#37: Fitbits Are Not Complete B.S.
Fitbits, smartwatches and fitness trackers. Neat tools to quantify one’s daily exercise - to transform those sweats into legible numbers. Unfortunately, they are mostly B.S… but that doesn’t mean they completely suck.
If you’re looking to create a calorie deficit by weighing and tracking your foods while factoring in the calories you’ve expended using your Fitbit as the guide, you may be headed for an unwelcome surprise.
One 2018 study showed that the available smartwatches at the time underestimated the calorie expenditure during exercise by 28-98%. More than a little off the mark, if you ask me.
A more recent study looked at the Apple Watch 6, the Polar Vantage V and the Fitbit Sense. Researchers found that the Apple Watch 6 was the most accurate for measuring heart rate whereas the Polar Vantage V and the Fitbit Sense “showed variable results dependent on the activity.”
In the same study, all three fitness trackers “showed poor accuracy for energy expenditure during five different physical activities.” They varied by 15-25%; an unacceptable margin.
The evidence available thus far seems to suggest against the notion of breaking the bank for the latest, greatest fitness tracker. I mean, what’s the point if they don’t do their job accurately, right?
But there’s more to it than that.
Fitbits Have One Major Advantage
I purchased my own fitness tracker - an Apple Watch 6 - just over a year ago and have not looked back since.
The act of quantifying my daily activities into an easily legible manner has been a game changer as far as accountability goes. This, despite the inaccuracies.
In setting the goals:
600 calories burnt through movement, daily
12 non-idle hours, daily
30 exercise minutes, daily
10,000 steps, daily
You have automatically set a uncompromisable precedent that could potentially change your life forever, and for the better.
True, you won’t be getting the full picture. But you will be creating a baseline with which you can adjust with respect to what is going on in other aspects of your life (such as diet).
Moreover, you can respond to certain challenges that actually promote movement, if not also be reminded that you’ve been sitting down for too long at the office.
