Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become a popular trend in recent years. These trendy digital devices that easily attach to your wrist and influence positive behaviors are making a real impact on a lot of peoples lives. They can be a convenient and even fun way of staying motivated, hitting your exercise goals, and challenging your workout buddies.
Wearable technology has been on a steady incline since Bluetooth devices first became mainstream nearly 20 years ago. This has led to the obvious connection between wearable devices and health, with fitness trackers positioned to become a billion dollar industry. However, research shows that this isnt necessarily the best option for all fitness-seekers. While they are geared toward encouraging a healthy lifestyle, some experts worry that these devices might contribute to addictive behaviors and even exercise addictions.
The question still remains; are fitness trackers good or bad for your mental and physical well-being?
In theory, tracking activity levels and nutrition in order to improve your health sounds like the perfect situation. Users are rewarded for hitting certain goals and milestones while potentially making better choices in the process. But the world of fitness trackers isnt that simple.
Do you find yourself obsessively checking your steps and heart rate all day long? Are you setting increasingly unrealistic daily goals that involve working out for long sessions or even multiple sessions each day? If youre engaging in these kinds of behaviors, it might be a sign that you are addicted to your fitness tracker. Fitness wearables can be a powerful accountability tool and offer valuable insights into activity levels, but they can take an unhealthy turn if users dont learn how to pull back on the tracking.
Here are some signs that your obsession with your fitness tracker might be problematic:
- You keep increasing the length of your workouts because your tracker makes you feel like you need to keep doing more
- You neglect friends and responsibilities so that you have more time to workout
- You feel anxious, irritable, or upset when you are not able to use your fitness device
- You feel like you don’t have control over your behavior; you use your device more than you intended or workout more than you planned
- Your fitness device uses up a great deal of time, interferes with other activities, or causes you to withdraw from other things you enjoy
- You keep using your device excessively even though these behaviors upset you or you know that they are unhealthy
- You feel very upset or even ashamed when you dont reach your daily activity goal
CNN conducted a survey of 200 female Fitbit owners to better understand the pros and cons of the users overall experience. Many respondents found the devices useful for modifying routines and controlling portion sizes, however deeper analytics found that the positive benefits came at a cost.
Almost a quarter of the women said that if they forgot to wear the device, they were far less motivated to workout because their efforts wouldnt be rewarded. And even worse, numbers showed high levels of guilt if a Fitbit user didnt achieve their desired goals. Some of the women even reported obsessive behaviors, becoming so engrossed in the apps analytics that they sacrificed social outings and stopped focusing on the enjoyment of working out. For instance, ignoring the scenery around them when going on a bike ride or run.
While Mary Pritchard, Ph.D., psychology professor at Boise State University believes that fitness tracking has its benefits, she also sees where many people take it a step too far.
Sometimes we get so focused on the numbers, that we stop listening to our bodies.
Pritchard specifically notes instances where individuals forced themselves to exercise when they were sick to hit a digital goal or pushed through fatigue leading to serious injuries.
Is it possible to utilize a fitness tracker without becoming overly dependent?
Start Living Beyond The Data
We need to understand as humans that the person behind the device is ultimately in charge of their health and fitness aspirations. The wearable is simply there to provide analytics and possibly some form of helpful motivation. But at the end of the day, tracking meals wont make you any healthier and hitting time limits in your workout sessions wont get you into better shape. Some of the healthiest and most fit athletes dont count calories and get in and out of the gym in less than an hour.
The key is to be aware of what it is you are measuring and why. Arbitrary tracking for the sake of external rewards and gratification will lead you down a dangerous path. Plus food and exercise stats can inaccurately advertise that an individual is leading a healthy lifestyle. Simply staying within caloric boundaries and hitting steps are not good indicators of well-being.
In the pursuit of health and happiness, wearable technology is just a supplemental device to help you reach your fitness goals. Dont let them be more than that. If you find that you are spending too much time thinking about what your fitness monitor is telling you, it might be time to get back to basics and pay less attention to your watch and more attention to what your body is telling you.
Focus on quality rather than quantity.
Source:
https://www.verywellmind.com/
https://medium.com/
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