BODY & SOUL: Are you being tracked?

Are you being tracked?

By Leah Seacrest

Look down at your wrist and chances are you’ve got on a device that’s tracking something. Whether as simple as your steps and calories burned or a device with more intricate data such as heart rate or sleep, you just may be one of five Americans that own a smartwatch or wearable fitness tracker according to a Pew Research Center survey.

Only a few years ago, early smartwatches seemed like mere extensions of our phones. Now, they have become much more sophisticated in the data they deliver making them a stand-alone, must-have device.

Wearable technology is the top fitness trend for 2022, according to a survey of 4,500 health and fitness professionals by the American College of Sports Medicine. Today’s devices are comprehensive gadgets capable of measuring blood oxygen saturation, monitoring sleep quality and taking ECG readings from the wrist, among other metrics. Consumers now have more access than ever to data related to their overall well-being. They have the ability to connect with others through their fitness gadget’s communities for extra motivation. Also, the ability to manually record additional information about themselves and their lifestyles create a fuller picture of one’s goals and progress, allowing people to tweak habits to more positive ones. As a result, fitness tracker companies amass a wealth of data on users that can be used for further health research.

All of this information begs the question – what do I do with all this data? Insurmountable volume of analytics without proper context can be paralyzing. It’s important when focusing on certain metrics to do your research on what you are tracking. Building proper goals and learning your standard health data daily will give you a foundation in which to track progress or irregularities in your metrics. These insights give a higher sense of awareness when things seem a little off. The medical community surely sees the potential that fitness devices hold for detecting more advanced metrics that can play a role in preventive care.

Regardless, if you are simply tracking the number of steps you take a day or your readiness score for a strenuous workout, fitness tracking devices are here to stay. Whether you’re a workout junkie, goal setter or a health-minded individual, a fitness tracker can be a great investment. They offer a fun way to set goals, track pertinent health data and nudge us towards positive changes to a better self.

When asked what and why they use a tracking device, several local fitness device enthusiasts responded:

• “I love the Apple Watch ECG feature, the heart rate during workout and the recovery feature. I have a heart condition

I had surgery to repair in May and that is mostly why I pay attention to it. I make sure HR (heart rate) doesn’t get too high and comes down in good time following workouts.”

— Maci Herman

• “I have the new Pixel Watch with Fitbit. The things I pay closest attention to are minutes active a day, steps and how many days a week

I am meeting my goals. I pay attention to heart rate, too, because it tells me how

I am managing my stress throughout the day.”

— Ryan Wiggins

• “(I wear a) Garmin. I pay the most attention to steps and intensity minutes. I use GPS when I’m biking for distance and speed.”

— Dottie Phetteplace

• “I wear a Whoop. Quality of sleep – I do not sleep enough!”

— Melea McFall

• “I use a Garmin to track my time of the month, sleep quality and workouts. I love that it connects with other apps where I can get a good idea if

I’m hitting my daily goals and pinpoint if there’s anything irregular going on.”

— Mary Smith