Making your fitness tracker actually work in your favor

You already know this, but simply strapping your fitness tracker won’t get you healthier, or fitter for that matter. You need to make full use of it – they’re not just created to tell time and be aesthetically pleasing, you know?

If you’re counting on using your new fitness tracker from Apple, Jawbone, FitBit, or the like to get in shape, you need to get serious about maximizing its use. If you still don’t own one and thinking of getting your very own soon, you can get the latest FitBit at Harvey Norman, along with other top fitness tracker brands. Now here’s how to make your fitness tracker actually work for you.

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Formulate your own goal and stick to it. Most fitness trackers in the market come with a goal of 10000 steps daily, but that depends on your job and activity level, this could be too few or too many steps to be realistic in your case. Start with that 10000 steps daily and see what you can get. 8000? Then 10000 is a good goal, but if you can only take about 3000 steps, then try for 6000 before gradually increasing your average. If 10000 is too easy, then rack it up! Make your goals reasonable and you’ll be more motivated to stick with it.

Wear it on your non-dominant wrist. Which hand you wear your fitness tracker play a big part in the precision of the counter. The majority of tracker brands suggest wearing the band on your non-dominant wrist because you move it less. If your tracker has an option, adjust the setting to specify which wrist you’re wearing it on.

Sync with apps. You can get all your wellness date in one place by simply connecting your fitness tracker app with other health apps, like Strava to get more precise measurements on your bikes and runs by using your phone’s GPS or MyFitnessPal for food tracking. There are hundreds of apps out there and most of them are free as well. What’s not to like?

Tag activities. Some models of fitness trackers automatically distinguish and detect activities like running, biking, walking, swimming, and many can be set into active mode, by either pressing a button or customizing the tracker’s app. Some trackers can tag specific activities to get the closets calorie burn, so telling your tracker when you’re at a cardio dance or a spin class will allow it to credit your moves. Remember to tag out of the activity right after.

Update to the latest tracker. Most importantly, your fitness tracker should be top notch in quality and precision if it is to help you get on the right track and finish your goals. Modern fitness trackers have an awesome application that not only counts calorie burn and steps but also serves as sleep quality trackers. You can go further with built-in GPS, continuous heart rate, multi-sport tracking, SmartTrack auto activity recognition, all-day activity, text and call notification, music control and more. Remember, there’s no magical fitness tracker out there. You need to put in work and commitment to see actual results. Best of luck!