#TACTIX :: Fitness Trackers
Ok, we all want to be healthy and commit to our fitness goals. Simple right? Well…the reality is sometimes we get caught up in our daily lives and often put fitness on our back burners. We don’t always add a workout, walk, biking, or any other exercises onto our daily calendars. That’s where fitness and wellness trackers come in to play. They’re little accountability coaches we wear on our wrists to help keep us motivated and focused on working toward our goals 24/7.
These fitness tools give us guidance on everything from how many steps we’re taking to how well we’re sleeping through the night. And fitness trackers help us manage and attain our goals.
Do fitness trackers work?
So, are they helpful? A new scientific review says yes, and it has the numbers to back it up. The review, conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen and published in “BMJ,” looked at data from 121 randomized trials of fitness trackers, involving over 16,700 adults with an average age of 47.
Researchers found that people who wear a fitness tracker take an extra 1,235 steps a day and completed 48.5 more minutes of “moderate to vigorous” exercise per week.
What fitness trackers are best for you?
The ones that give you feedback, like daily goals or reminders to stand up and move are found to be the best motivators. Here are some types of trackers currently on the market for 2022.
Let’s start with smartwatches. You may already own one of these brands.
Apple’s health software and activity tracking are superb and incredibly easy to use. There’s a wide range of workout tracking, GPS, a heart-rate sensor, sleep tracking, and a swim-proof body as well. The data it collects is easy to interpret, and the Activity Ring system for daily goals is simple and motivational.
Samsung offers the first smartwatch to measure body fat, skeletal muscle, body water, body mass index and more. The new Samsung BioActive monitors steps, sleep activity, heart-rate, and detects when you are running or using a rowing machine. This watch even reminds you to stand up and get active if you’ve been sitting too long.
Interesting features on the newest Fitbit tracker includes a Daily Readiness Score that reveals if you’re ready to exercise or should focus on recovery, a daily Stress Management Score showing your body’s response to stress and how to improve your levels with an on-wrist EDA sensor mindfulness session, plus the Health Metrics dashboard, track SpO2, heart rate variability, skin temperature variation and more. Users can even see real-time pace & distance and a map of your workout route in the Fitbit app.
Garmin Forerunner 745 GPS Watch
This fitness tracker is made for runners and triathletes who need detailed training stats and on-device workouts. Users can switch activity profiles for running, triathlon, multisport, cycling, pool swimming, track running, brick workouts and more. This tracker evaluates your training load and training status to indicate if you’re undertraining or overdoing it and offers health-monitoring tools include wrist-based heart rate, all-day stress tracking, relaxation breathing timer, sleep analysis and others.
Keep your fitness goals with a fitness tracker
Fitness trackers are more high-tech than ever and there are many, many more to choose from, Plus the health features are becoming more sophisticated and shareable so your doctor can see your health and fitness activity. Fitness trackers come in many budgets and styles to meet your needs and, like the professionals here at Chiropractix, are great for helping you stick to your fitness goals.