Many people use fitness trackers as a good way to help them stay in shape. The devices are also used by those who need to monitor their sugar levels. However, only a handful of people stick with their exercise plan, and most find that their activity declines over time. To make matters worse, many people feel discouraged that they don't see any immediate or significant results from wearing one of these devices. But a recent study found that using fitness trackers to encourage people to walk more does appear to be effective.
Wearable activity trackers encourage positive changes in health by encouraging people to get more physical activity. The devices are often used by people who need to monitor their sugar levels, and they have been proven to motivate people to get out there and move around a little bit more. However, many typical users are discouraged when they realize it will take some time to see significant results.
According to experts' opinion, these fitness trackers play an important role in improving health in terms of weight loss compared to burning calories since an individual's capacity to lose weight is usually genetic. With fitness trackers, an individual can get the sensation of achievement and self-control needed to feel good about their progress when working toward a specific goal.
New research has confirmed that wearable activity trackers such as Garmin or Fitbit encourage positive health changes by motivating people to move more and go for a walk every day. A study examined whether activity trackers could help 18 overweight or obese adults at risk for diabetes.
Activity trackers promote positive health changes.
A team of researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, USA, used a randomized clinical trial that included seven people participating in a weight-loss program. One week before their experiment, they all started wearing activity trackers such as Fitbit or Garmin. These devices tracked their activity and calories burned throughout the day. These participants did not gain any advantages over other participants during the first week that they were wearing these trackers, but by the end of two weeks, there were clear changes in behavior.
Activity trackers inspire us to walk about 40 minutes every day, an equivalent to about 1800 more steps leading to a mean weight loss of about 1kg over a period of five months. This is an encouraging result because it means that if, for example, an individual is aiming to lose a certain amount of weight, they will see healthier changes in behavior which will contribute to an increase in activity.
According to research from the University of South Australia, about 400 research studies were reviewed consisting of 164,000 participants across the globe who utilize wearable activity trackers (WATs) to monitor their physical activities. About 40% of the participants experienced positive health and physical activity outcomes using these WATs. As per the findings published in Lancet Digital Health, the value of low-cost, health-enhancing wearable technologies can be applied in the prevention and treatment of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Health care professionals will likely see better results than non-physicians in using these trackers to motivate individuals to move more.
Wearable trackers may fuel unhealthy behaviors.
Many people have used wearable activity trackers to get the necessary exercise to stay healthy. But health experts warn that these devices may encourage unhealthy behavior among their users. It is unknown if the activity trackers children use when they walk around with their parents will have the same effects on their growth and development as similar devices do on adults. But experts say that these trackers may have a negative effect on the activities of children who are less than five years old.
These fitness trackers may also fuel unhealthy behaviors among their users. For the activity tracker to work properly, it needs to be worn properly. If, for example, a person is constantly bending over to fix their phone or tablet, this could lead to pain in the back and ultimately encourage improper sitting habits. For instance, you are on a bus and notice that everyone is sitting in an awkward position. This may be because the activity tracker makes them sit in one position for a long time, and moving around would mean that it doesn't function properly.
According to researchers, more studies are needed to understand how these trackers affect our health. If a study determines fewer benefits than the possible health risk, it may mean that such devices need to be regulated or monitored more strictly or even banned.
When buying a fitness tracker, you should be aware of the device's features, especially those related to data privacy. You should also know that the data sent to the company is encrypted with a unique digital key. The information you store on your fitness tracker is split between your device and its servers. It's not possible for anyone else to access this information without your approval or because it was hacked. This goes for other users as well.
There are many ways in which we can make use of fitness trackers. They can be used in various ways, from professional sports training to clinical uses like rehabilitation and health care management. Therefore, it helps gauge an individual's overall health and fitness.
Accurately measuring physical activity is a key feature of any activity tracker. It should accurately measure steps, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. The device should also be able to record health data like weight, blood pressure, pulse rate, and ECG (electrocardiogram), which can help detect cardiovascular diseases early on. Most devices today have motion sensors that capture movement data when you move.
Conclusion
Activity trackers have evolved to become a new smart device for improving health by monitoring daily activities. They have been shown to help individuals go for a walk every day, leading to weight loss, exercise, and better sleep patterns, among others. We need to be aware
that these devices do not encourage unhealthy behaviors like the consumption of high-calorie food because they are marketed as health devices and not weight loss gadgets.
