What are the uses of fitness trackers?

I have been doing fitness for almost five years, and have switched to four sports trackers of different price points. To be honest, the core value of this thing is to break down the fitness details that you can’t figure out by physical sense into objective data that can be traced and adjusted to help you avoid the pitfall of “self-motivated blind training”.

When I first started practicing aerobics, I would wander on the treadmill for forty minutes every day. I would feel like I was working very hard when I was sweating. As a result, I weighed myself for half a month without moving at all. Later, I found out after wearing the bracelet that my heart rate was not in the effective fat-burning zone for thirty of those forty minutes. It was essentially a slow walk to warm up. Later, I followed the heart rate reminder and adjusted the speed to 6.5km/h plus a 3-degree incline. I maintained the effective heart rate for more than 25 minutes at a time, and I lost 4 pounds in less than three weeks.

It can also be used when lifting irons. I used to subconsciously slump my waist when doing deadlifts. I stared at my legs in the mirror and ignored my back. Later, I changed to a sports watch with posture recognition. If I did not move correctly, it would vibrate my wrist to remind me. After half a month, I broke the bad habit. After practicing, I never had any soreness in my waist or side. It would be more practical if you have long-distance sports needs. My horse racing friend did not wear a watch during his first race. He rushed too hard in the first half and collapsed in the second half. Last year, he wore a watch and ran according to the preset pace zone, and he directly finished the PB by 14 minutes. Even when I am not working out, its recovery score and sleep monitoring can be used as a reference. I used to think that "the more you practice, the faster you will progress", so I would go to the gym with sore muscles. Later, I found that if the recovery score is lower than 60, hard training will not only cause muscle loss but also cause strain. It is better to lie down at home or do yoga stretching, which will make progress faster.

However, not everyone is like this. My colleague followed the trend and bought an internet celebrity bracelet. After using it for less than two weeks, he threw it out of the drawer. He said that the purpose of working out after get off work was to relieve stress, but he ended up focusing on the closed loop of calorie consumption and step count every day. There are also some novices who are new to fitness who are too superstitious about data. They already have a tingling sensation in their knees. In order to keep up with the amount of activity that day, they have to walk 10,000 steps, but they wear out the meniscus and damage it.

In fact, to put it bluntly, it is just a tool, like a painting pen or a cooking pot. Whether it is useful or not depends on how you use it. If you need clear feedback to help you adjust your fitness plan, it can save you half a year of detours. If you like to move according to your feelings and enjoy the process of sweating, there is no need to buy something to shackle yourself.