How to Maintain A Healthy Relationship With Your Fitness Tracker

This content is brought to you in partnership with OrthoCarolina, one of the nation's leading orthopedic practices with offices across the Southeast.  

We tend to think of fitness trackers as things that help us stay on track (no pun intended!) with our fitness goals. But where is the line between healthily tracking your activity and compulsively checking and obsessing over your stats each day?

We spoke with Janelle Penatzer, wellness program manager at OrthoCarolina, to learn more about how to maintain a healthy relationship with your fitness tracker. 

How Many People Are Really Wearing Fitness Trackers?

First, a few notes about the prevalence of fitness trackers throughout the U.S. According to a 2013 Pew report, 60 percent of U.S. adults track their diet, exercise routine or weight, and a 2017 study found that over 40 percent have used a wearable health tracker. Worldwide, sales of wearable devices are expected to grow by 20 percent each year over the next five years.

Is Wearing A Fitness Tracker Good For Your Health?

The answer here gets a little more complicated.

"Tracking steps, sleep, time exercised, etc. can be extremely beneficial to your health — but as with anything, moderation is key," Janelle cautioned. "While it’s good to have an idea of how much exercise or sleep you are getting each day, it’s extremely easy to fall into an unhealthy pattern of obsessively checking your tracker to make sure your goals are met."

Motivational Reminders Can Be Good, But Listening To Your Body Tends to Be Better

"In my opinion, time spent for self care or exercise shouldn’t be interrupted by alerts from a fitness tracker telling you to run faster or longer, or to exercise just 10 more minutes to meet a daily goal," Janelle said. "Instead, we should be listening to our bodies throughout the workout and pushing ourselves when it feels right."

However, Janelle noted that if you generally struggle to motivate yourself to work hard through a workout, this is where your tracker can be a great tool.

Setting Healthy Boundaries With Your Fitness Tracker

As with most relationships, it's important to have healthy boundaries to protect your mental health.

"If you are generally sleeping well and have energy throughout the day, do you really need to know how many times you toss and turn during the night? Will this trigger you to stress about not getting the absolute best quality sleep because you moved 11 times during the night?" Janelle asked. "Maybe try only wearing your fitness tracker during the day, and giving it a rest while you sleep. Or maybe you wear your tracker on weekdays, but you take a break from it over the weekend."

In Order To Maintain A Healthy Relationship With Your Fitness Tracker, Moderation Is Key

"At the end of the day, achieving great health is about listening to your bodyand taking action where needed," Janelle said. "A fitness tracker can help give you an overall picture of how you’re doing, but remember to use it in moderation for a healthy balance between you and your tracker."

Learn More About Making Healthy Choices From The Experts at OrthoCarolina

Whether you've recently experienced an injury, need help with recovery after tough workouts, or are simply experiencing chronic pain and need help managing it, OrthoCarolina can help. Make an appointment at a location near you to start getting the treatment you need.