The Pros and Cons of Activity Trackers – Are They Worth the Money?
The market has exploded with all sorts of activity tracking devices these days but the real question is – do they make a difference or not?
In my opinion the answer is yes! With that being said, it is only if you are using them properly. I mean what’s the point of spending all of that money (and lets be real – they aren’t super cheap) if you aren’t going to (a) wear it all the time or (b) not make an effort to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself in the tracker. They are not going to aid in benefitting your health and wellness goals if you are just wearing it and seeing that you only got a few thousand steps in your day. Unless you are challenging yourself to reach the goals, you might as well save yourself the cash. A friend was telling me a story about how they were sitting around a bonfire in the summertime and one of the women there started waving her arm in the air. When asked what she was doing she replied, “Getting my steps!”. If you’re not actually going to get up and walk around, ‘hitting your goal’ isn’t going to actually benefit you either (but I’m guessing you guys already knew that 😉).
With that being said, I absolutely love my FitBit! As someone who works a sedentary desk-like job my daily movement is very minimal.
Even if I walk my dogs and workout, I could still only be at 5,000 steps if I have been sucked into working on the computer for endless hours and not making a point to get up and move. Now maybe some of you are thinking, what’s wrong with only getting 5,000 steps? Someone once said to me “You’re literally one of the fittest people that I know, why do you need a FitBit?” Having goals set in my FitBit is a great reminder for me on a daily basis to get up and move more. It benefits my workouts, helps me stay lean and is just great for my health. If I were to do my 1 hour workout everyday and consider myself active, it would be an injustice to my health. People have a misconception that they are burning way more calories than they actually are in their workouts. And this was also part of the problem when my weight loss journey had stalled.
One study found that people who increased their step count to nearly 10,000 steps a day reduced their blood pressure after 24 weeks. Another study of overweight people found that walking 10,000 steps a day improved their glucose levels. I’m a personal believer that even 8,000 steps can greatly improve peoples’ health as well as boost their metabolism and fat loss. Other studies have shown how walking increases individual’s recovery (such as muscle soreness from a hard workout) and has even been shown to increase V02 max and work capacity.
The bottomline is, walking is a form of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis which means it expends energy (burns calories) outside of things like working out. People who walk and workout see major differences in their metabolism and ability to lose weight. If you don’t exercise, walking is a great way to get in some sort of physical activity. If you don’t do either then you’re really just doing a disservice to yourself and your health.
What is my recommendation for an activity tracker? Well I really do think they’re all great. The only reason I wear a FitBit Flex is because it is small and doesn’t have a watch face on it so if I want to wear my nice watch it doesn’t look odd to have both on. Plus it can be dressed up and hidden into bangles and necklaces if I want to wear it out. It doesn’t have functions like a heart-rate monitor and you have to use your phone to check any of the data but I love that I can also wear it in the water. Plus, it’s the most reasonably priced one out there ($80 CDN).
My husband absolutely loves his Apple Watch and its functions. If you want something that is a watch, tracks your activity and sleep, has the ability to make phone calls and texts and you have an iPhone, this is what he would recommend. He also wears it in the water and when he works out so it’s pretty resilient ($370 CDN and up depending on the features you get). But not to worry, the FitBit Versa also has many of the same features as well that I have heard people really like and the fact that it’s at a better price point ($230 CDN).
I am especially interested in the new Motiv Ring Activity Monitor. My only concern would be that I couldn’t wear it when I am lifting weights and it does boast a heart rate monitor which that data could be cool to see after a workout. I mean completely unnecessary considering the extent that I workout but interesting to me nonetheless ($255 CDN). The Oura Ring boasts all of the same features as the Motiv as well as heart rate variability tracking which tells athletes their peak training and performance times. It is also quite a bit pricier than the Motiv and in my opinion, HRV monitoring isn’t necessary for the general population and is reserved more for competitive athletes dedicating themselves to their sport ($300 USD (~400 CDN) and up depending on the features you get).
You may have heard of the WHOOP. This is not an activity tracker. A WHOOP is a device that can read your body and give you feedback on what you can do to be a better athlete. Again, I would say that this type of monitoring isn’t necessary for the general population and is reserved for competitive athletes looking to gain an advantage in their sport, not Joe Blow recreational CrossFitter like myself. Plus it is also quite expensive. This one is at the highest end of the price range with a monthly membership of $30 USD ($40 CDN) per month and $180 USD ($240 CDN) to begin making your first year $660 CDN and then $480 CDN annually after that in monthly membership fees. If you put down a larger initial down payment and sign on for a longer contract you are offered some additional savings similar to how cellphone contracts operate.
Keep in mind these are also just my opinions and there are a ton of options out there but I just wanted to compare a few of them. Everyone likes their own device for their own reasons and essentially, whatever makes you the happiest and the most likely to get after your goals is the best device.