Possibly the biggest benefit of using fitness wearable is they help you set your fitness goals and stay on track. When you strap on a wearable, you can monitor daily step counts, calorie burn targets, or exercise duration. Having this feedback helps you stay motivated and accountable, so you’re more likely to stick to your routine. When you look at your wrist and see those numbers light up, it’s a constant reminder of what you’re working towards, how far you’ve come, and where you’re heading. If you have trouble staying on course or like consistent feedback, you will likely find this information motivational.
Health Tracking
Fitness trackers are multi-functional. You can use it to track your steps, calorie burn, and heart rate but you also use it to monitor other aspects of your health, like sleep quality. We know that sleep is important for health and weight control, so it needs our focus too. Knowing if your sleep is up to par can help you make more informed decisions about your lifestyle and health habits and finetune your goals. A fitness app makes it easy by monitoring how long you sleep, how many hours you spend in light or deep sleep, and the quality of your sleep. These apps can also make you aware of whether you have sleep issues that could impact your health, like insomnia or sleep apnea, but you should always consult with a healthcare provider if you suspect you have sleep apnea.
With some smartwatches, you run a single-lead electrocardiogram that will give you feedback on your heart rhythm. More advanced fitness watches have pulse oximeters that can measure the oxygen saturation of your blood, so you know how well you’re oxygenating your blood. You can even use some to monitor your menstrual cycle.
Workout Guidance
More advanced smartwatches offer real-time coaching and feedback while you’re working out. Some can provide you with training plans based on your fitness level and can suggest exercise variations if you need them. However, they won’t replace a knowledgeable fitness instructor.
Convenience
There’s also a convenience factor to wearing a tracker on your wrist. It’s liberating when you don’t need to carry a separate device during workouts or daily activities.
Cons of Fitness Trackers
Now let’s explore the cons:
Accuracy Concerns
For step counting, fitness trackers are mostly accurate, especially when you do repetitive, consistent movements like walking or running. Yet they’re less accurate for tracking steps during activities that involve irregular movements or non-step-based activities. They’re also fairly accurate for measuring heart rate, but a chest monitor is still a better choice if you need the most accurate heart rate.
On the downside, calorie burn values are subject to error, as the values come from algorithms that consider your physical characteristics and the intensity of the activity you’re doing. You may encounter discrepancies based on differences in metabolism and the types of activities you’re doing.
In terms of sleep monitoring, fitness trackers provide information that can help guide your sleeping habits, but they lack the accuracy you would get from a structured sleep study. So be aware that they’re not a substitute for medical evaluation.
Obsessive Behavior
Another concern is becoming TOO obsessed with your tracker. Some people become overly fixated on the numbers they see on their fitness tracker, and it becomes an obsession. If you have a history of obsessive thoughts or behavior or a history of an eating disorder, it’s best to avoid using a fitness tracker. If you use one, keep things balanced and don’t check it every five minutes or obsess over the numbers. Celebrate your progress and see setbacks as a learning experience. Obsession with numbers is never healthy.
Cost
Fitness trackers can cost a lot too. Basic models, like fitness bands, are reasonably priced, usually under $50.00 but are limited. They usually only monitor basic activity tracking and step. If you want a smartwatch that can monitor heart rate monitoring, GPS, sleep analysis and more, it will cost you several hundred dollars or more. Plus, if you buy a smartwatch, you may need to pay a monthly subscription to get the more advanced features.
Battery Life and Charging
When you get a fitness tracker, you’ll have to charge it often. With a smartwatch, you may need to charge it every night – and how do you monitor your sleep if you do? Fortunately, battery life for smartwatches is improving. Some even offer batteries that last several weeks. They may also have a low-power mode to save batter life, but you can expect to pay more for these devices.
Data Privacy Concerns
Since these devices store data, you might be concerned about privacy – for good reason! Your data could be sold to third parties or be compromised during a cyberattack. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you might be especially concerned about your information getting out. If you buy a wearable device, choose one that has a strong privacy policy and has robust security measures to protect data.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are pros and cons to using fitness trackers. They’re great for monitoring and goal setting but they have downsides such as cost, limited battery life, and concerns about data privacy. Research shows trackers are motivating and are effective for boosting motivation to exercise. One meta-analysis found that exercisers who wore a tracker exercised more and took more steps each day.
But be sure you understand these pros and cons before making the investment. You might find that keeping a fitness journal is enough for you.
References:
- Lewis ZH, Pritting L, Picazo AL, JeanMarie-Tucker M. The utility of wearable fitness trackers and implications for increased engagement: An exploratory, mixed methods observational study. Digit Health. 2020 Jan 13;6:2055207619900059. doi: 10.1177/2055207619900059. PMID: 31976079; PMCID: PMC6958644.”Effectiveness of wearable activity trackers to increase physical ….”
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landig/article/PIIS2589-7500(22)00111-X/fulltext.
- “The use of mobile apps and fitness trackers to promote healthy … – PLOS.” 18 Aug. 2022, https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0000087.
- Tang MSS, Moore K, McGavigan A, Clark RA, Ganesan AN. Effectiveness of Wearable Trackers on Physical Activity in Healthy Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2020 Jul 22;8(7):e15576. doi: 10.2196/15576. PMID: 32706685; PMCID: PMC7407266.
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