Interesting Green: fitness tracker

Source Website: http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/blog-will-fitness-tracker-change-your-life
By Alvin Soon, Associate Features Editor on 31 January 2017

PHOTO: Workout - Just try them. Have fun exercising, this is a love-hate relationship. Water is 784 times denser than air, pool workout tone faster. It's better to exercise together with somebody, if you can't find a friend use the tracker.
Picture posted by Elizabeth Narins on 25 July 2014
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http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/advice/a29443/10-totally-inspiring-workout-tips/

It’s nearly the end of the first month of the new year, and I’ve been seeing more people hit the gym as well as wear new fitness trackers. Do these things really motivate you to work out more and change your life, or are they just shiny little gadgets with the half-life of most New Year resolutions?

I’ve been wearing a fitness tracker semi-regularly for about three years, starting with a Jawbone and now with an Apple Watch. If there’s one thing I’ve learned with using them, it’s that knowing your stats is not the same as making them happen.

PHOTO: The Fitbit is probably one of the most popular wearable devices out there on the market today. And, it’s great for students for several reasons. First, while you may not consider running around campus part of your daily workout routine, your Fitbit will still track this as part of your physical activity. Fitbit also helps you keep track of your eating, drinking, and sleeping habits, so you can remember drink more water or eat the right amount of food based on your level of activity. And the best part is that they are available for less than $100 USD, which makes them comparably cheaper than a lot of other wearable devices out there on the market.
Posted by Humavox on 10 September 2015
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http://www.humavox.com/blog/best-back-to-school-wearables/

There are some benefits to wearing a fitness tracker, if you’re willing to take action. The most important thing a tracker does is give you a reality check: You might think you take enough steps during the day, but do you really? A tracker will let you know.

Depending on its features, a tracker can also help to nudge you just enough. My Apple Watch reminds me to get up and walk around every hour, so that I don’t remain sedentary for too long.

PHOTO: Fitbit One® monitors every move of your fitness journey, so you can dive deeper into the data you create with each step you take, floor you climb and calorie you burn. A sidekick that’s ready for all-day action.
Fitbit One’s user-friendly display makes it easy to quickly check your stats in stride and stay moving throughout the rest of the day. See every move on display.
Posted by Fitbit
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https://www.fitbit.com/sg/one

There’s also the satisfaction from hitting my daily steps for the day, or the alarm from falling drastically short of it. But again, the nudges and negative stats mean nothing on those lazy days when I don’t do anything to change them.

What does science say?
My own experiences with fitness trackers seem to coincide with a study published last year in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Researchers tracked some 800 Singaporeans with full-time jobs for an entire year, some wore Fitbits, some didn’t, some Fitbit wearers were given cash or charity donations, some weren’t.

On average, the people who wore Fitbits increased their physical activity by a modest 16 minutes. Those offered charity donations didn’t exercise more than those who weren’t, and the ones who were offered cash exercised slightly more, but again, not enough to make a significant difference. After a year, just 10 percent of the group continued wearing their Fitbits.

PHOTO: On average, the people who wore Fitbits increased their physical activity by a modest 16 minutes. The benefits include meeting the steps goal, monitoring heart rate, observing sleep patterns, and tracking how many calories burned.
Posted by Nikki, ncsquaredlife on 21 May 2015
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http://www.ncsquaredlife.com/easy-combination/

To be fair, 16 minutes more than usual isn’t a non-zero gain. But the researchers mentioned that just 16 minutes more on average wasn’t enough to significantly impact weight or blood pressure.

By all means, try a fitness tracker out. You might find the daily reminders and stats encouraging enough to make you move around more. Just remember that it won’t change your life; only discipline and action will, and you don’t need a gadget for those.

PHOTO: A a fitness tracker won’t change your life; only discipline and action will, and you don’t need a gadget for those.
Picture posted by Getty Images - A young athletic woman goes for a morning run, running along the paths at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon. She checks her smart watch, which acts as a pedometer, stopwatch, and heart rate monitor. The sun shines from behind the Burnside bridge, giving a warm glow.
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http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/jogging-woman-checks-smart-watch-royalty-free-image/524232401

By Alvin Soon, Associate Features Editor on 31 January 2017

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