![how-a-fitness-tracker-can-help-you-get-fit]({"full":{"0":"2017\/06\/how-a-fitness-tracker-can-help-you-get-fit.png","1":980,"2":450,"3":false,"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/how-a-fitness-tracker-can-help-you-get-fit.png"}}){kind=tracking}
How a Fitness Tracker Can Help You Get Fit
By 2019, more than 125 million fitness trackers will hit store shelves. Already, the fitness tracking industry is a $3 billion industry. Its value is expected to grow to $4 billion in 2017. If you’re not yet using or wearing a fitness tracker, why not? No matter what your fitness goals are, a tracker can help you meet them and provide guidance to help you out along the way.
Use it to Set Goals
One of the major reasons people get fitness trackers is to find out how much they are exercising. Just a few years ago, many people wore pedometers to count their steps and see if they were reaching 10,000 a day. High quality yet cheap smartwatches are available now and they are far more advanced than their predecessors.
You can use your tracker to set daily goals, such as 30 or 60 minutes of exercise or a certain number of steps. Although 10,000 serves as the baseline, you can set your goal higher or lower based on how active you are to start with. If you’re already walking 10,000 steps a day, you can try to reach 12,000 or 15,000 daily. If you use your tracker when participating in other activities, such as running or cycling, you can program it to measure your speed and the incline of hills, so you can push yourself to go faster or to go up steeper hills.
Use it to Monitor Your Heart Rate
It’s not just getting a certain amount of exercise each day that helps you get fit. You also want to make your heart work hard. Modern fitness trackers will monitor your heart rate and will let you know if you need to increase the intensity of your workout or if you’re already pushing your heart to its limit.
Use it to Count Calories
Although some fitness trackers claim to monitor the number of calories you burn during a workout, a study from Stanford found that the clear majority of trackers are way off when it comes to calories burned. What you can use your tracker for is to record how many calories you’re consuming daily, so you can get on track with your eating goals too. Many devices will sync with food diary apps or have apps built-in.
Choose the Right Tracker
What should you look for in a tracker? Here are a few important considerations:
- Battery life
- Waterproof – Most trackers aren’t fully waterproof, so look for this feature if you plan on swimming while wearing yours
- Apps – Make sure your tracker connects to any health and fitness apps you currently use
![where-travel-meets-fitness]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-170x95.png","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-270x152.png","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-475x267.png","width":475}})
![the-kettlebell-swing]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/the-kettlebell-swing-170x95.png","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/the-kettlebell-swing-270x152.png","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/the-kettlebell-swing-475x267.png","width":475}})
![fitness-activities-for-residents-in-assisted-living-homes]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/fitness-activities-for-residents-in-assisted-living-homes-170x95.png","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/fitness-activities-for-residents-in-assisted-living-homes-270x152.png","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/fitness-activities-for-residents-in-assisted-living-homes-475x267.png","width":475}})
![training-for-a-10k-charity-run-for-marie-curie]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/training-for-a-10k-charity-run-for-marie-curie-170x95.png","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/training-for-a-10k-charity-run-for-marie-curie-270x152.png","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/training-for-a-10k-charity-run-for-marie-curie-475x267.png","width":475}})
![where-travel-meets-fitness]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-170x95.png","width":170},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-270x152.png","width":270},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-475x267.png","width":475},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"http:\/\/www.loxleysports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/where-travel-meets-fitness-878x450.png","width":878}})
Great post Rich. I personally find my fitness tracker does help me reach a certain target every day. There are so many to chose from these days, I guess it’s balancing out price and what features are necessary.
I wear a Fitbit and I love it! Certainly helps with me reaching my daily target of 10k steps a day.
I was wearing a Fitbit then I changed to an Apple watch – which I love!
This really seems like an awesome idea! I will definitely try a tracker!