Do you know your FitBit from your Garmin, or your Misfit from your Withings? The world of activity trackers is comparable to a minefield. There’s so many options and upgrades per model that means it can all be a bit overwhelming.
First things first, you need to decide what you actually want to track. Is it just your steps or do you want to be able to monitor your heart rate during weight sessions, your calorie burn when swimming or check how many floors you’ve climbed in one day.
This post isn’t about helping you pick the right one for you, it’s about letting you know that there’s a less helpful side to these trackers and it’s not as obvious as you would think.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the number of steps you do. You find yourself obsessing over how many steps you've taken, so you'll do ten or so more steps. Then hastily check the magical tracker strapped to your wrist; desperately hoping to see some reassurance that you’re doing a good job. You’re walking down the road and you feel your wrist vibrate, BOOM, you’ve hit your step goal. But what happens when you don’t reach that step goal, what do you feel then? Disappointed. You feel very, very disappointed and Susan from work has smashed out 11k steps and you’re on 3k. Surely that means you’re not trying hard enough, right? Wrong.
There’s been days I’ve barely hit 4k steps, yet I’ve been to the gym and had an amazing hour long weight session and burnt a decent amount of calories. I felt good, that is until I saw my steps for that day. Instantly my post-workout high vanished and I was left deflated. Well, this is complete and utter nonsense.
I’m genuinely passionate about anything that helps people along on their fitness journey, but you cannot let a tiny little bit of electronic kit that straps around your wrist dictate your happiness. Life isn’t measured on how many 'workweek hustles' you win or whether you’ve walked a distance comparable to the length of The Great Wall of China. It’s measured by each and every small victory you have, be it fitness related or not. You cannot obsess over steps. You cannot disregard your other achievements.
In summary, if you can maintain your mindset while tracking your activity, then they are well worth the investment. If you already own one, but find yourself struggling to match the steps of friends and co-workers and it’s leaving you feeling down, then take it off. Go on a FitBit strike for a week and learn to congratulate yourself, because once you use your activity tracker as an aid to help you reach your goals instead of a ruler to measure your daily ‘success’, the sooner you’ll feel better about your journey.
I am a full time Brand Development Manager for a Personal Trainer and Mindset Coach, along side being a full time Mum to two beautiful little girls.
I want to raise my girls in an environment where women can work, workout and raise children without the pressures of society and their impossible standards on their shoulders. We're all perfect just the way we are.
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