Recently, more and more people have started using smartwatches and fitness trackers to monitor and improve their fitness levels. These devices are pretty incredible, providing real-time information on various aspects of one’s physical state and activity, including steps taken, calories burned and even stress levels. By tracking and analysing this data, users can gain insights into their fitness habits and make informed decisions about how to improve their overall health and wellbeing. But how do people fully and effectively utilise these tools? There are several hacks you can implement to get the most out of your fitness tracker.
1. Customise Your Dashboard
The great thing about smartwatches is that they’re customisable. People use fitness trackers for a variety of reasons, from counting their steps to tracking their stress levels. To get the most out of your device, we advise using it to fulfil your specific needs, and nothing more. Figure out what matters to you, and customise the stats on your device’s dashboard accordingly. This way, you won’t get overwhelmed with random numbers you don’t need, and you can focus on improving your health in the ways that count.
2. Make It Part of Your Daily Routine
Smartwatches work best when they’re used consistently. This is why it is so important to incorporate the practice of wearing your smartwatch into your daily habits. When you first get your device, it’s a good idea to set up a series of prompts that will ensure your watch is charged, checked and worn regularly. You could leave a post-it note on your mirror, or set a reminder in your phone. Eventually, utilising your device on a daily basis will feel natural and habitual.
3. Wear It On Your Less Dominant Arm
Wearing your smartwatch on your less dominant arm will help to ensure that the data it collects is accurate. This is because your dominant arm is generally going to be moving a lot more than your non-dominant arm, and your device may mistake this movement for evidence of steps. Having your watch fitted to your non-dominant arm will also provide you with more accurate sleep data. Additionally, it is worth noting that your fitness tracker will be more vulnerable to damage if it sits on your dominant arm.
4. Use the Goal Setting Feature
If you want your fitness tracker to work for you, we recommend setting specific goals and logging them into your device. Your smartwatch will let you set standing, movement and exercise goals, and can even send you words of encouragement. For example, you can set goals related to the amount of steps you want to walk, the amount of hours you want to sleep or the amount of time you want to spend exercising each day. We recommend focusing on one goal at a time, and allowing yourself to treat it a bit like a game. When you have a place to record and track your goals, it becomes so much more fun and motivating to meet them.
5. Monitor Your Sleep
Having a healthy sleep schedule is vital in ensuring your short and long-term wellbeing. If you’re pursuing better health, this is an area of your life that you should not neglect or underestimate. A fitness tracker can monitor your movements as you sleep and assess your sleep-wake cycles to determine how restful your night has been. This kind of information can give you great insight into your sleeping habits, which will eventually help you to achieve a more effective sleeping pattern. Once your sleep schedule is on track, you can enjoy happier, more productive days and, ultimately, a longer life.
Trust Yourself
Smart devices are incredibly useful for tracking your fitness progress. However, we advise that you trust yourself above any device, no matter how advanced it may be. Smartwatches are fantastic, but they can produce inaccurate data, or data that doesn’t take certain factors into account. This is why the way you feel is often a better indicator of your progress. Celebrate your wins, and give yourself a break when you don’t meet the expectations laid out by your smart device. Don’t let a bad day derail your progress. Your fitness tracker is there to help you meet your goals, but you are ultimately in charge of your health journey!
