NY Times: How Accurate Are Fitness Trackers

Deipneus

I don't use any fitness tracker myself, but I see from my friends that it tends to motivate users and even if that's all they did, they would be worthwhile. Fitness tracker brands include Fitbit, Nike+, FuelBand and others.

This NY Times article says that when you are exercising strenuously, they are accurate. But when you are doing only light exercise, they underestimate calories burned. So, if the author is right, you are actually burning more calories than your accelerometers say.

"Nate Meckes recognized that he needed to study the accuracy of activity monitors after wearing one. A shipment of the devices, known technically as accelerometers and designed to measure a person’s movement and energy expenditure, had arrived at Arizona State University, where Dr. Meckes was a researcher. To ensure they were operational, he slipped one over his hip and wore it throughout the day, including to an interminable meeting where he stood up and paced. “I’m not good at sitting still,” he says."

Read rest of the NY Times article here: http://nyti.ms/11X9ZU2