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Fitbit. Apple. Garmin. Whatever your preference, you’ve probably had someone ask you that one question that has been in the back of your mind since you dropped some bread on your fitness tracker, “How do you even know that it’s accurate?” I often wonder this same thing every time I charge my Fitbit and accept an invite into the next Goal Day scuffle or Weekend Warrior face-off. The thing is…it doesn’t really matter whether or not it is 110% accurate. The whole concept behind the latest and greatest fitness trackers is to get your butt up off the couch and move. Historically, as technology progressed, we began to do less and less. I see this as an opportunity to embrace technology and wellness with one centralized unit. We have to understand as a people that we cannot NOT take care of our bodies, because we only get one. But if you so choose to sit at the TV screen eating honey buns and sharing the crumbs with your futon, then you should also expect the health problems that follow. So I suggest that you strap on your favorite fitness tracker and partake in the many benefits that it can provide during your journey. Here’s just a few that come to mind when I think of the purchase I made a while back.
It holds you accountable – Not only do you see how close you are to your daily goals, but the option to get into daily and weekly challenges through the free app serves as a source of accountability. If your friends have some sort of tracker that helps you to compare your steps or calories burned to theirs, then more than likely you are going to try and bring your A game.
It has a baseline – Although you may feel like the readings aren’t 100% accurate, a fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor still gives you a decent reading of heart rate highs and lows. If your putting in true work, your heart rate will get up there and so will your calories burned.
Activity level eye opener – Often times we think we are always moving, but the reality is that we generally spend a lot of our time sitting and not remaining active. My Fitbit tells me when it’s time to move every hour, and it doesn’t miss a beat. It helps me to stay true
Sleep synopsis – I have trouble sleeping, and I like to know how much sleep I get and how restless I was throughout the night. The trackers follow your sleep patterns and give you a better understanding of whether or not you are getting quality sleep. This is huge when you train hard, because lack of sleep can prevent serious gains.
Now, there’s definitely tons of other benefits attached to all of the wearable technology on the market nowadays (i.e. music control, alarms, text notifications, and on and on and on.), but the few that I have listed just so happen to be the most important things to help society come out of the fitness rut that we have been in for years. My suggestion to mankind is to drop a little bit of dinero on even the cheapest of trackers and get active. You’d be surprised at how something so simple can motivate you to take the stairs instead of riding the elevator or get up and walk before (or after) work. Don’t worry about the accuracy and stop trying to justify buying one. Just do it and start tracking your burn and counting your steps.