A study found that using fitness apps increased everyday physical activity by an equivalent of 1,235 steps, and moderate and vigorous physical activity by 48.5 minutes a week
Fitness trackers and monitors were all the rage when they were newly launched in India. Everyone wanted one, no matter how often they worked out. But for fitness enthusiasts, it remains a daily necessity for monitoring their workouts, calories burned, steps walked, and much more. If you are new to working out or someone who is trying to resume their exercise routine, fitness trackers may even help you get back on track.
A study published in December 2021 on The BMJ, titled ‘Effectiveness of physical activity monitors in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis’ studied data from 121 randomised control trials and 141 study comparisons with more than 16,000 participants. The research was conducted to find what impact exercise monitors had on everyday physical activity, moderate and vigorous physical activity, and sedentary time.
Its findings stated that using fitness apps increased everyday physical activity by an equivalent of 1,235 steps, and moderate and vigorous physical activity by 48.5 minutes a week. It also stated that the impact on sedentary time was insignificant. “The certainty of evidence was low for the effect of PAM (physical activity monitor) based interventions on physical activity and moderate for moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time. PAM based interventions are safe and effectively increase physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity,” the study concluded.
And while the efficacy of fitness monitors has long been investigated, this data comes at a time when more and more people are trying to move out of their pandemic-induced sedentary lifestyle.
“Trackers tell you, in all transparency, on how your health parameters look and fluctuate on a day-to-day basis given various conditions- internal or external. I mean there are great days and then there are bad days too. So do pay attention to the details and use them for course correction,” advices Pallavi Barman – Business Head and Fitness Ambassador at HRX. She also suggests not just reading trackers, but reading into them: “learn how to make good of what it reflects and then reflect upon it. When you understand all these health parameters you are able to exercise caution and take the right steps that will steer you in the direction of maintaining good heart health.”
Trackers not just help us in setting up fitness goals but they also provide a great way of monitoring those goals. Use the trackers judiciously to understand your body and set the right kind of goals for yourself depending on your individual capacity and what you wish to achieve, and then monitor those goals on a weekly or daily basis to track your progress. “If you’re doing this right, tracker is a wining device for you,” says Burman.
