tracking your health…accurately

Along with alterations in diet and increased exercise, many Americans have begun to rely on fitness trackers to monitor the status of their health. If you are one of these people, you are in good company.

According to the NPD Group’s Connected Intelligence Consumers and Wearables Report, one in 10 adults owns a fitness tracker. Of those persons wearing trackers, 36 percent are 35-54 years old and 41 percent have an average income of more than $100,000. Not surprisingly, more than 54 percent are women.

For those not familiar with fitness trackers, they are wearable devices that may track:

The number of steps you take in a given time period

Your heart rate 24 hours a day, seven days a week

2 or maximal oxygen uptake

Sleep patterns

Real time GPS coordinates

Running or walking pace and distance

Cycling pace and distance

Swimming distance and duration

Although these devices are handy to have, cardiologists want you to know that they are not medical devices.

How To Check Your Pulse

WRIST

Place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery, which is located on the thumb side of your wrist.

THROAT

Place your index and third fingers on your neck to either side of your windpipe over your carotid arteries.

“Fitness trackers, no matter what kind they are, are not medical devices, they are simply fitness aids,” says Dr. Jigar Patel, a cardiologist with the Cardiovascular Institute of Central Florida. “I find them to be accurate, but they are simply aids to improve your health.”

Dr. Miguel Bryce, an electrophysiologist at Cardiovascular Associates of Lake County feels some people rely too heavily on their fitness-tracking device when monitoring their health, especially when it comes to heart rate and rhythm.

“I had a patient come in recently who said her heart rate was too high,” says Dr. Bryce. “She said her fitness tracker showed that her heart rate was 104 beats per minute. When I took her pulse, it was 65 beats per minute. I taught her how to take her pulse and let her know that fitness trackers are not always accurate. Another patient came in and told me that his heart was out of rhythm… that his heart rate was fluctuating from low to high. Same thing. His fitness tracker wasn’t providing an accurate reading. Once he learned how to take his pulse, he found out that his heart rate and rhythm were just fine.”

Both physicians say that fitness trackers usually provide accurate information but cannot be relied upon to provide completely accurate information at all times.

“This is why it’s important for people to be able to monitor their own pulse rate,” says Dr. Patel. “It’s very simple to take your pulse in your wrist, and it can be taken in your neck also. However, if your fitness tracker leads you to suspect there may be a problem with your heart rate or rhythm, it’s always a good idea to schedule a visit with your cardiologist just to make sure that all is well.”

When you feel your pulse, count the number of times your heart beats in one minute (or count for 10 seconds and multiply by 6). According to the American Heart Association, a normal heart rate should be between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Dr. Bryce says that with more people relying on tracking devices to monitor their health, a simple thing such as learning to take your pulse can spare you the cost of an o ce visit.

“These devices definitely help when it comes to getting people up and moving, but you have to use common sense when you get an unusual reading,” he says. “This is why your cardiologist always takes the time to listen to your heartbeat; machines can make mistakes, but listening to your heart or taking your pulse will always give you an accurate heartrate.”