Despite mixed reviews and measurement inaccuracies, wearable fitness tracking devices can assist users in reaching health and fitness goals

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Wearable fitness tracking devices, such as the Fitbit, are currently very popular gadgets which are meant to assist each user in building a healthier lifestyle. Although they are not very precise devices, many users have still been able to utilize these gadgets for motivation to stay on track and reach their goals.

These devices, such as the Fitbit, track steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, and monitor length and quality of sleep. In addition to the automatic tracking, the device also connects to an app on your smartphone where you can input your calorie intake. They also calculate the number of calories burned by exercise, and then provide the users with a personalized recommendation for amount of calories they can consume. 

All of the tracked and input data is stored in the app, so you have a log of your daily achievements over time. You can also create fitness goals, such as reach 10,000 steps each day, and compete with friends in fitness challenges. Even with these built-in components, users of these devices are achieving mixed results.

Fitness tracking devices receive mixed reviews from users, regarding usefulness for losing weight

Some users have claimed that their fitness tracking device has helped them through their toughest challenges, and they have physically felt much better since buying the device. However, others, after buying their device write negative reviews online about how their wearable fitness tracker is not working for them. Some even say they have gained weight since buying it. 

Abigail B, before and after Fitbit use

Abigail B, a Fitbit user from Utah, is an example of a Fitbit success story, as written in this Fitbit success story blog. Abigail decided to buy the Fitbit Charge to help her lose 20 pounds that she had gained over the years. Four months after getting the Fitbit Charge, Abgail had lost nearly 30 pounds and was feeling great. 

She used the Fitbit religiously throughout every day and night. She says that what she found really helpful about the Fitbit was that every time she looked down at her wrist, or at her phone, she was reminded of how many steps she had taken so far that day. She always knew how many more steps she needed to take to reach her goal.

Korie Mulholland, a past Fitbit user from Chicago, was not quite so successful while using her Fitbit, but not for a lack of trying. Her story was shared in an article written in TODAY Health and Wellness. Korie originally lost 40 pounds by exercising and watching her calorie intake, without the use of a Fitbit. Her weight loss then plateaued, so she decided to buy a Fitbit, hoping that it would stimulate her weight loss. That is not what happened; instead she started to gain weight.

She wore her Fitbit every day, honestly logged her daily food intake, consistently met her daily goals, and ate as many calories as the Fitbit recommended. Since Korie was walking 10-15 miles per day, the Fitbit was telling her that she could eat 2400-2600 calories each day. 

Study shows, fitness tracking devices imprecisely calculate calories burned, and thus may also recommend incorrect caloric intakes

This is where the Fitbit got Korie into trouble, and can get you into trouble too. Each and every person's metabolism functions differently, and the devices on the market have not yet been able to accurately calculate these metabolic rates, as shown by the graph on the right. 

The graph shows the mean percentage error in each fitness device's metabolic rate calculator, or energy expenditure. The data was taken from a study in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal. A device that is trusted to provide accurate metabolic readings, called the Oxycon Mobile 5.0, was used as the control in this experiment. The difference between the Oxycon reading and the fitness gadget reading gives the percent error.

Many professionals would not recommend building an entire diet and weight loss plan around the measurements given by these devices, like Korie did, due to studies showing their inaccuracies. Instead, these devices give a general overview of how much you are moving and exercising each day, so you can work on maintaining or improving your activity amount, as Abigail did.

Despite measurement inaccuracies, professionals stand up for the usefulness of the fitness trackers

An avid Fitbit user and an Instructor in the department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, Dr. Jo Zimmerman believes that these fitness tracking devices are as useful as previous self-monitoring tools, such as a written log or being accountable to a training partner. She believes the results of each user depends on how they utilize the device. 

Only half of the people who use self-monitoring devices update their logs on a regular basis, according to an article from ASCM's Health and Fitness Journal. If people are skipping multiple days - they forget to wear their Fitbit or forget to log their calorie intake - then the device's usefulness may decrease for them. Therefore, these people may not be getting the results they desire from their Fitbit.

A second problem people may be having with these devices is being honest with themselves and with their logs. Dr. Jo Zimmerman believes that self-monitoring tools are "useful to provide accountability." This means that they can be a useful tool if you are honest, however, if you consistently underestimate your food intake or tap your pedometer to raise your step count, the device will not be as useful for you.

Fitness tracking devices are imprecise in their measurements, but can still help users through motivational support

These fitness tracking devices allow us to measure what only doctors have been able to measure in the past. Now, anyone is able to self-monitor their health, wellness, and fitness continuously, instead of once a year at the doctor’s office. Some people already have the motivation to exercise, so these fitness tracking devices provide these people with a convenient way to track their fitness progress.

The fitness tracking devices keep their users constantly thinking about their fitness and health. There are many motivational attributes built into this system. In the fitness app you can view your daily measurements, set daily goals, and create challenges with friends. A screenshot of this app is shown below. In addition, every time you open your smartphone, you are hit with an update of your fitness progress for the day. 

screenshot of Fitbit smartphone app

Being able to view your daily measurements, and scroll back in time to see how your fitness level has improved from a month or a year ago can be great motivation. If people are seeing that they have been increasing their step count over time, then they are more likely to want to keep going in that direction.

In addition, people are more likely to exercise or log their food intake if they are constantly reminded. Sometimes the issue with self-monitoring is just forgetting to keep it up every day. Nearly every smartphone user checks their device once a day; most check much more often than that.

These devices can also be useful for people who enjoy competition. Setting a daily fitness goal, like reaching 10,000 steps each day, creates a challenge for you to see if you can meet that goal. Not only can the Fitbit help you motivate yourself, but you can also unleash your competitive side by challenging friends. If you have already reached your 10,000 steps per day goal, but then you realize that Alice has 12,000 steps, that can give you the extra motivation to take another few laps around that track, or park farther away from the store.

These wearable fitness tracking devices can be helpful in your journey to becoming healthier, more fit, and losing weight. The devices can help keep you thinking about fitness and health, and thus help provide some motivation, however, the Fitbit is not a miracle worker in and of itself. It can help provide encouragement through notifications on your phone, but you have to have enough will and motivation within yourself to listen to that notification and log your daily food intake, or walk your goal number of steps.

In addition to the other inaccuracies, professionals say sleep quality should not be tracked by wrist movement

Sleep amount and quality is often overlooked when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, however, it is just as important to get plenty of restful sleep as it is to eat well and exercise.

Unfortunately, in addition to calories burned, these devices lack accuracy in tracking sleep quality. The device determines when you fell asleep, and automatically starts tracking the amount of time you slept and the amount of restless versus restful sleep you obtained. The fitness tracking devices monitor sleep based on wrist movement. If the device senses movement, it determines your quality of sleep is low. If the device senses no movement, it determines your quality of sleep is high, however, sleep monitoring is truly done by monitoring brain waves, not wrist movement.

Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, Dr. Steven Brauth says that monitoring wrist movement during sleep is not an accurate way to measure quality of sleep. Just because someone is not moving, does not mean they are in slow wave sleep - also known as deep sleep. And just because someone's wrist is moving a lot does not mean they are not in deep sleep, and does not necessarily mean their quality of sleep at that time is low.  

Although these devices are not useful for determining sleep quality, they could be useful for someone who wants to track and/or improve their sleep quantity.

The wearable fitness tracking technologies are constantly evolving, so maybe one day these devices will give accurate measurements. However, for now the devices seem to be working for many just by giving motivation through continuous measurements and smartphone notifications.