Are armbands that measure steps, pulse and more of any real value?
Dear Coach,
We see them everywhere. These armband things that … count steps, jumps, calories burned. … Are these things of any real value to getting fit and losing weight over the long haul?
J.F.
Well, J.F., that all depends. First, those things won’t do the exercise for you, so you still have to get going yourself. As far as I know there isn’t one that will verbally nag you (“Hey, J.F., you haven’t burned any calories today! Time to move your behind!”). Not that I’d want some inanimate object harassing me like that. Would you? Second, any gadget is only as good as its user. You can record all the data you want but unless you use it to track your progress, it won’t do you any good. Coach knows her share of folks who lay out plenty of dough for schmantzy gizmos then never use anything except the watch, chronograph and maybe a heart-rate tracker.
The point of all those gadgets you mention – whether you strap them to your arm, wrist, waist, or hand – is that they do indeed count calories, measure miles, track heart rate, size up your speed, and check your cadence, among other things, and then they let you download all the data to various programs to chart, graph, analyze and ponder. Some people will find all of the data nothing but total overload. Others will eat it up and will indeed be motivated – even mesmerized — by seeing themselves get faster, burn more calories, cover more miles, etc. Coach has tested a variety of these things, and it can be addicting, all those numbers and charts.
So, the questions are:
- Do you like workouts with technology? Programming the device and then pushing buttons and figuring them all out?
- Are you a data kind of person? Do you like numbers and analyzing? Does that motivate you?
- Are you going to spend the time to download the data and actually use it to track progress over that long haul you mention?
Research has indeed shown that logging your workouts – and paying attention to how they all shake out and how you get better, faster, thinner (fill in your desired adjective) over time does indeed motivate. Click here to find a past column on the how-to’s of charting your progress.
These things are all very different, so it’s worth it to shop around and get a feel for how they work. Some are not exactly intuitive, while others nearly do everything for you.
There are new versions of these tracker gadgets coming out all the time, so shop with care. And don’t come back complaining to Coach if you do find one that nags you for not working out and it’s driving you crazy: “Hey, J.F., I’m so lonely. Move your behind out the door and take me too.”
Ask the Coach yourself!
Got a question for the Coach at Adventure Network + Total Fitness Network? Email coa...@totalfitnessnetwork.com or just click here and ask away. Not all questions will appear on Adventure Network, and Coach can’t answer most questions individually. But she’ll choose the best of the best for publication.
The “Coach,” Therese Iknoian, has her Master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise physiology and is an American College of Sports Medicine-certified instructor. To read more about Therese’s coaching, outdoor and fitness background, click here.
