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How reliant have you become on fitness tech?
Replies
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Maybe I’m thinking of reliance as different than obsession.
I rely on the info I get from my wearable tech for a whole host of reasons.
Primarily-like @Keto_Vampire, a consistent (even if not “accurate”) takes a TON of guesswork out of this process and helps alleviate stress about what to count and what level of active I might be or how many hours of walking should I log on vacations or extra this/that or the other thing.
For someone balancing training load with the deficit I need to lose enough weight that it’s an impact on health and training-anything that helps find a way to consistently quantify that balance is a huge plus.
And I also rely on the data collected while I’m training (running) to monitor HR, distance, pace, my route, other assorted metrics that I’m not looking at on my run. This info helps quantify improvement, training load, recovery metrics, need for changes in my program. It also helps me hit the intended targets during my training.
Plus there are additional things monitored (like resting HR) that help gauge recovery/improved fitness/stress/etc.
Do I rely on it? Yep.
But it’s not the end all and be all, nor do I when a meltdown if it’s not working (you’ll forgive my quadruple redundancy during my actual marathon though...). I do appreciate ways to encourage more movement and ways to quantify how well I’m doing that. But the only time I’m going to go crazy on that is if I need 673 steps to beat my brother for the week.
I use my devices but consider them to add convenience and value to my life. I did all these things before I had a tracker of any kind. It’s just far less stressful for me now.6 -
Duck_Puddle wrote: »Maybe I’m thinking of reliance as different than obsession.
I rely on the info I get from my wearable tech for a whole host of reasons.
Primarily-like @Keto_Vampire, a consistent (even if not “accurate”) takes a TON of guesswork out of this process and helps alleviate stress about what to count and what level of active I might be or how many hours of walking should I log on vacations or extra this/that or the other thing.
For someone balancing training load with the deficit I need to lose enough weight that it’s an impact on health and training-anything that helps find a way to consistently quantify that balance is a huge plus.
And I also rely on the data collected while I’m training (running) to monitor HR, distance, pace, my route, other assorted metrics that I’m not looking at on my run. This info helps quantify improvement, training load, recovery metrics, need for changes in my program. It also helps me hit the intended targets during my training.
Plus there are additional things monitored (like resting HR) that help gauge recovery/improved fitness/stress/etc.
Do I rely on it? Yep.
But it’s not the end all and be all, nor do I when a meltdown if it’s not working (you’ll forgive my quadruple redundancy during my actual marathon though...). I do appreciate ways to encourage more movement and ways to quantify how well I’m doing that. But the only time I’m going to go crazy on that is if I need 673 steps to beat my brother for the week.
I use my devices but consider them to add convenience and value to my life. I did all these things before I had a tracker of any kind. It’s just far less stressful for me now.
I don't wear wireless headphones during races because once I had an issue connecting bluetooth, and I have my phone tracking pace as well as my watch. I feel ya on redundancies during actual events. But I don't freak out if I don't have tracking on a normal weekend run, although I certainly like it if I'm in training! 0 -
I was so 'hooked' on my Fitbit and achieving the numbers every single day - was pretty obsessed for close on 4 years until it broke....I decided to go cold turkey and not replace it - best thing I ever did! I now don't focus on step related workouts for one thing and I'm maintaining my weight just as I did when I was wearing a tracker. It turns out I don't need some gadget to motivate me to keep moving, I do it out of habit and enjoyment.2
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I have a fairly low tech pedometer and a somewhat modest step goal. It does not give me reminders or sync to anything. I don't look at it constantly but having it helps me make sure I am more active than I would naturally be.
The only app I use is MFP. I don't do as well managing my weight without a food diary. I could not use it for a day or a week and be fine but long term I overeat by a few hundred calories when I do not track. I could do it on paper I suppose. I have a pretty good idea of calorie counts of foods I commonly eat after a few years of tracking but the act of tracking (prelogging) helps me make better choices.
I went years without these things and find they make things easier for me not cause anxiety or stress.2 -
My original bit of fitness tech was a stopwatch and used as a metric to improve performance. I invested into a Polar HRM in 1995 and used that for years to gather more data. I later invested in a Polar H7, which does the same, but pairs with your smartphone. I wear a Fitbit Flex 2 to track daily activity.
This is simply to keep me honest. It provides a daily reminder on whether or not I'm meeting my own expectations.3 -
I don't use any tech or equipment I'm simply too poor to afford it. All of my exercise is done inside my room except for when I go on walks outside. I use dumbbells for muscle building and I use my body for everything else.5
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I use Runkeeper on my phone for walks and some hikes, and a dumb pedometer (non-transmitting, can't even download data) the rest of the time. I really like the pedometer because I am extremely sedentary and it helps encourage me to walk. Runkeeper is great for letting me know distance, pace, and calories. I do sometimes find myself getting a little too obsessive about tracking the calories of my exercise and getting upset if I don't have my phone to tell me my burn. That is when I know it is time to unplug more and just enjoy the exercise. But the distance and pace information are valuable to me to help me better gauge my fitness, and help me decide on a route depending on how much time I have/am willing to spend exercising on a particular day. It's also great for teasing my husband who is astonishingly terrible at gauging distances and takes me on hikes that are much longer than promised. I now have a much better sense of his underestimation thanks to Runkeeper.0
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I am completely into fitness tech facilitated through my Garmin Fenix 3 HR. I see countless threads on motivation - the data provided by fitness tech is a huge motivator for me.
I am in my late 40s and have been in sustainment for years, which largely means there are few big fitness breakthroughs. I'm not losing or gaining weight. There are no "before and after pics". I am in great shape, but my lifting and running PRs are in the rearview mirror, looking back to my teens and 20s. Fitness technology is what keeps me interested and engaged when this otherwise becomes monotonous and a grind.
My Garmin provides a calorie burn estimate which I l balance against my food log to determine how much I can eat each day. It counts steps, calculates miles, captures my GPS location for cycling, running, and open water swimming maps, tracks my HR, captures my workout durations, keeps performance stats, etc. The info is used to compete in challenges, is dumped in to other apps for analysis, and is used to communicate my fitness activity on social media. Returning to the analog world of the past sounds very boring and tedious...
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I'm really enjoying reading others thoughts on this. I love tech, love playing with and using it, but to be frankly honest, I could become obsessive about it. Like I said before though, I just never thought of the simple idea of tracking trends vs hitting my numbers for a single day, so I'm now looking at watch, phone, tablet and apps a bit differently - I can do trends without getting obsessive. Thanks again for all the input folks
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Tbh, all of my bests have been earlier in my life when I wasn't using tech. Then again, so were all my injuries. Since I've started using tech I've noticed I've has a better eye for exactly how far I was pushing myself. Reliant? Yeah. But not in what feels like a bad way. For instance, the HRM I use on every run is massively useful in gauging when I need to dial it back. And I feel that's really gonna pay dividends in the long term... thinking of my knees still functioning so I can play with my grandkids 30 or 40 years from now.0
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@Phirrgus I'm not a huge tech-y person when it comes to fitness (other than using my phone to log food etc of course) and I don't have a FitBit or Garmin or anything (eventually I may take the plunge, but for now...nah, just not a priority).
THAT SAID, I do have a little step-counter deal on my watch and find it useful. Not so much because "oh no, I'm not getting in my steps! I won't be able to achieve my goalz!" but I know there's a benefit to making sure I'm simply moving around enough when I'm in a caloric deficit. I believe it was Miguel Blacutt who was talking about how when he was prepping for a show and was deep in a cut, his weight loss had stalled a bit, and he was standing waiting for an elevator when someone remarked, "dude you're not taking the stairs?!? But you work out like 3 hours a day!" and it dawned on him that he was subconsciously expending less energy on simple stuff you don't even think about - taking the stairs, fidgeting, nodding your head to the music, drumming your fingers on the steering wheel, walk out the door to go to work and realize you left your charging cable in the house nah my battery is OK I'm not gonna go back in and get it...that type of thing. So if weight loss is stalling out during a cut and you check compared to your step counter and see there's a distinct drop-off, that's a pretty good sign your NEAT is dropping too, which would (to some degree) account for the stall.
There was a really interesting study awhile back where the researchers OVERFED people by some huge margin and some people actually LOST weight because they simply (unintentionally) moved more. Their bodies went, "oh heeeey let's do stuff!" without them even thinking about it.4 -
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I love my tech toys too! I never thought much about them until I saw your post and I think I'm obsessed with them...lol. For running/walking/swimming I wear my heart rate strap along with my Garmin 920XT. I love the run/walk set up where it beeps to let me know when to run or walk. For biking I use my Garmin 510 that I have paired with my Garmin Varia Radar. I'm also into the Training Peaks app, along with the Garmin Connect App and sometimes use Strava. My biggest issue with my workout tech gadgets is the question, is everything charged?... 2
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I love my tech toys too! I never thought much about them until I saw your post and I think I'm obsessed with them...lol. For running/walking/swimming I wear my heart rate strap along with my Garmin 920XT. I love the run/walk set up where it beeps to let me know when to run or walk. For biking I use my Garmin 510 that I have paired with my Garmin Varia Radar. I'm also into the Training Peaks app, along with the Garmin Connect App and sometimes use Strava. My biggest issue with my workout tech gadgets is the question, is everything charged?...
The bold, I love it LOL. I usually tell my watch to shut up, but it's nice to see someone using those features 1 -
The bold, I love it LOL. I usually tell my watch to shut up, but it's nice to see someone using those features [/quote]
I have it set for the 4 minute run and 1 minute walk. Sometimes it turns into a 5 minute walk 0 -
I have it set for the 4 minute run and 1 minute walk. Sometimes it turns into a 5 minute walk
I found out you can set it for a lot more than the simple run/walk program with a downloadable .fit file.
http://8020endurance.com/8020-workout-library/
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I had Fitbit HR, then Garmin Vivoactive. They all died and I got tired of throwing $ at something that would barely outlast its warranty and die (4 did that!!). So I went back to just logging exercise on MFP and only eating back cardio and not counting lifting as activity (usual workout is 3/4 lifting, 1/4 cardio) and lo and behold I dropped those last few pounds. Both devices gave me too much credit for lifting and general activity.
My husband asked if I wanted an Apple Watch for Christmas and I wasn’t interested. I’m going to the gym 5-6x a week regardless, and motivation is seeing weights go up, so not really helpful on the watch.
That being said, I’m considering a WHOOP, mostly to reign my injury prone self in and recover better.0 -
@JBanx256 I always appreciate your input and you nailed it for me regarding NEAT. That's something I've been super conscious of for a few weeks now, and the payoff is there. Thanks 😊
When I had my deload and had isocaloric intake, guess what happened to my step count? Even without thinking about it...BOOM...significantly higher (not high enough to totally negate the difference in calories, but still) than it was when I was in the thick of my mesocycle and in a deficit.2 -
Just to amplify on earlier comment: I've found the chest belt (Ant+) absolutely essential for rowing, on-water or machine. There's just too much arm flexing and overall movement for the Vivoactive 3 to maintain any reasonable wrist connection. (I'm sure the same would be true for most wrist-based HRM.)
Also, the all-day calorie burn estimation, for me, is a lying liar that lies*. Since it lies by about the same amount as MFP and other NEAT/TDEE "calculators", I'm speculating that it would be reasonable to assume that if the "calculator" estimates work for a person, the devices might be likely to work, too; but if you're out in the weeds compared to those other estimates, the device might be equally off (depending on why the difference exists, of course: If a person underestimates steps or something, but the device picks it up, it could be better).
Since I use my fitness tracker primarily for, well, fitness tracking, this discrepancy doesn't make me dislike the device. It gives me what I want, and expect. The occasional laugh (all-day calories, sleep tracking) is fun, too. (One day when I was bailing out a rowing barge, Connect IQ thought I was swimming. LOL!)
* Yeah, I know poor estimation isn't actually a lie. Give a li'l ol' lady some room for hyperbole, OK?
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gradchica27 wrote: »My husband asked if I wanted an Apple Watch for Christmas and I wasn’t interested. I’m going to the gym 5-6x a week regardless, and motivation is seeing weights go up, so not really helpful on the watch.
I have an Apple Watch and the fitness tools are so far down on the list of reasons I have it that I wouldn't have gotten one if that was my sole reason. First was being able to see if I was getting an urgent call or text without having to either dig my phone out of my purse or carry around with me in the office. The second feature was making my phone ding so I could figure out which blanket, jacket pocket, or random pile of paper it was hiding under. Once it was under the cat.
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@JBanx256 I always appreciate your input and you nailed it for me regarding NEAT. That's something I've been super conscious of for a few weeks now, and the payoff is there. Thanks 😊
This is actually one of the reasons why I got a Fitbit - I was unintentionally slowly losing weight and couldn't figure out why as my routine and eating habits hadn't seemed to change and then I realized I'd become more active overall and had increased my NEAT and hadn't accounted for it. Then the move reminders got me even more active and I dropped a little lower
So now I get to eat more 3 -
Just to amplify on earlier comment: I've found the chest belt (Ant+) absolutely essential for rowing, on-water or machine. There's just too much arm flexing and overall movement for the Vivoactive 3 to maintain any reasonable wrist connection. (I'm sure the same would be true for most wrist-based HRM.)
Also, the all-day calorie burn estimation, for me, is a lying liar that lies*. Since it lies by about the same amount as MFP and other NEAT/TDEE "calculators", I'm speculating that it would be reasonable to assume that if the "calculator" estimates work for a person, the devices might be likely to work, too; but if you're out in the weeds compared to those other estimates, the device might be equally off (depending on why the difference exists, of course: If a person underestimates steps or something, but the device picks it up, it could be better).
Since I use my fitness tracker primarily for, well, fitness tracking, this discrepancy doesn't make me dislike the device. It gives me what I want, and expect. The occasional laugh (all-day calories, sleep tracking) is fun, too. (One day when I was bailing out a rowing barge, Connect IQ thought I was swimming. LOL!)
* Yeah, I know poor estimation isn't actually a lie. Give a li'l ol' lady some room for hyperbole, OK?
@AnnPT77 "ol" lady? I sincerely doubt that 🙂
I've been through 1 apple watch and 2 Fitbit's so far, and while the Fitbit is worse by a bit, all have troubles with wrist motion.
I've been digging into the app for stats and trends the past few days though, and there's a wealth of info I can use.
Good stuff for this "ol" man 😉1 -
colorfulcoquette wrote: »@JBanx256 I always appreciate your input and you nailed it for me regarding NEAT. That's something I've been super conscious of for a few weeks now, and the payoff is there. Thanks 😊
This is actually one of the reasons why I got a Fitbit - I was unintentionally slowly losing weight and couldn't figure out why as my routine and eating habits hadn't seemed to change and then I realized I'd become more active overall and had increased my NEAT and hadn't accounted for it. Then the move reminders got me even more active and I dropped a little lower So now I get to eat more
Mine was the opposite, stuck hard lol. Between the weekly weigh ins, libra and the trends I'm seeing though, I'm actually losing, just really really slowly 😁1 -
@JBanx256 I always appreciate your input and you nailed it for me regarding NEAT. That's something I've been super conscious of for a few weeks now, and the payoff is there. Thanks 😊
When I had my deload and had isocaloric intake, guess what happened to my step count? Even without thinking about it...BOOM...significantly higher (not high enough to totally negate the difference in calories, but still) than it was when I was in the thick of my mesocycle and in a deficit.
I've never tried tying NEAT to specific days over a given period, but the spikes are there, and being so close to goals this gives me something else to dig into. Thanks J 🤜🤛2 -
I use the food diary here to help me count carbs. I do use the step counter on my phone if I'm walking outside. I know it's not incredibly accurate, but at least it's something. I never wear my headphones outside. When I walk on the treadmill at the gym I admit I try to find a TV show to watch. As a single mom to a teenager and caregiver to a family member it's the only uninterrupted time I get just for me!0
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Just to amplify on earlier comment: I've found the chest belt (Ant+) absolutely essential for rowing, on-water or machine. There's just too much arm flexing and overall movement for the Vivoactive 3 to maintain any reasonable wrist connection. (I'm sure the same would be true for most wrist-based HRM.)
Also, the all-day calorie burn estimation, for me, is a lying liar that lies*. Since it lies by about the same amount as MFP and other NEAT/TDEE "calculators", I'm speculating that it would be reasonable to assume that if the "calculator" estimates work for a person, the devices might be likely to work, too; but if you're out in the weeds compared to those other estimates, the device might be equally off (depending on why the difference exists, of course: If a person underestimates steps or something, but the device picks it up, it could be better).
Since I use my fitness tracker primarily for, well, fitness tracking, this discrepancy doesn't make me dislike the device. It gives me what I want, and expect. The occasional laugh (all-day calories, sleep tracking) is fun, too. (One day when I was bailing out a rowing barge, Connect IQ thought I was swimming. LOL!)
* Yeah, I know poor estimation isn't actually a lie. Give a li'l ol' lady some room for hyperbole, OK?
@AnnPT77 "ol" lady? I sincerely doubt that 🙂
I've been through 1 apple watch and 2 Fitbit's so far, and while the Fitbit is worse by a bit, all have troubles with wrist motion.
I've been digging into the app for stats and trends the past few days though, and there's a wealth of info I can use.
Good stuff for this "ol" man 😉
Thanks for the implication . . . but I'm proud of it: Present in my advancing years, grateful as all get-out, and enjoying every *baby-feline* minute.
In Ann-world, "old" is a compliment, not an insult. Rock the "ol'" - reclaim it for Good Stuff! 4 -
Just to amplify on earlier comment: I've found the chest belt (Ant+) absolutely essential for rowing, on-water or machine. There's just too much arm flexing and overall movement for the Vivoactive 3 to maintain any reasonable wrist connection. (I'm sure the same would be true for most wrist-based HRM.)
Also, the all-day calorie burn estimation, for me, is a lying liar that lies*. Since it lies by about the same amount as MFP and other NEAT/TDEE "calculators", I'm speculating that it would be reasonable to assume that if the "calculator" estimates work for a person, the devices might be likely to work, too; but if you're out in the weeds compared to those other estimates, the device might be equally off (depending on why the difference exists, of course: If a person underestimates steps or something, but the device picks it up, it could be better).
Since I use my fitness tracker primarily for, well, fitness tracking, this discrepancy doesn't make me dislike the device. It gives me what I want, and expect. The occasional laugh (all-day calories, sleep tracking) is fun, too. (One day when I was bailing out a rowing barge, Connect IQ thought I was swimming. LOL!)
* Yeah, I know poor estimation isn't actually a lie. Give a li'l ol' lady some room for hyperbole, OK?
@AnnPT77 "ol" lady? I sincerely doubt that 🙂
I've been through 1 apple watch and 2 Fitbit's so far, and while the Fitbit is worse by a bit, all have troubles with wrist motion.
I've been digging into the app for stats and trends the past few days though, and there's a wealth of info I can use.
Good stuff for this "ol" man 😉
Thanks for the implication . . . but I'm proud of it: Present in my advancing years, grateful as all get-out, and enjoying every *baby-feline* minute.
In Ann-world, "old" is a compliment, not an insult. Rock the "ol'" - reclaim it for Good Stuff!
Love it 🙂0 -
I just use an app to track my fitness walking/running miles.
I've never used any fitness gadgets or anything. I try to keep things simple and easy and I've done great with both losing weight and maintaining without being dependent any devices.
I'm a techie at work, so I value the freedom when it comes to being practically tech-free when it comes to my health and fitness.7 -
I'll cite my n=1 experience over the past few weeks. I have been leading multiple pharmocovigilance audits at my firm - all of which hit at once. This resulted in me having to clear my schedule, all my workout times, work longer hours, and eat convenience foods. I haven't been keeping track of my caloric intake, but I do note that my step count is 1/2 of what my normal routine has become.
The impact of this? Up 8 lbs (which I know is mostly water weight), sluggish, weak, tired... Having a tracker helps me focus on the missed metrics of diet and activity and that all is required is to get back on track and return to my routine.
...and by the way successful completion of 3 of 4 audits with no observations - no action indicated (which is the best one can hope for). Last audit begins Monday and we expect the same result.4
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