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Are fitness trackers worth it? · Scientific Health: Education and Human Performance

0:00
Well, thanks for joining us today.
0:02
We're gonna take a look today about some fitness apps
0:04
and some heart rate monitors.
0:06
We're not going to talk about specific ones.
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We're gonna talk more about generalities
0:10
as relates to some of the fitness apps that are out there
0:12
and some of the heart rate monitors
0:14
as we don't want to advertise
0:16
for any specific company or brand
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unless one of those companies or brands
0:19
wish to provide some sponsorship.
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Which point in time, we'll take a look
0:23
at what the science for that specific company has to say
0:26
as we want to make sure that we are giving
0:28
as accurate and as beneficial information as possible.
0:32
So we were talking the other day with some students
0:34
and some other people about cardio responses to exercise.
0:38
And a couple of students brought up a question that they had
0:41
because they were having a conversation
0:43
coming out of the workout.
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And they were wondering about the accuracy
0:46
of the heart rate monitors
0:48
and if the fitness apps are worth using.
0:50
Whether they should only be using them
0:51
when they're running or doing cardio
0:53
or whether they should be wearing them
0:55
when they're lifting weights and doing other forms of exercise.
1:00
And so let's take a look at this
1:01
in terms of the science that's out there
1:03
as to which might be best
1:05
because there's a lot of fitness apps out there.
1:07
There's a lot of heart rate monitors out there.
1:09
And so we have to sit back
1:11
and we have to take a look at what does the science tell us
1:13
because there's a lot out there
1:14
and we need to understand a few things.
1:16
The following presentation contains information
1:19
that might contradict what you have previously heard
1:21
or believed to be true about how the human body works
1:25
and contains material that is not suitable
1:27
for close-minded individuals.
1:30
Enjoy.
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So let's start by looking at what's meant
1:34
in terms of the fitness trackers
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and what they are intending to look at
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and what they are intending to measure.
1:43
So what are the fitness trackers?
1:45
They're either gonna measure cardiometabolic responses
1:48
or they're gonna measure the distance
1:50
that are being traveled by the individual
1:52
or we have some applications for some of the smartphones
1:55
that are out there that are going to go about measuring
1:59
and recording our workout progress
2:02
as a means to provide mechanisms for determining
2:06
our overall amount of physical activity that's taking place.
2:10
And so the tracker effects are gonna take a look
2:12
at the physiology of what's going on
2:15
in which we can take a look at
2:17
and what a lot of them are attempting to do is provide,
2:20
at least for the heart monitors, a measuring ability,
2:27
ability to measure physiological responses
2:30
that are similar to the ECG readouts
2:32
that we get within metabolic carts.
2:35
What we would use in the laboratory setup
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where we would put electrodes on somebody's chest
2:41
and put a gas mask on somebody's, over somebody's mouth
2:44
to measure gas exchange within the exercise
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where the electrodes on the chest
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would give us the electrical activity
2:50
coming out from the heart.
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And what we're attempting to do
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when we're attempting to look at all of these features,
2:58
all these phenomenons within the various aspects
3:02
of the fitness trackers, at least for the heart monitors,
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is we're looking at what is going on physiologically
3:10
within the heart.
3:12
So we'll start by taking a look at the heart rate monitors
3:15
in terms of what they're gonna measure
3:17
and we'll have some longer comments coming up here.
3:20
The heart monitors are meant to track
3:22
cardiometabolic effects
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and they're gonna track cardiometabolic effects
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by looking at the physiology of what's taking place
3:30
within the heart based off of the effects
3:34
of exercise on the heart.
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And when we look at the effects of exercise on the heart,
3:38
we're really looking at is looking at how does
3:41
the contraction of the heart change
3:44
based off of physical exertion taking place?
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And what the trackers are gonna do
3:49
is they're gonna actually be measuring
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the electrical output, the ECG readouts.
3:53
The same type of readouts that we'd see
3:55
from the electrodes placed in somebody's heart,
3:58
somebody's chest in the hospital
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to measure activity of the heart.
4:03
In terms of the exercise physiology part of the fitness,
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what it's doing is it's gonna be doing the equivalency
4:10
of a metabolic heart analysis
4:13
for the heart rate response,
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where we'd put electrodes on the person's chest
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to measure electrical activity coming to the heart
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and put a gas mask on the person
4:24
to measure the exchange of gases
4:27
between the body and the environment,
4:30
where we're able to determine what the metabolic activity
4:32
for that person happens to be.
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The other way that we can look at these heart rate monitors
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is based off of measuring blood flow rate
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based off of using a peripheral monitor.
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And the peripheral monitors are usually found
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in the watches that we have.
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And so we basically have two ways
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of looking at heart rate responses.
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We can either look at it based off of straps
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going across the person's chest
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that would act as the electrodes for the ECG,
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or we can have monitors in the periphery
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usually around the wrist,
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or possibly looking at monitors on the person's finger.
5:08
The wrist and the finger measurements
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are going to basically be measuring blood flow
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through the arteries in the area
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by using a photovoltaic, a camera and light measurement,
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looking at the ability to receive
5:28
the light transmission being sent through
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in an attempt to measure flow rate of blood
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going through the arteries,
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and by measuring the flow rate of blood
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we're measuring the flow rate able to determine pulse rate.
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The other thing that some of these peripheral monitors
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will also measure is the amount of gases in the blood,
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sometimes we'll test the pulse oximeter.
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And the pulse oximeter is gonna measure
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the percent of oxygen that we find within the blood
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at any point in time.
5:58
I'll have a couple of comments on these
6:00
as we get into the longer discussion
6:02
of the technologies out there.
6:04
And so we either have the pulse oximeters
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in the peripheral measures, or we have, like I said,
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the chest straps that we'll place around the person's chest
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that will give us the ECG readouts,
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the electrical activity readouts coming from the heart.
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Now, both of these are good
6:20
because they're gonna provide feedback,
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but how good are they?
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And that's one of the things we have to look at here,
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and we'll take a little longer expose
6:27
on that here in a second.
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If we look at what the data shows us,
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we look at what the research shows us
6:33
from one of the current studies out there.
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The most recent one that I've been able to find
6:39
is from the early 2020s.
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It shows a correlation that is the likelihood
6:47
of having a correct response
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between what the heart rate monitor is giving us
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and what we get from our ECG.
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And we're looking at for the very good ones
6:59
in the high 90s and for the less than good ones
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in the high 80s in terms of percentages.
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And that's pretty good.
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But the problem is that with a lot of these,
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we get a pretty big sway.
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We get a pretty big deviation in heart rate measurements
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that we would see in terms of plus minus differences
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between what we get from the ECG
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and what we get from the heart rate monitor itself.
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And so if we're using it strictly for feedback mechanisms,
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that's pretty good.
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But if we're using it to do tracking
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and looking at how we're improving,
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that's not necessarily the best thing.
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And part of that has to deal with what happens physiologically
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to our cardiovascular system
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as we do more conditioning, more training.
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Part of it has to deal with how well the apparatus
7:48
are working at in terms of picking up
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the physiological signals of response to exercise
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that we see within the monitors themselves.
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What we can stipulate from all of the studies
8:00
that we've seen, once again, going from the late 2020s,
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it's the most recent study that I have come across
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as it relates to specifically the heart rate monitors,
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is that the chest strap versions of the heart rate monitors
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are better than the watch only monitors.
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And we'll talk a little about why that is here in a bit
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when we get to a little bit longer discussion
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on the use of trackers and the use of devices.
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And so those are the fitness trackers that are there.
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But we also have a whole host of other trackers
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that can come about that typically are smart device,
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smartphone, sometimes smartwatch,
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applications that are gonna track activity.
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And they're not gonna track activity
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based off of heart response,
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but off of GPS motion, GPS movement.
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So it's gonna track your movement that you have
8:51
for the smartphones.
8:53
They also sometimes will have a pedometer
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within the application,
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within the health applications usually.
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And what the pedometer is gonna do
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is it's gonna measure steps and it's gonna take those steps
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and attempt to equate it to distance traveled
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based off of standardization of step length
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relative to your entered body height
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if you happen to have measured all of those aspects
9:16
of your fitness within the application.
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Now there's also some other applications out there
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that are not necessarily meant to track
9:25
your physiological responses or track your movements,
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but are set up in such a way by various programmers
9:33
and various applications that are meant to be
9:37
more of a gym program, a workout program,
9:40
a workout regimen tracker, as opposed to a fitness tracker.
9:44
And there are a whole host of those types of applications,
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a whole host of those types of programs out there.
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What all of the application trackers do
9:54
is it increases some of the social networking
9:58
that we get within the gym culture
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that increases accountability.
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And the increase in accountability is good
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because it's gonna hold me responsible for my actions.
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And by holding me responsible for my actions,
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it's going to make sure that I am going to follow through
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with what I'm supposed to follow through.
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And once again, there's a whole host of those various types
10:22
of gym program trackers that are out there.
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And once again, I'm not going to sit here
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and state one is better than the other,
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but what we wanna make sure that we're doing
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if we're using any of the gym trackers,
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the gym program applications,
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is ensure that the programs themselves are set up
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such a way so as to be goal-oriented,
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self-selected, self-monitored,
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and self-motivating in such a way
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so that the tracker itself, the application self,
10:58
does not become a coercive event
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where you're going to choose to do the gym activity
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in such a way that it becomes a self-monitored,
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self-selective pattern of behavior.
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Because what you don't wanna do is you don't wanna make
11:13
this tracker, this gym app,
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something that is used as a means to coerce you
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into being active, to being physically active
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or into exercise.
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If you're gonna use these as a coercive mechanism,
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the likelihood of you actually becoming free
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from needing the tracker is very low,
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and the likelihood of you continually use the tracker
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is very low.
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So with all of those things in mind, we've seen a lot
11:45
of advertising about the different types of fitness tracking
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and fitness applications that can go into smartwatches
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and or other devices that allow for tracking fitnesses
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and for tracking exercise.
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But a question needs to be asked,
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do these devices provide accurate and reliable information?
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Is it worth getting the tracker?
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Is it worth using the devices?
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And it's very interesting that with the explosion
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of technology and technology-based fitness devices,
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there have not been very many large scale studies
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to determine if these are just a general marketing ploy
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or if we're actually able to have accurate information
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from the wearable equipment.
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Are we simply marketing as to have some sort
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of information, proviable wearable equipment
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that's supposed to support our healthy lifestyles?
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Or is it something that will actually provide me mechanisms
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to achieve health?
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These devices have developed the ability to measure
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or estimate a range of measurements
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of how our body functions, heart rate, stress levels,
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pulse ox, metabolic capacities,
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calorie utilizations,
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and even some provide feedback on muscle functions.
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Having access to this information provides an advantage
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to any athlete or exerciser trying
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to maximize their performance or to that individual hoping
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to gain a better understanding of their body.
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However, we are currently limited in our use
13:29
of these technologies without having validation
13:33
for the measurements that we are attempting to track
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as being accurate and reliable.
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So what does the evidence show?
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These devices can provide a means for feedback
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as we previously mentioned,
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but at the same time, it might not be anything more
13:53
than an expensive piece of jewelry.
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The difference lies in the way that we are using
14:02
the devices to dictate the overall value
14:05
that can be obtained from them.
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There's evidence to support the use of these devices
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can help modify behavior more than track improvements
14:14
in overall health.
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The stipulations that these devices can help lead
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to long-term weight loss is very questionable
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as the means by which they provide feedback
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is not necessarily the best means to allow
14:30
for long-term management.
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The same devices when leaked
14:36
with increased social interactions,
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their internet sites help to provide a means
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for accountability and hold us accountable
14:45
for completing exercise or continuing
14:48
with the dietary changes.
14:50
The social interactions and actions related
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to the sociability of exercise and dietary changes
14:58
are things that we know work to improve overall continuance
15:01
in lifestyle intervention programs
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if the program is developed in such a way
15:07
so as to be self-selected, self-monitored,
15:11
and self-maintained.
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The evidence does show benefit when using these technologies
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by providing in or developing guides
15:19
for meeting total activity goals
15:21
or in developing quote unquote healthy options,
15:25
whether those healthy options are increasing
15:27
in physical activity or in the possible food choices
15:32
that I make.
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And this is where we have to remember,
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there's no such thing as good food and bad food.
15:39
There are only good choices and bad choices.
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The reliability and validity of these trackers
15:47
and many of the options and activities
15:50
that are suggested may limit what the trackers
15:54
and what the devices provide to the individual
15:57
and may become problematic for the individual
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if they are not already fit.
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As the pre-programmed devices fail to understand
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that activity and exercise feels quite different
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for those who live a sedentary lifestyle
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or for those who are experiencing overfatness
16:24
relative to those who are already physically active
16:27
or of normal fat.
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If we look at the reliability metrics
16:31
that we have in the research, we see a little bit more.
16:36
Based on the systematic reviews that we have,
16:39
there is some evidence to indicate
16:41
that wearable devices and smartphone applications
16:45
show a general level of good reliability for valid measures
16:50
up to a moderate level of physical activity.
16:53
But there's a problem.
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First, most people do not engage in the level of activity
16:57
where the devices have been shown to be most reliable,
16:59
meaning the devices and the software programs
17:01
are not providing correct feedback to most individuals,
17:04
either allowing for an underestimation or an overestimation,
17:09
an underestimation or overestimation of energy expenditure,
17:15
cardiometabolic responses, distance traveled,
17:18
or for those who wish to track steps,
17:21
the total number of steps taken.
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The underestimation is especially seen
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for those who use weightlifting
17:31
or engaging in intense short duration endurance activities.
17:38
The overestimation is especially seen
17:42
for those who use very light intensity exercise,
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particularly long duration, low intensity exercise,
17:50
such as walking or jogging,
17:53
which may be important if you're looking
17:55
to use these measures as goal markers.
17:59
Once again, remember, we're setting up
18:01
the exercise programs in such a way so as to be periodized
18:06
and the periodization will allow us to meet specific goals
18:09
based off of specific times,
18:12
but may come at a cost as not knowing
18:15
the accurate responses can limit my understanding,
18:19
my understanding about what is the metabolic cost
18:22
of the activity?
18:24
What is the total distance that I traveled?
18:30
What is the cardiometabolic response
18:33
that I have for that activity?
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The inability to have accurate responses limits
18:42
our understanding of our overall level of activity
18:47
that could interfere with establishing
18:50
the proper global responses,
18:51
the proper responses seen throughout the body
18:54
necessary to eventually change body morphology
18:59
and or overall health.
19:02
These inaccuracies and low reliability
19:05
can provide incorrect and inappropriate feedback.
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The incorrect and inappropriate feedback
19:10
will limit my long-term modifications of behavior,
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may minimize my self-selection towards specific behaviors,
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the inability to get the correct modification of behavior
19:21
would not allow for the desired changes to be met,
19:26
whether those changes are in body composition
19:29
and weight loss or in changes in overall level
19:33
of physical activity and health.
19:36
However, what we have to remember is
19:38
even if feedback is not entirely accurate,
19:41
having any feedback from any of the devices
19:45
may allow us to prevent a relapsing
19:48
and rebounding effect of yo-yoing
19:51
as we are getting feedback
19:53
to what our behaviors happen to be.
19:55
The relapsing and rebounding effects to yo-yoing
19:59
is found more often in those who attempt to do
20:03
health changes and weight loss changes
20:06
independent of social interactions,
20:08
meaning that even though we're not getting
20:11
or may not be getting very accurate feedback
20:14
from these devices, the use of the devices
20:17
and the use of the social network coming from the devices
20:21
can prevent the yo-yoing that tends to accompany
20:26
many of the long-term attempts at weight loss
20:31
and improvements in health.
20:33
Now we have to have a small little deviation here
20:36
in terms of some discussions.
20:39
And it may be off putting for some of you to hear this,
20:43
but there is some differences in skin tonality
20:46
based off of a protein pigment within the skin
20:51
that will have an effect on the ability
20:53
for some of our monitors to provide accurate
20:56
and reliable information.
20:58
The melanin pigment that we see in darker toned skin
21:03
interferes with the ability for the peripheral monitors,
21:08
the watch monitors, and the pulse oximeters
21:12
to correctly function.
21:13
The use of light as an optical method
21:17
for measuring changes in blood volume under the skin,
21:20
which is how these monitors work,
21:22
can have issues arise due to individuals skin pigmentation
21:28
where darker skin tones automatically will absorb
21:32
more light than lighter skin tones
21:35
that will disrupt the ability to get accurate measurements
21:40
from the optical method of measuring.
21:43
Beyond the skin pigment issue,
21:45
the use of the heart rate trackers,
21:49
particularly if we're gonna be using the extremities
21:52
and measuring of flow through the extremities,
21:55
can be slightly inaccurate due to what's referred to
21:58
as artifact.
22:00
That is the movement of the extremity,
22:03
the movement of the arms leads to variability within flow
22:08
through the vasculature of the arms.
22:11
And when this variability of flow comes in,
22:15
we can have irregular readings from the devices,
22:19
which is why the chest strap,
22:20
if we're looking at utilizing heart rates
22:23
as a measurement for fitness and for tracking fitness,
22:26
is more reliable than using the watch devices
22:30
that artifact can allow for an overestimation
22:33
of cardiometabolic responses to the exercise.
22:37
The placement of the device can lead to signal crossover
22:41
with other devices that you might have on.
22:46
So if I'm using my watch to measure my heart rate,
22:50
but it's also my smartwatch,
22:52
which is communicating with other devices
22:55
that I have on my body,
22:57
such as earbuds for listening to music
23:00
or some sort of music player,
23:05
the crosstalk that can come about can be two issues
23:09
in terms of the device's reliability
23:12
in terms of its ability to measure correctly.
23:16
If I'm using a smartphone application for measuring steps,
23:24
the placement that I have for the device will impact
23:27
the ability to accurately measure steps.
23:31
If I do not include my limb length,
23:34
how long are my legs,
23:36
how long is the lower extremity from the hip to the foot,
23:40
and what is my step, both walking as well as jogging
23:44
and running, I may not get accurate measures.
23:47
There are also issues that can arise due to morphology,
23:51
in particular the diameter of the wrist
23:55
and the ability to put the sensor in the correct location
24:01
relative to the arteries that would be available
24:04
for measuring blood flow through the area.
24:07
If we look at specifically the monitors
24:09
that are attempting to use movement
24:10
to determine energy expenditure,
24:12
we have other issues that come about.
24:14
One is the method by which we're going to measure
24:18
the movement, whether it is an accelerometer
24:21
that's going to measure the acceleration that's taking place,
24:24
whether it's a GPS monitor measuring
24:26
what is movement taking place,
24:28
whether there's a delay in recording
24:30
that does not provide for accurate measurements
24:32
in the total amount of movement taking place in the day.
24:35
We already talked a little bit about the pedometer
24:37
and making sure that it's correctly placed.
24:39
If I don't have the pedometer at a spot
24:42
that's going to measure limb swing,
24:45
that is the movement of the limb through space
24:47
during the motion, I may not get the correct cadence count,
24:52
the correct step count within the exercise that's going on.
24:57
If I'm using the GPS function on the smart devices
25:01
for tracking movement, the accuracy of the GPS receiver
25:05
is going to impact the accuracy of the distance
25:08
that is tracking me in terms of movement.
25:11
If I'm using an ergometer as opposed to doing exercise
25:16
out in the environment.
25:18
So ergometers would be things like stationary bikes,
25:22
the rowing machine, the stair steppers,
25:24
the versa climbers, the treadmills.
25:28
The accuracy of motion will be off.
25:32
If I'm doing some sort of high intensity,
25:35
low duration activity,
25:39
doing things like jump rope
25:43
or doing some of the burpee style exercise,
25:47
I'm not going to get accurate measures for movement.
25:51
Where I place the smart device will also impact
25:56
the ability to have correct movement recordings.
26:00
If I'm using an arm strap
26:03
as opposed to putting it into a hip pocket,
26:07
those types of locations can impact
26:10
how accurate the measurement I'm going to get
26:12
from that device.
26:14
While we can use the wearable devices,
26:17
these are not the only devices that are out there.
26:19
We have evidence that shows that using computer
26:22
and smart device applications to provide reliable
26:24
and valid means to monitor things like eating behaviors
26:28
is important as well.
26:29
We also have computer smart device applications
26:32
that will provide workout regimens for the individual
26:36
and workout suggestions for the individual.
26:38
What the computer and smart device applications provide for
26:43
is a means for logging your activities
26:46
and a means for logging your food consumptions.
26:52
Most of the smart devices
26:54
and most of the computer device applications
26:57
will allow me to monitor eating behaviors
27:00
most often based off of caloric balances,
27:04
which we most recently found out
27:06
to be not the most accurate means by which
27:08
to determine whether or not I'm going to have
27:11
a healthy dietary intake to meet my health and weight goals.
27:15
If you can find and if you can use applications
27:19
that do not monitor food intake based off of calories
27:22
but instead off of nutrients,
27:24
you'll have a more reliable means by which
27:27
to track your overall food consumptions
27:29
for both weight loss as well as for improvements in health.
27:33
Regardless of whether you're going to use it
27:34
to track calories or track nutrient loads,
27:38
the application and computer devices
27:41
allow you to monitor eating behaviors
27:43
and monitor gym behaviors
27:45
so that you're able to teach yourself
27:47
how to correctly eat and how to correctly pace
27:51
your workout programs.
27:52
One of the most important things that you have to remember
27:54
when it comes to the workout programs
27:56
is that the program needs to instill a sense
27:59
of periodization within the workout program.
28:04
Periodization is going to allow me to train
28:06
in the optimal eight to 12 week range
28:10
for a specific fitness goal with a secondary goal
28:13
possibly being changes in body morphology or in weight loss.
28:19
What we have to remember is that even if our goal
28:22
in the longterm is to lose weight,
28:26
all of the goals within the training regimen
28:30
should not be focused on the scale
28:33
as the scale can provide a negative reinforcer
28:37
for longterm behavior modification.
28:39
When we're using the application devices
28:42
and we're using the computer devices
28:43
to allow us to track what we're eating
28:44
and what we're doing in terms of physical activity,
28:47
it's important to remember
28:48
that there is no one specific diet to follow
28:51
that will allow me to be healthy
28:53
or will impart some sort of miracle weight loss.
28:56
If you're using applications or programs
28:59
that are not providing that,
29:02
you may wish to look at secondary methods
29:05
by which you can track.
29:07
What these devices and what these programs should allow for
29:10
is for you to see the things that you're eating
29:13
based off of serving size, amount eaten,
29:17
and the relative difference between the two
29:19
when you're eating in terms of meal timing.
29:25
So you can better understand how much you are eating
29:29
and how often you are eating
29:31
so you're better able to make changes in your eating habits.
29:35
The fitness trackers and the gym program applications
29:43
should provide feedback
29:44
as to what is your cardiometabolic responses,
29:47
what is your general level of intensity,
29:49
what is your progress to date
29:51
within the periodization of a program
29:54
so that you understand what changes have occurred,
29:58
what changes still need to occur
30:00
so as to meet your training and fitness goals.
30:04
These factors are very important
30:05
in developing the behavior changes necessary
30:08
for any long-term weight loss programs
30:12
or long-term modifications
30:14
to correct any sort of overfatness
30:17
that might impact your overall health.
30:20
For those that have or histories of yo-yoing,
30:24
these devices provide the feedback
30:27
that helps minimize the yo-yoing that has taken place.
30:35
So what can we say about these devices
30:38
and these applications?
30:40
The best that we can say is that these devices
30:42
and these applications provide feedback with our workout.
30:45
There is some evidence,
30:46
but the evidence is not entirely 100% across the board.
30:52
Once again, science says nothing is 100% across the board.
30:55
But beyond the feedback,
30:56
the evidence that we have is questionable
30:59
as to how accurate and reliable
31:00
some of the measuring devices happen to be
31:03
as relates to changes that we can track
31:06
in terms of comparisons.
31:07
It does help with reducing the yo-yoing effect
31:10
that can take place,
31:11
but the accuracy and the reliability of the measurements,
31:14
we're not 100% certain on.
31:16
And that's mainly because we have not done
31:19
very many large-scale studies.
31:23
It's difficult to say
31:24
that you can trigger overall changes in behavior
31:29
that is not coming from self-selective behavior
31:32
strictly by using these devices.
31:34
If you're using the devices out of a coercive setup,
31:39
the use of the device will become the coercion,
31:42
and you will only do it out of fear
31:46
of not meeting some sort of set standard
31:50
established by the device.
31:52
If you're getting alerts that say you have to do this,
31:55
you have to do that from the devices,
31:59
the device itself becomes the coercive or the coercer
32:03
within the exercise and within the changes
32:06
in overall health behaviors.
32:09
If you're using the device simply as a means
32:11
for tracking what you're doing,
32:13
the devices seem to be legitimate.
32:15
The devices seem to be legitimate.
32:21
While the companies report the ability
32:23
to provide accurate information to their users
32:26
from their devices or their downloadable applications,
32:28
the activity does not actually indicate
32:32
whether or not the devices are reliable and accurate.
32:38
Your activity may not allow for accuracy and reliability
32:44
from these devices.
32:49
When we look at the evidence that's available
32:53
within the medical and within the physiological research,
32:59
we are obligated to answer the question that we post.
33:04
How reliable, how accurate are these devices?
33:07
Are they worth the money?
33:09
And with every other physiological question that we have,
33:12
it's the same, yes, maybe no.
33:16
There's a lot of unanswered questions out there,
33:18
mainly because we're trying to use one thing
33:22
to measure a highly complex set of responses.
33:27
And so when we look at all of the evidence out there,
33:29
yes, they work.
33:30
Do they work to the extent that all of the advertisements
33:33
want us to think they do?
33:35
Probably not.
33:36
But that doesn't mean that they're not worth the investment.
33:41
They're not worth the investment
33:43
if you're using it strictly as a means
33:45
for tracking your changes on a daily basis,
33:48
on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis,
33:50
within your periodized exercise regimen
33:53
to meet your overall training goals.
33:56
They're worth it if you're using it
33:57
to have social interactions as relates to changes
34:01
in your daily life.
34:02
To have social interactions as relates to changes
34:06
that you have within your own behavioral,
34:09
within your own behaviors as relates to your overall health.
34:13
As we know, increased sociability
34:16
within the behavior modifications,
34:18
increase the likelihood for success,
34:20
particularly if we can get the changes to be
34:23
self-selected, self-monitored,
34:26
self-motivated in terms of the behaviors.
34:29
So use the fitness trackers,
34:30
however, don't rely on the fitness trackers.
34:33
Use the gym applications.
34:35
Don't rely on the gym applications.
34:38
Use the diet trackers.
34:39
Don't rely on the diet trackers.
34:42
The reliance on the devices will lead to a lack
34:47
of self-monitoring and self-motivating behaviors.
34:50
If we can get self-monitored, self-motivated behaviors,
34:55
the likelihood of yoga changes
34:58
and the likelihood of yo-yoing goes down
35:02
and improvement go up.
35:04
Well, thanks for joining us today.
35:06
Hopefully you got something out from the discussion here
35:09
on the fitness trackers and monitors and applications.
35:14
If you have specific ones
35:16
that you would like to know more about,
35:17
please drop it into the comments
35:19
and we would be more than happy to take a deeper dive
35:23
into specific ones out there.
35:25
Once again, the idea here was to not pick on specific
35:29
trackers and specific devices that are out there,
35:31
but give more of a general overtone
35:33
to what we happen to see.
35:36
Please remember to like, subscribe and share
35:39
if you enjoy the stuff that we are doing.