Fit Bit v Reality

Ok before I start bashing the merits of technology let me just make it clear that I love technology and all the luxuries it affords us. But I just want to impose a bit of a reality check when it comes to things like Fit Bits and devices just like it.

A lot of people nowadays have a device on their wrist that gives them lots of data from steps, heart rate, sleep, calories burned, exercise and how many yours you have been standing up for on that particular day. One magical thing this does is it encourages…

MOVEMENT

You want to reach 10,000 steps, you want to burn more calories and you want your watch to tell you that you have reached your goals for the day. All these things are great and I feel provide a great benefit to getting people moving more. Which in turn will make them look and feel better of the long haul.

I do however feel we need to take these results with a pinch of salt.

We can be come to reliant on the data that the watch gives you. These devices only accurate to a certain point. My main gripe is with strength training in the gym. A fit bit will not register anywhere near as many calories for strength training compared to cardio exercise. This is due to the difference in the elevation in your heart rate during the two different types of exercise.

If you are putting in a shift in the gym with resistance training you will be burning a sufficient amount of calories but the watch doesn’t always show this.

There is also the calories burned information that the watch gives you, I am not entirely sure how accurate that is and it definitely doesn’t mean that because you have burned said calories doesn’t mean you should consume said calories as extra food.

I also just did 70 odd steps but moving my hand back and forward sitting at my desk…

So like I said before take the readings with a pinch of salt. Don’t get overly fixated on it but use it to your advantage.