Fitness trackers are used everywhere. They can track the number of calories you burn, the steps you take during your exercises, how you sleep at night and they can even tell the distance you ran among much other useful information. While they provide useful health information, they may vary in accuracy and for that reason, fitness trackers shouldn’t act as substitutes for your overall health assessment done by a qualified doctor. Nevertheless, fitness trackers serve as excellent motivational tools that can push you to meet your fitness goals by showing you the progress you are making in real-time. As with many fitness gadgets, trackers require you to commit for you to get the most out of the tracker.
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What are fitness trackers?
Fitness trackers are small devices mostly used during exercise. They are usually attached to the body and they help one to monitor several health-related factors. As with different products, some trackers are better than others. Below are some common features on every fitness tracker.
Exercise tracker: A lot of fitness trackers track the steps and other activities. Exercises like dancing, cycling, running among many more can be tracked with this amazing feature.
Step Counter: This feature keeps track of the number of steps you make. You can track and get to know when you need to make more effort as well know when you have hit your target.
Vital sign monitor: Vitals such as pulse and heart rate can be tracked with this feature. Some trackers have features that can show temperature readings, rate of respiration, and how hard you have been working out. All these features provide good insights into your overall health.
Calorie tracking: How many calories you have doesn’t matter as much as the type of calories you take in. Good fitness trackers have calorie tracking features from which you can monitor both your calories intake and the outtake levels.
Sleep recorder: Adequate sleep is required to maintain good overall health. This feature in fitness trackers helps you to record just how much sleep you are getting each night. From the insights provided, you can adjust your sleeping schedules.
Ability to sync with your devices: Fitness trackers don’t work alone. They are usually accompanied by an app that allows you to check feedback and gauge whether you are meeting your goals with the type of activities you perform. Each device has its unique features. Your choices should depend on the kind of features you need for your fitness journey.
The Popularity of Fitness Trackers
Fitness trackers form a booming industry that is estimated to have risen to USD 63.48 Billion by the end of 2027. This is according to the Global Wearable Fitness Trackers Market Research Report by Pharmiweb. But why are they becoming so popular?
Numbers always speak more! Fitness trackers provide insights about your overall health in form of numbers, so you can monitor whether or not you are meeting your health target goals. The more you know, the more motivated you become to keep exercising to meet each of your fitness goals. Studies were conducted among fitness brass users and they were found to be more active than the control group.
The Benefits of a Fitness Tracker
They provide an insightful overview of your health: With a fitness tracker, you can track how much exercise you are doing. You get to see how much weight you gained or lost. You can also track how much you are eating. The real-time numbers will provide you with a better understanding of how you are doing.
The tracker avails the data when you need it: Fitness bracelets ensure you have real-time data when you need it. This can be very helpful when you go to a doctor’s appointment.
It motivates you to do more: Whenever you look at the tracker and the steps you have covered, you are likely to be inspired to do more. Just seeing the numbers on the tracker can push you forward.
It helps you keep track of your fitness progress: Seeing how far we have come can be a source of motivation. The fitness tracker apps usually come with charts and other resourceful data that can show in detail the progress you have made over time.
It gives you an insight on what works and what doesn’t: Fitness trackers will help you pinpoint what works for you. You can monitor when you are most active and the activities that resulted in the best progress.
While fitness trackers are very beneficial, they also have their downside including those not providing very accurate results. Different fitness trackers have varying degrees of accuracy. For this reason, it is always advised to confirm the results with a doctor. People are also likely to be obsessed with numbers. This may harm an individual.
How to make a choice on which fitness tracker to buy
When you have already chosen to purchase a fitness tracker, there are some things you should consider.
Your budget: The prices of fitness trackers vary greatly. First, consider how much money you have set aside for the fitness tracker to see the choices available for you.
The functions you require: Different fitness trackers have different features which perform different functions. Select a fitness tracker that has all the functions that you want it to perform.
Check on your motivation for buying the fitness tracker: The reason you purchase a fitness tracking will help you identify the need you want the fitness tracker to address. Some will track your heartbeat while others will show you the number of steps you took.
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Identify whether you will constantly need to have your phone with you: Some fitness trackers can only work fully when connected to the phone. Consider whether you are comfortable carrying your phone around when you exercise.
Consider the type of activities you enjoy: Do you mostly enjoy running, walking, or kickboxing? Different bands work better than others depending on the kind of exercise. Others work well all time regardless of the type of activity in place.
All in all, fitness trackers are handy gadgets that can help you keep track of your health. If you regularly exercise, it is best to keep track of your progress to see whether or not you are meeting your fitness goals. Keep in mind the things you should consider before purchasing one. Above all, have fun on your fitness journey!
