FITBIT: DOES IT FIT YOUR LIFESTYLE?

Do you need a fitness tracker to keep you healthy or it is just a marketing gimmick?

By Dhiraj Khatri

Gone are the days when fitness was assessed on the basis of stamina, flexibility, exhaustion, rate of perceived exertion and mood. If someone was working longer with no physical complaint and leading a happy life, he used to be considered fit enough. Gradually technology started invading our daily lives.

We need fitness trackers to know about our health. Initially it was a sportsman’s need to use the gadgets to improve their performance based on data’s collected and activity’s tracked. But now go to a park in the morning and you will find people following their mobile screens or looking after the straps on their wrists. See we are slaved by the use of technology, be it fitness trackers like Fitbit or other activity trackers or Samsung, apple smart watches or your mobile application letting you know about your daily movement.

Let’s discuss how some of these gadgets work.

Fitbit: A famous gadget marketed for common man to use this gadget to track activities like step counts,calories counts, heart rate monitoring and even how sound did you sleep. Smartwatches Apple /Samsung: It’s the era of android and these smart watches are real smart which can give you a frequent reminder to get up of your ass and move.

Google apps: There are thousands of apps which tell you how much did you moved, how was the intensity, even a reminder to eat and drink as well. Taking an example of a new android game launched by name of Pokemon Go people are using it as a tool to move their butt. God forbid I see future will be all in these apps. With Fitbits starting at $60 and Apple Watches selling for $550 and up, prices are varied enough that Americans from all income levels are dipping into their pockets for the gadgets. IDC estimates that 72.1 million wearable devices will be shipped worldwide in 2015, and expects 155.7 million units to be shipped in 2019.Its multimillion dollar industry investing on research of these fancy gadgets but none or very less of these spend penny’s on educating a common man to live a healthy life, change the mind set or behaviour.

Let’s discuss some pros and cons of using the wearable technology how good or bad is it

Pros:

1. Since we live in the world where doing a bit more physical activity is an achievement, these gadgets helps a lazy man to move around giving a target of step counts and at least make him move.

2. Considering the basic purpose of inventing these gadgets was to improve athletic performance and yes giving a data and tracking the activity makes it easier for athletes to enhance their performance and help getting them a better plan.

3. Helping a busy man to keep a healthy life by giving frequent reminders for timely food, regular physical activity and logging the data to keep them motivated.

4. Great tools for fitness enthusiast as this artificial intelligence helps a person to plan and implement the work to keep up the track and helps them to improve performance in recreational activities.

5. Most of these are apps inexpensive and these gadgets are fairly prized which overall helps to improve the fitness level of a common man and make them accountable to their fitness regime.

Cons:

1. Do we really need a gadget to be fit or move or eat well? To be healthy all you need is a discipline life with a good eating habit and moderate regular physical activity; no gadget or app can make you move until you wish to do so.

2. Counting steps limits a person to move more and overall health is not just about counting steps,it’s about maintaining the balance of proper nutrition, stress less life and a good sound sleep and I personally feel no app or gadget can make you stress free or let you sleep peacefully.

3. Most of the consumers buy these stuff with enthusiasm and excitement to maintain a healthy lifestyle but it’s sad they couldn’t keep it up and at the end your hard earned money is going to these big manufacture’s pocket.A gad – get can never make you accountable or change your lifestyle yes it helps to take a step to change the behaviour but it’s you who changes it.

4. Marketing and social gimmicks make these fancy gadgets to be bought but unfortunately not many people know how to even use all the features of these products and at the end it is only a social symbol or a Facebook update for many of us.

5. An abstract from The New York times November 16 2015: Factors beyond pure calories-in/calories-out can affect a per – son’s weight. Some have reported on – line that wearing a fitness tracker was counterproductive, resulting in weight gain instead of loss. Korie Mulholland, a 24-year-old tutor in Chicago, wrote that “since I was walking 10 to 15 miles a day at my stand-up desk, it told me I could eat 2,200 to 2,400 calories a day.” But instead of losing weight, she gained, and after six months she abandoned the tracker.

Average more than 20% of Americans use wearable technology an online survey by Forrester found. Every coin has two sides, considering the same about technology the inventions are done to make our life easier but not de – pendent. Activity done willingly help not only body but the mind as well, you don’t have to track it until unless you have to use analytics.

The world has to come out of the obsession of social media and stop enriching their hollow egos. We are coming to back to Paleo’s diet as finally we got it that humans aren’t made to eat processed foods same will definitely come for the technology where once again we will have to use our limbs which ages ago our ancestors developed for the purpose and the purpose is to move and move willingly. Being fit needs your state of mind not the state of applications stored in your gadget. Live disciplined life, eat well ,move more and be Fit.

Dhiraj Khatri is a certified personal trainer (Canfitpro) special – izing in weight lose and strength conditioning. He coaches people to understand and live a healthy life