Do fitness trackers actually keep you fit?

How does one manage to stay fit, when it’s so easy to quit?

I didn’t intend to start on a pessimistic point but staying hale and hearty during the pandemic is quite a bit of a challenge. Especially when you’re struggling to balance the whole work-from-home thing, curb your socializing, stay fit and retain that bit of sanity that’s left. But ironically, these testing times require you to stay in your best form.

A year ago when the pandemic had just started, I found it extremely difficult to muster any form of discipline, dedication, or drive to keep myself fit. In fact, I could barely wake up to attend that 10’o o’clock Zoom meet. A month or two into the lockdown, I realized that Covid-19 would not be ending anytime soon and the only way to endure (or embrace it), would be to keep safe and sound. Now keeping yourself fit isn’t as easy as it seems. All of us have that one morning when we wake up with all that newfound energy, put on our tracksuits, start stretching and hop onto the treadmill for the next hour. But next morning, we’re back to square one. There are a ton of hurdles that you need to overcome. Lack of motivation, inconsistency, work overload, irregular routine, and the list goes on.

So what can one do to avoid this?
Over time, I’ve realized that tracking your fitness goals is one of the best ways to keep yourself healthy and fit. Seems pretty time-consuming? You’ll be surprised to know that over the long run, it actually saves you more time. Yes, exercising is smart and good for you. But most of the time, you don’t know how much physical activity you’re getting, and if it’s actually helping you. A fitness tracker can definitely help.

You might be wondering how exactly will it benefit you? Let me break it down for you.

• People who use fitness trackers and apps are much more active than people who don’t. They take at least 2000 more steps every day.
• The smallest increase in activity levels can have a huge impact at a population level, improving health and reducing the risk of occurrence of illness.
• In the long run, it potentially lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
• Whether you’re working out solo or competing with friends, a tracker will always keep you accountable.
• Finding motivation is next to impossible during the pandemic. But a fitness tracker can show you the number of calories you’ve burnt and drop that little bit of incentive that you need to take it one step further. Quite literally.
• When you start exercising randomly, most of the effort is directionless and results in no tangible gain (or loss in this case). With a fitness band, you can actually set achievable goals, measure your daily progress and determine the changes you need to make in your regimen.
• While it’s too difficult to not hog on junk food when you’re sitting on the bed all day, a fitness tracker can help you log your diet, help you to control it, and monitor it on a daily basis.
• One of the most important aspects of a tracker is in ensuring a good sleep cycle. It’ll record the data regarding your sleep so that you can attempt to get those 7 hours required daily that impact metabolism, energy levels, and mood fluctuations.

All in all, fitness trackers ensure that you can focus on maintaining a good lifestyle, retain that work-life balance and ensure that you stay happy and healthy. So if corona comes knocking at your doorstep, you’re prepared, pumped, and powered to face it or fight it!