{"id":36233,"date":"2015-01-15T07:15:05","date_gmt":"2015-01-15T12:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=36233"},"modified":"2021-05-05T09:28:37","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T13:28:37","slug":"fitness-tracker-tips-011515","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/tech\/fitness-tracker-tips-011515\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Fitness Tracker Isn’t Making You Thinner \u2014 Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Fitness
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you were gifted a fitness tracker this year, we bet you had grand ambitions of using it to finally<\/em> get fit. You swore you\u2019d take 10,000 steps a day, log miles, track calories, count your zzz\u2019s<\/a> and maybe even monitor your heart rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, if you\u2019re like most people, odds are that little device is now sitting abandoned at the bottom of your sock drawer. One survey indicates that more than half<\/a> of people who purchase a wearable device eventually stop using it, and more than one-third do so within six months.<\/p>\n

Sales of wearable devices are predicted to surpass $50 billion annually<\/a> by 2018 \u2014 but are they really making us fitter? The key to getting the most from your tracker might lie in embracing a few simple strategies proven to elicit lasting behavioral changes, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWearable devices have gotten a lot of interest in their potential impact to improve individuals\u2019 health, but there\u2019s been littlie evidence that these alone can help people sustain changes in behavior,\u201d says study author Mitesh S. Patel, MD, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. \u201cThe more important part is building effective strategies to engage individuals around these devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 4 Science-Backed Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out<\/a><\/p>\n

4 Ways to Get the Most from Your Tracker<\/h3>\n

Luckily, Patel and his colleagues have pinpointed some easy tricks that will help you make tracking a useful health habit \u2014\u00a0rather than one more thing that lands in the New Year\u2019s Resolution graveyard.<\/p>\n

1. Make Yourself an Offer You Can\u2019t Refuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Money talks when it comes to motivating yourself to reach your goals. Patel points out that behavioral economics tells us that people are irrational. For example, despite the fact that we all know it\u2019s good for us to eat healthy<\/a> and exercise, many of us don\u2019t do it \u2014\u00a0unless we have something else<\/em> to incentivize us. In other words, it might take some cold hard cash (or the threat of losing that cold hard cash) to finally drive us to take 10,000 steps per day, or finally lose weight<\/a>. Patel advises finding a program that will instill you with anticipatory regret \u2014\u00a0anxiety over the consequences of your bad health decisions \u2014 to give you an extra push.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Would You Pay $447 for a Yoga SmartMat?<\/a><\/p>\n

One option? Set up an account on Stickk.com<\/a>. Aim to hit certain goals on your tracker, and create a customized commitment contract on the site guaranteeing that you\u2019ll lose a certain amount of money for every day you slack off. Whether you risk losing $1 per day or $10, the anticipated regret of not hitting your goal will keep you on your toes \u2014 literally.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0<\/strong>Don\u2019t Over-Accessorize<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No matter how convenient it may seem to clip a tracker onto your shoe, belt or bra strap, you\u2019re less likely to stick with using it if it requires adding an extra step to your daily routine. \u201cWhen you ask someone to carry around a wearable, you\u2019re asking them to do two things: Put it on and<\/em> be more active,\u201d Patel says. While only one to two percent of people currently tote around wearable devices, 65 percent of us own a smartphone \u2014\u00a0and bring it everywhere. \u201cMany people carry smartphones everywhere they go, so they\u2019re used to doing it,\u201d Patel says. \u201cIf we really wanted to improve the health of the population, smartphone [trackers]<\/a> are an easier place to start.\u201d If you wear a watch everyday, a wrist tracker<\/a> might work for you, too.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Apple HealthKit: Trainer, Doctor and Nutritionist in One?<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Fitness
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n


\n3.\u00a0<\/strong>Get Realistic with Your Goals<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Pledging to monitor your heart rate, sleep, macros<\/a> and also reach a goal of 10,000 steps<\/a> per day might be setting your sights too high. First of all, it might be best to leave tracking your vitals to a professional \u2014 there\u2019s not much evidence suggesting that the average fitness tracker can accurately monitor blood pressure, blood sugar, or other medical markers, Patel says.<\/p>\n

Devices that track your steps have proven to be fairly accurate \u2014\u00a0but the key to wearing them consistently might lie in being realistic about what you\u2019d like to achieve, Patel says. \u201cThe average person walks 5,000 steps per day, and the average sedentary person walks less than 3,500 steps,\u201d Patel says. \u201c[You might] need to set more reasonable goals: 7,000 steps per day is equivalent to the federal guidelines for minimum physical activity.\u201d If you find yourself seriously struggling to reach 10,000 steps per day, don\u2019t chuck your tracker and give up. Aim for a smaller number and gradually work your way up. .<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Hate Running? 25 Ways to Learn to Love It<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t Go It Alone<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Find yourself rolling your eyes when friends share Nike+<\/a> posts every time they log miles? Don\u2019t knock it \u2018til you\u2019ve tried it. People who share their tracking results are getting valuable social reinforcement from those Instagram posts<\/a>. \u201cWhen you post that you ran however many miles and get positive feedback that\u2019s helpful,\u201d Patel says.<\/p>\n

Not into publicly sharing your stats with strangers? Grab a few tracker-owning friends, and set goals together. \u201cIf whatever you\u2019re aiming for is contingent on everyone on the team walking a minimum level off steps, you\u2019ll feel accountable to teammates and that\u2019s very motivating,\u201d Patel says.<\/p>\n

If some of your friends also unwrapped trackers this year, apps for devices like Up by Jawbone<\/a> allow you to form teams to work towards goals. Those who have at least three or more people on their squad tend to move at least 10 extra miles per month, according to Jawbone. FitBit\u2019s app<\/a> allows you and your friends to compete on a \u201cleaderboard,\u201d another motivating force that will help you claw your way towards your fitness goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think wearable devices\u2019 technology will improve over time \u2014 and they will become more affordable,\u201d Patel says. \u201cThe most important thing is less about which tracker you\u2019re using, or the features [it has], but more about how are you using them.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your trick for remembering to use your tracker? Tell us in the comments section. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn how to actually get results from your fitness tracker \u2014 and ensure it doesn’t end up abandoned at the bottom of your sock drawer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":36239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,10,16],"tags":[289,251,341,361,167,283,285,100],"class_list":["post-36233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apps","category-tech","category-tracking","tag-exercise","tag-news","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2fitness-trends","tag-technology","tag-tracking","tag-weight-loss","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}