healthy helpers or hindrance? the challenges of wearable fitness technology
“Fit” media has become as common as social media, whether it be through the sharing of workouts on fitness tracker apps or fit inspiration Instagrammers showcasing their everyday meals. With the blurring of lines between health and obsession, is there a time to say enough? “They’re a bit addictive,” said Lucie Wicker, a Boston-based fitness lifestyle and activewear photographer. “I’ve had one for years and have upgraded several times. Are there unhealthy or narcissistic extremes? Of course. But generally speaking, leading an active lifestyle brings happiness. [Fitbits] are doing good.” However, a 2016 study from the Brunel University in London says differently. The study suggests that people who are constantly posting about their personal fitness routines online have low self-esteem and crave validation—yet, active
28 | the buzz
by sophia lipp photography by sofia koyama design by jami rubin
Fitbit users are physical proof that monitoring your activity with technology allows individuals, and even their friends, to hold themselves accountable for living a healthier life. “My mom stopped making time for working out when she went back to work full time, but buying a FitBit and taking part in ‘weekly step challenges’ with her friends motivated her to get back to the gym,” says Shaelah Foresman (COM ’19). “Even if her only motivation for doing so was to post her scores on social media for the public gratification, the fact of the matter is that it got her working out.” Foresman herself used to be skeptical of the fit-tech craze, but has since then bought an Apple watch. “We can’t stop these social media and fitness crazes from permeating our society, so if they
can at least be used in a way that will motivate people to get active, I’m all for hopping on board,” Foresman said. Even though Fitbits may seem like the new fitness statement of our generation, fitness technology is actually still an up-and-coming industry. Arnar Larusson, co-founder of the new Boston wearable-tech company Tyme Wear, believes there’s still a lot of ground to be covered. “Our collective understanding is that there are things we can measure about our bodies that will help us achieve better health or performance,” said Larusson. “And for certain populations of people, the current devices have played an important role in extending their life expectancy and quality of life. For example, I used to design prosthetics for amputees and over 90 percent of people getting prosthetics have
