Fitness Technology: The Pros and Cons of Wearable Tech

We are a “microwave society.” Everything from cooking dinner to communicating around the world to getting the latest news can be done almost instantaneously. We’re an impatient people. Naturally, this desire for immediacy has crossed over into fitness and health. Today’s wearable fitness technology is popular and evolving.

So what are the pros and cons of wearable technology?

Pros

Immediacy  

If you want to know how many steps you’ve run or walked, the distance you’ve swum, wearables make that information available immediately or almost immediately. They can also provide quick analysis and interpretation of your fitness metrics.

Reality 

People are often shocked to see how much they don’t move throughout the day. We may think we’re pretty active, or active enough. Then we strap on a wearable tracker and see that we actually need to get up and move more.

Motivation  

Just the act of setting goals such as 8,000 steps a day walking or 16,000 steps running, miles swam, etc., can be motivation enough to get it done. Often wearables come with apps that provide a community of support and encouragement.

Accountability

Fitness wearables have been proven to provide the user with a good way of being accountable, even if it’s just to themselves. If there’s an app to use, that will often provide a community which provides support and accountability.

Cons

Inaccuracy

There’s a likelihood that your step tracker isn’t counting your steps accurately. The calorie tracker may not be accurate either. In one experiment a fitness blogger wore three different step trackers to the gym. They all three gave different results. The information given on burnt calories is often based on the average person. Studies show BMR equations can have an error of up to 200 calories per day.

Expense

Although not quite as costly as they used to be, good, accurate fitness wearables can still be expensive. They often come with apps and extras that increase their accuracy but also increase their price.

Stress

Actually, just as wearables can offer motivation they can also offer stress. Many people are not so much encouraged by activity reminders, step goals, etc., as they are pressured by them. What motivates one person can discourage another. Often fitness tech can do just that.

Summing Up…

Fitness technology is an excellent way to measure, track, record, analyze and keep us motivated. But these are only tools. The important ingredient will always be the wearer. Wearables do not determine our health and fitness level, they simply offer a way to help us see tangible effects of our exercise.

Image Credit: www.jeffreyliving.com