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How to use fitness tracker data to keep you super engaged


How to use fitness wearables data to motivate yourself
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There is no doubt that fitness watches can, not only help you reach your goals but also keep you inspired. Also, the collected stats can help you get a big picture of your health and your performance. And more important: It can tell how much activity you are doing. So how can you use the data from the fitness tracker to help you improve?

This piece of information can help you adjust your workout intensity to avoid any sprains and maximize your program. Besides, self-monitoring your body’s vitals during physical activity can show if you are on the right track to reach your health and goals.

Recommended reading: Will a fitness tracker motivate you to move? We tell you how

My dear readers, keep in mind that monitoring your progress is very important to continue your fitness journey. Using the data can be crucial to improving your health and staying motivated.

So, it is very important to review your progress, follow the suggestions, and keep using your fitness watch. However, how you use your health-related data will determine your commitment, engagement, and how badly you want to reach your goals.

Nevertheless, because we care about you, we will also provide information and tips on how to protect your personal information from hackers and third-party companies.

But first, let’s talk a bit more about data and how self-monitoring can be a smart way to see better results. Besides, we will explain the types of information collected and how to get the most out of them to enhance your lifestyle.

What are fitness tracker statistics or data?

Your device gathers information from your fitness watch either automatically or manually. It uses personal information such as age, weight, height, gender, and others that you have input in the profile in the tracker companion application.

The health data collected is a piece of information or metric about your body. It can show your performance, overall health, and other statistics. They are not only numbers but also a source of information that can tell how often you move, how your plan is working, how you respond well to stress, and more!

Not only does it show fitness stats but it also reflects your mental wellness. For example, heart rate tracking is important to calculate your stress levels and can tell how you breathe. Reviewing and comparing these metrics can give you a big picture of your physical and mental well-being.

Hence, calories burned can tell us the intensity of your exercise, and if you have reached your daily goals. Many applications can send you feedback based on the data gathered from your fitness tracker. Imagine having an on screen-coach telling you how to work out efficiently. You may also receive daily reminders on how to improve your breathing or to alert you it is time to chill.

Also, you can use it to set up realistic goals and to help you customize your fitness routine. Besides, for those who are busy, you can create a schedule to make sure you don’t skip workouts. For example, do yoga on your most busy days. Or depending on your stress levels you may incorporate breathing exercises or meditation in your workout.

We will explain the types of health data and share simple tips on how to use them to supercharge your motivation.

Types of data collected on your fitness tracker

A fitness watch is a great tool that collects many types of information about you to improve your user experience. It can track your overall health condition to your performance. Also, it can tell how you feel, your physical activities, where you go, and how likely you can reach your goals.

It helps you to exercise correctly and achieve your goals. Moreover, it can reveal many things about yourself that you didn’t know about. And it can help you find new ways to take care of yourself.

There are a lot of things that it can do for you that will be discussed later. Just to mention some examples, you can share them with your doctor to help him find any unexpected health patterns and help diagnose health conditions. Also, you can find a correlation between the intensity of your workout and your heart rate.

Now we will explain the different types of health-related data that are collected from fitness trackers and how they can help increase your motivation to keep moving and stay healthy.

We will include tips to help you get the most out of this important information and stick to your plan.

Fitness data

Fitness trackers or smartwatches can collect health or fitness data such as calories burned, steps, pace, distance, heart rate zones, sleep quality, and others. They can help inspire you to lose weight, keep in shape, and even stay active.

As we mentioned earlier, you can use it to set goals and improve your performance.Your progress or stats can be found on the smartwatch screen or in the companion application depending on your tracker.

Besides, you can track your vitals such as oxygen, high blood pressure, and heart rate to get a big picture of your heart health. Fitness tracker statistics will not only keep you in the know but also will give you peace of mind. You can monitor your stress levels or breathing which can provide an insight into your wellbeing.

One of the coolest things that a fitness tracker or smartwatch can do is collect data automatically such as steps, heart rate, blood pressure, and more.

However, in many cases, you will need to enter health information such as glucose levels, body temperature, weight, allergies, health conditions, etc. to deliver a better user experience. The more accurate information you input, the more personalized recommendations you will receive.

Pro tip: Review your progress frequently so you can make adjustments or changes in your lifestyle. Compare your performance and keep track of your most and least active days. Set your goals. For example, If you find an unusual health pattern in your heart rate or blood pressure you can forward the fitness tracker data to your doctor.

Diet/Calorie intake tracker

Many fitness wearables can help you stick to your diet through an app. For example, Apple has launched the Health App which focuses on learning about your health and reaching your goals.

This includes nutrition which helps you watch what you eat. You input the food or snack you are eating and the app will show the calories, carbs, and other metrics. This information can be accessed from your Apple Watch and iPhone.

Entering what you ate and the amount will help you determine if you need to lower your food intake or if you are on the right track. Also, many other applications will allow you to take a snapshot of what you are eating and it will show the nutritional information.

Nutrition data will help you set goals such as daily calorie intake. It will also help you reach your fitness goals based on weight loss or maintain physical fitness.

Pro-tip: Input accurate information such as what you ate and portions so that you can get a more personalized suggestion. That will help you track what you eat which can help you make changes as needed. Do not use this tool to judge yourself but as a guide to help you stick to your diet plan.

Activity tracking

The data collected from a fitness tracker is essential to help stay ahead of the game. For example, if you want to run faster and decrease your mile time, you want to take a look at your progress. Some devices can give you personalized recommendations to help you get better.

While many devices will also monitor your activity automatically, others will give you the option to choose the activity you are performing.

Also, this type of statistic is a very useful source of information that can tell if you are active enough. Depending on the fitness wearable device it can track calories, heart rate, distance, and even pace to help you get more accurate and customized feedback.

Pro-tip: Always compare stats. You can check by day, month, and week. Set up realistic goals using your numbers. Follow any feedback and complete daily challenges if applicable.

If you have a fitness watch that tracks multiple activities remember to monitor your activities whether it is gardening, walking, or even bike rides.

As an alternative, using an application like Google Fit (check the app here) is a smart way to monitor your physical activity. It works with Android and WearOS by Google.

Now, I will explain how stats are collected to help you familiarize yourself with fitness wearables.

How do fitness watches track your data?

Health stats are collected through different types of sensors in fitness trackers or smartwatches depending on the brand and models. It uses algorithms to give you feedback so you can create an effective workout plan, attain optimum health, and achieve a better user experience.

Statistics such as oxygen, sleep, heart rate, and other metrics are providing us with a big deal of health information. You are receiving a piece of information right on your wrist without going to a gym or using a personal trainer.

Years ago, trackers were used to monitor steps, calories, and heart rate only. However, these wrist companions are more sophisticated and functional that can even tell you if you are stressed or how long you have been seated at your desk.

Although self-monitoring does not replace your doctor in any way, you can use the health data from a fitness tracker or smartwatch to prevent and manage health conditions.

Many companies like Fitbit, Apple, and others, use different types of information and algorithms to provide you with more accurate information about your health. For example, heart rate, a great indicator of your health and fitness, is used to track heart rate variability, sleep quality, stress levels, and others.

Moreover, companies like Garmin use optical heart rate that provides some complicated data. However, Garmin Health API and Cardiogram work together to help users interpret activity and sleep quality.

As fitness watches get better functionality and algorithms’ reliability improves the information may be used to prevent, diagnose, and manage health issues in the future.

How can stats help transform your life and increase motivation?

Thanks to fitness trackers and smartwatches you can learn more about your body. This is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle.

Health data can give you an insight into your overall health. Besides, these important pieces of information can tell you if you are training too much or under-exercising.

They also help us determine the frequency, intensity, and type of workout to ensure a safe fitness plan and avoid injuries.

When it comes to fitness, we all want to see the results in the mirror right away. No matter the fitness goals thanks to fitness wearables technology we can get in the best shape of your life, besides improving your overall health.

According to a fitness tracker research done with 34 active users that were published in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) concluded that “The majority of participants reported fitness tracking applications and devices to be useful for their motivation and behavior…”. You can find the study in this PDF doc.

Who does not want to see calories burned or miles ran at the end of a workout? The piece of information you get from your activity tracker or health data can motivate you to stay in your program. The more you track your performance the better it will help you to simplify your workout and show you where you stand.

It is a great feeling to see that you have reached your daily or monthly goal. A well-deserved fitness milestone that rewards our persistence and great performance. When you regularly track your fitness progress you feel super inspired and will motivate others. It will create a routine and you will automatically start exercising.

Can fitness tracker data help your doctor diagnose health conditions?

The great thing about self-monitoring vitals through a fitness watch is that you can share your health data with your medical specialist or primary doctor. This is a smart way to help him/her diagnose, and find any unusual health patterns. Also, you will get involved, help prevent health conditions, and learn to manage them.

Besides, this is a smart way to connect with them better. I don’t know about you but sometimes I find it a bit hard to communicate with my physician. So, sharing my progress has made a big difference and has improved communication.

The fitness tracker technology is getting so advanced and innovative that you can even view your health information from your doctor’s office or hospital. For example, Apple’s Health App allows you to view your health history such as lab results, medications, and vitals from different healthcare institutions listed here.

Yep!! Many doctors’ offices and healthcare systems support health records on the iPhone, enabling you to view your health information directly from the Health app. This is a Beta feature that I am very sure will help patients to take care of themselves and better communicate with their doctors.

Also, you will not have to visit your physician more often which is a hassle for many people and also you can save in co-pays. You will stay healthier and your insurance premium will be lower.

Smartwatches or fitness watches not only can help you increase your motivation to exercise but also can help prevent and manage health conditions.

How to get the most out of your stats

What do you do with a bunch of numbers and health data? No worries. We are here to explain how these pieces of information can help you attain your goals.

You can find many types of fitness trackers that use an app to help you track metrics, get the most out of the functionality, and receive recommendations. For example, Fitbit uses the Fitbit app while Garmin Connect tracks your health data with your Garmin fitness tracker.

Once you have downloaded the app, you need to input your information in your profile. This is a very important step because the more accurate your information the more specific and personalized feedback you will receive. Fitness watches that do not use an application you just need to access your stats right from the device.

Depending on the fitness tracker features and companion app you may be asked information such as weight, age, gender, height, etc to track calories, heart rate, heart rate variability, physical level, and more.

Besides, you may be asked for the stride length and step length. Stride length covers the distance when you take two steps. Fitness trackers estimate a default stride length of around 2 feet for women and around 2 1/2 for men. For the step length, you will measure the distance from the heel print of one foot to the heel print of the other foot (one step).

For walking the average is 2.2 ft for women and 2 1/2 ft for men. However, both stride length and step length can be different.

Fitness tracker privacy concerns

To set up a fitness watch, you will be asked for personal and health information. This is how we start worrying about our privacy. Understandingly, we are all concerned about how tracking companies are managing our health and personal data.

The data you share is a source of information that your app company uses to deliver you a better user experience and improve its products.

Unfortunately, some companies are selling personal information such as names, age, height, etc. to third parties. The reason? Advertising companies want to target a specific audience to offer products to buy.

Not only that!

Believe it or not, even your employer, lender, or other companies could have access to that information. And as a result, they can make any decisions based on your health or fitness data. Unfair, eh?

The thing is how they manage your data depends on who accesses it. For example, insurance companies with access to your information, they can either increase or decrease the premiums.

That would depend on the user’s personal information. Also, hackers can use the information to commit identity theft or threaten the other party. And as we know data may not be accurate, and the situation will be worse.

How to protect your fitness tracker data

Companies such as Fitbit, Garmin, and Apple may be taking your privacy seriously. However, there is no “100% most secure fitness tracker”.

No matter your fitness watch brand or even a non-watch fitness tracker how do you make sure your personal information or data won’t be stolen? The great news is there are a couple of things that you can do:

  • Thoroughly research the app

Before signing into a wellness program or tracking membership check any ratings or reviews to make sure the app is reliable and protects the data obtained from your fitness tracker.

  • Turn off location tracking features

If you are just monitoring your activity enabling the location may not be necessary. Disable it to protect yourself.

  • Use a new email and password

Do not use network media applications to log in to your app. Before downloading your fitness tracker application you can set up a new account with a new user and security code.

  • Always read the privacy policy and conditions before you agree

Another way to safeguard your fitness tracker data is to look for “Third-party disclosure”. It should indicate that they do not sell, trade, or transfer your personal information outside at any cost.

  • Find the brand privacy policy before picking a fitness watch

Go to their web page and try to find their privacy policy. If they do not have it consider buying another tracker.

  • If you wish to uninstall an app make sure you delete or clear the data first

Many applications will allow you to manage your health and fitness data. Delete your data before removing your app from your device.

  • Check the default settings

Make sure to change your settings to protect your fitness tracker statistics.

  • Using fake details is another smart move

You do not have to input your real name, date of birth, or other personal information when signing up for tracking membership.

  • If applicable disable all sharing features such as location, and physical activity

Navigate the settings and choose the best settings to always protect your information.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that self-monitoring your progress through fitness wearables can help you make important changes in your lifestyle.

However, health data is just a guide to help encourage physical activity and enhance your workout. Also, do not obsess over numbers. As long as you exercise at the right intensity you can manage you will be fine.

However, how companies manage our information is a great concern. We hope that fitness watches companies will take your privacy more seriously and that new laws can be implemented.

Like any other electronics make sure you keep your device in a safe place. Also, always, always review your application’s privacy policy. If you find red flags you may want to delete the information. Then uninstall the app to protect your fitness tracker data.

It is great that fitness watches are more advanced these days. However, also the user’s privacy and peace of mind are essential to delivering the best user experience.

Looking for the best fitness tracker watch? Visit our buying guides to help you make a wise buying decision.