To Wear a Fitness Tracker or Not to Wear a Fitness Tracker

I was walking with my friend the other night and we had an intense conversation about her fitness tracker, a new Apple watch. She was showing me all of the metrics, explaining her different goals and how the watch worked. She was giddy with excitement as she shared the results that she’s seen from wearing the watch. If I had been standing in an Apple store, I would’ve bought one on the spot after hearing her success.

It’s not just her. Everyone is rocking a fitness tracker of some sort. That guy you never thought cared about fitness? He wears one. His Mom wears one. Clearly, the technology of tracking your every step, heart beat and sleep is here to stay.

My History With Wearing a Fitness Tracker

I started to think back on my own history with fitness trackers, because I had bought into them before it was a trend. I first bought the Nike Fuelband as a way of tracking steps after my first baby was born. Nike even gave me a special charm for my shoe because I hit a million something or another.

The Fuelband didn’t show my heart rate though, so I paired it with a Polar watch. Sometimes I would wear both at once to get the metrics I wanted. I would toe up to a race looking like Iron Man. That was followed by 2 FitBit styles, some iPhone fitness tracking apps and a Garmin. That was just me too. My Husband went through his own fitness trackers as well.

None of these devices had everything that I was looking for, or I was convinced that they were highly inaccurate. One by one, I would put them aside and move on.

Comparing My Fitness With and Without

I have to vainly admit, when I was wearing a fitness tracker it made me feel more fit. It discreetly tells everyone that I’m health conscious (or so I think). Right now though, I haven’t been wearing my FitBit Blaze (the most recent addition to my collection) consistently. I can hit 15k-17k steps daily when I wear it and it does encourage me to move more. Something always frustrates me about it. It dies too soon, I don’t like the interface or (also in vain) it doesn’t match my outfit. Yet, it begs me to ask..

“Am I more fit when I wear one?”

As a runner, I tend to boast of my long distance mileage. I’ll run 10+ miles for a training run, hit my daily step goal before most people wake up and feel insanely proud. Afterwards, I would sit more than I care to admit. My favorite post race activity is going to the movies with Husband to rest my legs. I don’t think I’m alone. Many runners run and then don’t do anything else afterwards.

In my book, that feels fit to me. Not many people can say they can run that distance.

Quite the opposite though, when a wear a fitness tracker, it forces me to move more. It reminds me that my day isn’t over just because I ran for a few hours in the morning. Overall, that’s probably a lot more healthy than what I do without one.

Wearing One Again

I need to put the excuses aside and wear one again. I’m not sure I need to go out and buy the latest and greatest, but there is something to be said about moving all day long and not just during your workout. That’s where the difference lies and why I need to put one back on.

I may not see the results that my friend is having or ever be as excited she is. It’s hard to get excited after you’ve broken up with so many fitness trackers. Yet, she has inspired me to strap one back on my wrist again. It won’t change anything overnight, like dropping this awful baby weight, but it might get me off the couch post-run and that’s worthwhile.

Do you wear a fitness tracker?