Gadgets? Yes/No - Debate

llbrixon

I debated a long time whether to get a Fitbit.... I kept putting it off and researching more. That has been over 9 months or so. I still have not bought one. I love gadgets.... don't get me wrong.

I am already using "Map my Walk," for my cell, and this app works great......why do I need something else that will do the same thing?

Rocknut53

The one thing I've noticed is people getting too "dependent" and freaking out if their Fitbit doesn't jibe with MFP or some such thing. If having a Fitbit motivates someone, that's awesome. I use my smart phone with Map My Hike to keep track of my distance, elevation gained, and calories burned realizing that those numbers aren't precise. S Health gives me steps throughout the day, when I remember to have my phone with me. I even use a ski app that tells me how many runs I've skied in a day along with vertical feet and an estimate of calories burned. Fun stuff, but not necessary for my fitness. Getting my a** moving is what works for me.

Grammytryingtogetfit

I have had my vivoactive hr for a little over a week and I LOVE it!!! I have seen a lot of differences in the machines at the gym, map my fitness and this. I know nothing is perfect, but feel this one is the one for me. I like that I can track and see reports with it. It actually keeps me moving and pushing forward.

stealthq

I have an optical sensor HR wristband that I like, when I can get it to work properly (sweat screws up the sensors, so it's a no-go in the heat). It helped me determine my ballpark max HR - hard to count beats while sprinting.

I don't really use it for training, more for seeing progress over the long term. Seeing my HR come down on the same run, similar pace after X months (and taking temperature into account) is nice. I will sometimes use it to verify that I'm starting to work too hard, though feeling like I'm starting to breathe faster is usually plenty of indication.

NorthCascades

xDesertxRatx wrote: »

I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?

I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.

Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.

So community, what do we think?

Your Garmin (I'm guessing it's an Edge unit) is a gadget!

You're a cyclist, so it's a type of gadget that's relevant to you as a cyclist. In the same way that a Vivifit or Fitbit is relevant to someone who's a walker. Or a map and compass are relevant to a hiker.

You realize that your Garmin isn't perfectly accurate, right? But it's good enough for all practical purposes.

How are they a hindrance, and to such a degree that they're rendered useless?

xDesertxRatx

@NorthCascades

Yes it is a Edge (£50 from Aldi) and is a gadget. But it's not for fitness as such and just logs my routes or distances like a SatNav would. Didn't say i didn't like gadgets, just don't see the need in fitness ones. I am a PC gamer so trust me i have gadgets galore.

I am a hiker as well. Was a ML in the army and still do the Brecons, 3 peaks etc. But..big but..i use map and compass only..nothing else. My routes are logged in my record which i always kept as did my course in 1984.

The Garmin is actually very accurate when checked on the route to work which i cycle in the summer and drive in winter and SatNav says same distance.

The hinderance part i refer to is for some and talking about my ex here..they were her life and the tantrums when she couldn't find it or left it somewhre was unbelievable. It detracted from what she was trying to achieve..that's what i meant by that comment.

cwolfman13

xDesertxRatx wrote: »

I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?

I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.

Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.

So community, what do we think?

Well...that's a gadget. I use gadgets that are applicable to me and I would include apps like strava that I use to log my rides and set goals, etc...I would also include my HRM...I can't really afford a power meter, nor am I that serious about things to save up for one, so I use my HRM for training purposes.

For some people, a Fitbit (which is just a fancy pants pedometer) can be a valuable tool to show how active or inactive they may be...a lot of people actually have a great deal of difficult estimating their activity level; a lot of people underestimate their activity and a lot of people underestimate their activity...I think it can also help some people get motivated to move more when they have something attached to them that basically says you haven't done crap all day. I think they are fairly accurate for just general activity...walking and doing your daily...not so much for more vigorous exercise. For me personally, this particular gadget would be a waste of money.

xDesertxRatx

@cwolfman13 Please read what i put..It's not for logging fitness. It's useful for me to no how long it takes to get to places so i can guage what time to leave the house. That's about all it gets used for. I don't even sync it with Garmin connect. When i go swimming i use the clock to see how long it's taken to do 100 lengths so guess that's a gadget as well...lol.

cwolfman13

xDesertxRatx wrote: »

@cwolfman13 Please read what i put..It's not for logging fitness. It's useful for me to no how long it takes to get to places so i can guage what time to leave the house. That's about all it gets used for. I don't even sync it with Garmin connect. When i go swimming i use the clock to see how long it's taken to do 100 lengths so guess that's a gadget as well...lol.

So you're just using it in a different manner...I would presume most cyclists would use their garmin to monitor fitness and I don't think that's strange or anything...seem kind of like a waste of a good gadget to just monitor how long it takes you to get from A to B...a cheap watch can do that.

Personally I don't look at a Fitbit or pedometer for monitoring fitness...it's for monitoring general activity...like I said, it would be a waste for me...but for people who are otherwise sedentary it might get them moving more.

Also, I'm not super serious trying to podium or anything, but I do participate in numerous cycling events throughout the year and "gadgets" like my strava app and my HRM help me train better so that I'm prepared for said events...so I guess I don't see that as a "craze" or anything.

The hinderance part i refer to is for some and talking about my ex here..they were her life and the tantrums when she couldn't find it or left it somewhre was unbelievable. It detracted from what she was trying to achieve..that's what i meant by that comment.

And I guess I don't get this...I don't think this has so much to do with the gadget as it does some kind of behavioral, possible OCD issue. I misplace my HRM a couple times...I still went out and did my ride...

xDesertxRatx

[quote="cwolfman13;38120088"

Also, I'm not super serious trying to podium or anything, but I do participate in numerous cycling events throughout the year and "gadgets" like my strava app and my HRM help me train better so that I'm prepared for said events...so I guess I don't see that as a "craze" or anything.
.[/quote]

I did the Great Weston Ride last year. 54 miles. I programmed the route on that one and put details on Strava as the event organisers were asking us if we could send them some data. Call me a hypocrit but i thought it would be nice to help them out..lol

JeepHair77

The gadgets certainly aren't perfect - they're not 100% accurate, and nobody SHOULD be relying entirely on their fitbit or whatever to make all nutrition and fitness decisions.

But are they potentially helpful as one piece of the bigger puzzle? Sure. Look, maybe it's not 100% accurate in counting my steps or calories. But it's accurate when compared against its OWN data (Did I move approximately 20% more on a 10,000 step day vs. an 8,000 step day? Yeah, I did.) I can look at my fitbit data over the course of a few weeks or months and recognize a pattern. I can use it to find ways to be more active throughout my day and see what makes a difference. I can use it to challenge my friends and find motivation in social media. Why does that bother you?

Shoot, if the bigger conversation, here, is about our overreliance on electronic estimates, then there's some irony in bringing that discussion to THIS SITE.

gojaqs

The statistics are that people use gadgets for about 6 months. I hope I don't become that statistic because I just paid an arm and a leg for my Apple Watch.

rainbow198

I am not a gadgets person at all. I have all of the motivation and inspiration I need, plus I genuinely enjoy fitness and staying active.

I do use a pedometer app on my phone for my runs and walks though to keep track of my daily exercise miles (not random daily steps).

It's awesome to see how faster I am becoming and seeing my endurance get stronger and stronger year after year. Plus I write down my daily miles in my journal.

However, I have friends that get inspired by their Fitbit and things and I think that is wonderful! To each their own! No debate in my eyes.

NorthCascades

You know your Edge has a workouts feature where you can have it guide you through a warm up, then do intervals or a long Z2 ride or whatever, and then a cool down. You can have it just record, or tell you to go faster or slower or have it yell at you when your heart rate is too high. Newer ones are programmed to do a "fitness test" if you have an HRM and PM. It's definitely a fitness device, it just sounds like those features aren't especially useful to you.

NorthCascades

I have a Garmin watch, it works a lot like an Edge computer, but it's also useful for running and hiking and swimming. Anyway, it can give me a graph of my cardiovascular fitness for running and cycling, over the past year and a half. It's amazing to see how that's fallen since I started lifting weights. I only have so much time to exercise, lifting has taken away from riding, and that's pretty obvious when I look at a long term VO2max chart.

xDesertxRatx

Just got this one.

CSARdiver

xDesertxRatx wrote: »

I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?

I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.

Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.

So community, what do we think?

I think these are effective training tools as long as people use them as they were intended. I've been a long time Polar HRM user and used the data to monitor my performance and growth. I have a Fitbit Flex 2 to ensure I get in >10k steps/day as I have a very sedentary job now.

amusedmonkey

I'm a techy person who likes data and likes to do things with it, so more data = happier me. Fitbit can be pretty darn accurate if you know how to tweak it and personalize it. My fitbit burn is 95% true to my weight loss and I eat 100% of my step calories back. I resisted purchasing one at first because I didn't think I would benefit from it, but once I found one on deep discount and decided to try it I was hooked.

These gadgets are pretty useful for various reasons, like gauging activity, spotting trends, and providing handy data all in one place. The aren't 100% necessary for weight control, but they can give the user more control over the weight loss process. Just like a digital artist can draw without a tablet, but a Wacom can provide more control over certain aspects of the process.

There is also the motivation, social interaction, challenges...etc. People often buy these devices because they believe what they get out of them is worth the price. Even if the user doesn't care about all of that and just wants to be trendy, so what? I don't usually do expensive jewelry because it serves no practical purpose to me, but that doesn't mean everyone should find it as pointless as I do. Some feel the purchase is worth it.

Now granted, there are some common issues like users expecting the tracker will directly cause weight loss or that the steps they take to the water cooler will make them fit, but this doesn't mean the tracker itself is snake oil, it only means that some users may have some false beliefs around it.

Qskim

I read an article years ago (not sure if it was in relation to any particular study) by a dietician analysing the upward trend of obesity in Australia. At the time, McDonalds and the like was copping all the flak. The dietician pointed out that McDonald's had been in Australia for I think, 10years (maybe nearly 20 actually) longer than when the rise became evident. What was apparent in her opinion, was that the tick upwards really escalated when computers became more affordable and accessible to the everyday consumer. We sat on our arses more.

So technology helped (not by itself) get us in the *kitten* along with etc so why not use it to get us out of the *kitten* if we are so inclined?

KombuchaKat

I've been debating on getting one now that I am actually much more active. I moved to a major city last year and now walk everywhere. I actually think my calorie estimates might be too low some days and maybe a FitBit might help me see how the activity for each day (sometimes I walk 5 miles, sometimes up to 12 miles without really trying). I'm struggling with eating enough, too little, or too much and find that just sort of adjusting for this in my head is getting a wee bit frustrating.