I’m addicted to technology!
Hi, my name is Naomi and I am addicted to tracking my fitness. It all started about 5 years ago when I received my first Fitbit. It was great, it counted my steps, told me how far I was running, it let me know if I was drinking enough water throughout the day, it even tracked my sleep for goodness sake. It was without a doubt the best thing since sliced bread, in my opinion. Shortly after this though I started to change, my friends and family even started to notice. I talked about my Fitbit all the time and encouraged them all to get one. I was always in my active wear and checking in to make sure I had covered enough ground. I would find myself taking the stairs, rather than the elevator. I was one of those people that carried around 2L drink bottle everywhere I went. I could go on, but I think you get the point. I’m simply addicted.
Before I get started I did just want to touch on the negativity these fitness trackers have received as of late. Are they really hindering us, rather than improving our overall wellbeing? Are they controlling our every decision? What we eat, what and how much we drink, how far I walk and what I do on a daily basis? Well, when I put it like that I guess I make it sound like a cult of some sort, controlling my every thought. But if you make the decision to be a healthier version of yourself, you won’t see these as controlling factors, rather you being accountable for your life. I am hear to tell you why you should take the plunge and be addicted (or accountable) with me.
Performance monitoring systems for the everyday individual
Elite athletes have been doing it for years, so why shouldn’t you! So they use expensive GPS systems and state of the art heart rate monitors to ensure they are working to maximum capacity on the field. Let me tell you, your fitness tracker can do most, if not all, of what these fancy GPS systems can do. Why should these athletes have all the fun. Find your inner athlete and get moving, you may surprise yourself with how much you get through in a day.
Motivating
When I first joined the fitness tracking boom, I found it extremely motivating knowing what I was actually doing in a day. How many steps I had taken, how far I had run and how much water I was consuming. The more I saw it, the more I wanted to keep going. Even on my lazy days I found myself wanting to get up and move around. For those who do not have a background in sport or sports science, it provides a high level overview of what you’re doing on a day to day basis and for the everyday individual, this should be more than enough to get your off the couch.
Goal setting
If you’re anything like me you need to set goals throughout a day to get things achieved. If I don’t have a to do list, I know I won’t get anything done. Knowing that I had to reach 15000+ steps on any given day ensured I was always on the go. Tracking exactly how much water I drinking on a daily basis made sure I was hitting my 2L+ mark on a daily basis. Knowing I achieved these goals made me feel accomplished and body was thanking me for it. My skin was improving, I was toned in areas I didn’t think I could ever tone and I finally began to see the outlines of what could only be my abdominals forming.
Don’t just count your steps
Wear it to your gym, your crossfit, your HIIT or you Muay Thai class and I guarantee it will push you to work that little bit harder. So it doesn’t measure how much weight you have lifted and all the movements you may have completed, but most of them will take into account how hard you are working. Most gyms and crossfit box’s have implemented performance monitoring systems, like FitBox, to ensure movements and weights are taken into consideration. Therefore, you can track every aspect of your fitness life. Get your heart rate up and find a fitness centre that is invested in it’s members enough to invest in a monitoring system, at the end of the day these will be accurate indicators of your exercise intensity.
So to those that call me an addict, I say so what!
Would you rather me be out there drinking, eating junk food or worse sitting on the couch watching Netflix? No I didn’t think so. I for one would rather be addicted to something that is only going to improve my overall wellbeing. Whether you use your standard Fitbit to just track your steps or your high end Garmin to track, well everything, go for it.
At the end of the day you are moving, and that is all that matters.
Naomi Wallis
Product Manager
Naomi has a passion for health, fitness and sports science, with an aim to bring awareness to the everyday individual.
Working as a sports scientist for some of the country’s top National Rugby League teams, Naomi, understands the dedication it takes to be at the top of any sport. This experience, along with her previous role as a Personal Trainer, has allowed her to work towards the development of the FitBox product to ensure it suits the needs of the fitness market.
