Is your fitness tracker your friend?
Lots of people wonder: ‘Should I use a fitness tracker?” And honestly, it depends.
For some people, it can be a really helpful tool. This is especially true if you …
Are numbers-oriented. Do you have that accounting mindset – excited about the maths
Have more advanced goals. Think elite athletes, bodybuilders, models, and other people who get paid based on how they look or perform.
See data as information - nothing more. The numbers don’t define you. They aren’t part of your identity. In this case, the data can be helpful, because you can view it as just that.
But for others, fitness trackers can influence more than they should.
For example, do you see your weight, heart rate variability, or sleep quality as a statement of whether your day has gone, or will go, well? When coaching, sometimes clients arrive saying they feel great but wonder if they should change their workout plan because their tracker says they aren’t quite up to it today. Hmmmm …
And for others, fitness trackers can leave them feeling like they never do enough. You’re more likely to fall into this category if you …
See the behaviour you’ll track as a chore with thoughts like, ‘I have to do this to lose weight’
Do the behaviour to avoid feeling guilty. In other words, you exercise because you don’t want to feel bad about not exercising. Or you get to eat the calories that your tracker says you’ve burned.
Experimenting with a fitness tracker to find out if it’s right for you can be fun, but they’re not necessary for success. People were ‘optimising’ their health way before Fitbit, Oura, and Apple Watches came along.
You might love a fitness tracker. Or you might love it for a while, and then find it completely unnecessary, or even frustrating later. Or it could be a poor fit from the get-go.
Let’s make healthy simple
If you’re using a tracker, ask yourself: ‘How’s this making me feel?’
If it’s motivating, you appreciate the data and it’s keeping you engaged in a healthy way, continue
If you’re ruminating over your stats, feeling guilty or frustrated, say goodbye for now - it’s hurting more than it’s helping
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