The Fitness Tracker Debate

I've been wearing a Fitbit for a lot of years now. Maybe 6 months after the first model came out, the one that had the band that would peel up. My first one peeled up on both sides and eventually detached from the center. Now they're made to do that.

I got it to count steps but became enthralled with the heart rate monitor. According to my account, I bought it when I still weighed over 200 pounds, back when I estimated that I weighed 200 pounds because I was afraid to step on a scale and get a real number.

My progress started with getting that Fitbit for Christmas 2015, and I never weighed anywhere that amount since. It was steady, it was accessible and so many other things improved.

Like my resting heart rate dropping 25 beats per minute.

Like my sleep score increasing by an average of 15 points.

Like during a normal week, getting 10k steps for at least 5 or 6 days.

Always getting enough water, but exceeding the minimum whenever I track.

Like actually seeing my weight drop over the course of a week whenever I track each day.

Like knowing how many calories I burn during a workout, which makes me work harder to get the number up.

Did you know some of the technology is inaccurate? The heart rate monitor can be off, the calories burned is not always correct because it's impossible to account for all that factors it should. Even the steps can be wrong if you aren't swinging your arm, especially when pushing a shopping card or using your phone. That's why I always put it on my ankle when I walk a lot.

But I still use it, because comparing the numbers day by day keeps me going.

I sincerely believe, even though the technology is still evolving that the improvements in healthy habits go far past the numbers we see in the app.

It's in our attitude toward what creates those numbers. We want to see the numbers improve so we do the thing that makes that happen.

And the technology on the new models continues to improve. The newest high-end model has Stress levels, ECG measurement, skin temp, SPO2 (blood oxygen saturation), enhanced sleep measurements, not to mention integration with other non-health technologies.

Other technologies you can find are VOMax, which measures the amount of O2 you use during exercise, HRV (heart rate variability), cycle regulation and guided workouts right from your wrist.

It's pretty amazing to see how much has been added and improved over the inception of the fitness tracker wearable.

I still see a lot of people wearing them, but it seems to be a less talked-about topic. We should be wearing them, talking about them, encouraging their use. It is far more than just a trendy fad, but a serious piece of technology.

There's even stories about people who have observed the changes in their metrics, taken them seriously, and avoided health issues. Just Google "Fitbit saved their lives" for the stories.

If it's something you've considered over the years and never wore one, and you take your health and activity level seriously, just take the plunge. You'll be amazed at how it changes the way you think!