Fitness trackers on their own won't improve your health; that's just true. But what trackers can do is motivate you, hold you accountable, and measure metrics that you normally wouldn't think to look at when it comes to your overall fitness. If you're thinking of slapping a Fitbit on your arm but need a little more convincing, then try this on for size!
Get motivated
In an increasingly sedentary society, it's more important than ever for people to get off their butts and move around more. Fitness trackers are one way of giving you that extra push to get out of your seat. As Lisa Cadmus-Betram, author of a study on fitness trackers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison puts it:
"Fitness trackers combine key ingredients for motivating people to reach their health goals — self-monitoring, setting goals, getting frequent feedback on progress, revising goals if needed, social support, and developing a sense of self-efficacy."
Setting realistic and achievable goals is a key factor in motivation and is one area where fitness trackers actually help quite a bit. However, fitness trackers can't tell you if a goal is achievable; ultimately, only trial and error can do that. What fitness trackers can do is give you the data upon which you can revise your goals, if necessary.
Additionally, many fitness trackers, including the Fitbit Alta, now come with a little alarm that goes off every hour where your activity falls below a certain threshold to remind you to get up and walk around. It's great for those busy days when you feel like you're glued to your desk.
Sleep better
As Dr. Sanjay Gupta writes on Oprah.com, "If you're going to monitor only one thing, this (sleep) is it. Without adequate rest, your whole body suffers."
Dr. Gupta has a very good reason for pointing out how important the sleep tracking feature of fitness trackers is. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, sleep is vital to good health. Chronic sleep deficiency is linked to a higher risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Most fitness trackers have built-in sleep monitors, which measure how long you sleep and gauge the quality of your rest by how much you move around while you sleep. While Dr. Gupta is careful to note that fitness trackers can overestimate the quality of your sleep, he does say that if you keep track of those restless nights, you may be able to discern a cause for them and address it accordingly. Wear your fitness tracker to bed, and perhaps your nights will be more restful and you'll feel better in the morning.
Read more on https://www.imore.com/5-ways-fitness-trackers-make-your-life-better
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