Do you want to know the effect of fitness trackers on anxiety? I will explain all to you in this short article.
You may believe that wearable-induced anxiety only occurs in specific other individuals.
However, it’s shockingly easy to develop harmful wearable habits. I’m a wearables reviewer, and despite knowing better, I’ve had to deal with anxiety-inducing fitness-tracking behaviors.
I was so focused on chasing running streaks a few years ago that I ignored my body’s cues to slow down. It gave me a bad case of shin splints.
Not only was I unable to run for over eight weeks, but I was also unable to participate in a 10K event that I had been looking forward to. It caused me to reconsider these gadgets’ role in my life and fitness aspirations.
Fitness trackers don’t have to be stressful.
However, continue reading as I discuss some simple techniques I’ve learned to ensure they work for you rather than against you.
Now let’s get started.
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Are Fitness Trackers Making Us More Anxious
Yes and no, in a nutshell. However, it is dependent on the individual.
More significantly, while the most recent wearables may identify specific health conditions, they are no match for professional healthcare gadgets.
For example, even a tiny wrist movement can cause an Apple Watch to display an “inconclusive” test warning, which can easily be mistaken for faulty reading.
Fear and uncertainty are heightened in individuals previously diagnosed with unexpected health problems.
Rosman is not surprised by the inclination to engage in hypervigilant, compulsive self-monitoring via wearable technologies.
Another study, this time from the University of Copenhagen, looked at the wearable experience of over a dozen chronic health patients and came to similar results.
While some participants indicated that the continual nudges from their Fitbit tracker prompted them to engage in self-care, many others claimed that the alerts were a cause of stress.
How To Make Fitness Tracking Less Anxiety
It’s easy. Here are a few simple steps:
1. Set modest, achievable goals
Changing anything in your life takes a tremendous amount of energy. The greater the change, the more fuel you will need to fight the comfortable inertia of your current patterns.
If you’re starting an exercise regimen as an adult for the first time, multiply it by 1,000. This is why it’s essential to start small. I mean, very little.
Write down anything you consider to be negligible, then go even smaller.
2. Increase the number of active minutes you spend each week.
For adults, (CDC) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise (or an equal combination of the two) each week, combined with two days of weight training targeting all major muscle groups.
3. Maintain a Healthy Energy Intake
Fitness monitors track your entire daily energy expenditure. Although this data is merely a best guess, it can offer an individualized picture of how much energy you use daily.
Using this function to plan your daily energy intake (i.e. how many calories you consume) can assist you in balancing your energy intake and output.
4. Reduce Stress and Enhance Recovery
Stress management is an essential aspect of overall wellness. High-stress levels caused by poor stress management can disrupt your sleep and your immunological, digestive, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems.
Some fitness trackers feature stress level reporting along with a stress management score. Fitbit, for example, allows you to track how you’re feeling regarding daily stress and mood.
Furthermore, many trackers contain stress-relieving functions like deep-breathing programmes, which may help lower your tension, at least temporarily.
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What Are The Benefits Of Fitness Trackers
It’s easy. A fitness tracker is a great way to kick off a healthier lifestyle.
If you can keep track of your activity, you will have increased motivation to improve your health through more physical exercise.
Using one of these fitness trackers to inspire yourself to meet your health and fitness objectives is a terrific way to start.
The applications keep track of everything you do and send you notifications regularly to let you know how you’re doing.
They will be a source of inspiration and motivation for you as you work towards achieving your goal.
Fitness trackers can enhance the time spent physically active and encourage weight loss.
Specific fitness trackers may capture your heart rate.
This is an important component to take into account when determining how challenging your exercises should be.
How Can I Improve My Fitness Tracker Accuracy
It’s easy. However, If you have a tracker on your wrist, here are some excellent tips and tactics for making the most of your gadget.
1. Wear the watch on your weaker arm.
While many fitness watches include applications that allow you to enter which hand you’re wearing the watch, there are several benefits to wearing your watch on the less dominant hand.
Fitness trackers may be costly investments, so placing them on your less dominant hand reduces the likelihood of it being banged and bumped when you move.
Because your less dominant arm moves less, you’re less likely to acquire inaccurate data from your tracker, such as believing you’re taking steps when you’re not.
Wearing your fitness tracker with your weaker hand might offer more accurate sleep data.
2. Check that your wearable can connect through Bluetooth.
If your fitness tracker needs help connecting to your phone through Bluetooth, verify that your phone is not simultaneously linked to several other apps via Bluetooth (for example, vehicle speakers or wireless headphones).
3. Don’t be duped by erroneous data readings.
It’s critical to treat your fitness readings with caution. Even if your tracker has a heart rate sensor, it will always be more precise than a chest strap.
Your step count and calories may be somewhat off, so be calm about your readings and don’t let them impact the rest of your training and eating.
4. Always keep it charged
Only start the day with a low battery since you know it will be alive when you go to the gym.
Wearables will offer software options to optimize your battery consumption, such as turning off all-day sync or switching to power conservation mode.
Still, it’s a question of arranging an acceptable time to add to your routine for wearable charging.
If your watch isn’t water-resistant, why not charge it while you shower?
It will help you remember to take it off before bathing, preventing it from breaking and getting you into the habit of charging it regularly.
5. Make use of and sync with other apps
Leading fitness apps like Myfitnesspal, Strava, and Map My Run integrates with most fitness trackers to provide a complete picture of your health.
And it can supplement the data from your tracker to help you realize your full potential.
If you want to maximize your tracker’s capabilities, sync it with other apps.
Why Aren’t Fitness Trackers For Everyone
If you’re still deciding to purchase one for yourself, here are some reasons why a fitness tracker may not suit you.
1. You may have a proclivity to over exercise.
The dopamine high from a workout may be too much for folks with addictive dispositions. Combined with a fitness tracker congratulating you for exceeding your goals, it may be a deadly mix.
You risk accomplishing too much too soon by chasing after goals and injuring yourself.
Furthermore, over-exercising might result in unsustainable fitness practices, such as taking extended pauses to recuperate after a terrible exercise.
Over exercising caused by a fitness tracker might cause you to miss out on long-term fitness objectives.
2. Your community may amplify your insecurities.
Several fitness monitoring applications urge you to join communities to keep on track with your exercise objectives.
While communities are essential for accountability, they may become poisonous if not monitored by skilled fitness experts.
Participating in communities may contribute to feelings of uncertainty, especially if a life event, such as sickness, accident, or pregnancy, knocks you off track with your fitness objectives.
When you’re prone to comparing yourself to your friends who did not go through comparable experiences, seeing your tracker statistics fall short of your goals might be demotivating.
3. You May Be Predisposed to Eating Disorders
While nutrition is essential for general health, some people might become preoccupied with it to the point of disordered eating.
Orthorexia, or Orthorexia Nervosa, is an abnormal fixation with healthy eating. Orthorexia persuades people to forego social interactions and essential experiences to maintain a healthy diet.
READ ALSO – How Fitness Helps Mental Health
How Do I Overcome Fitness Anxiety
It’s easy. Here are several examples: TIPS FOR OVERCOMING FITNESS ANXIETY
Here are four techniques you may do right away:
1. Know Before You Go
Because the unknown is the primary source of gym anxiety, you may reclaim control of the situation by preparing beforehand.
This is especially useful if you are new to a facility. Check out the website for images, personnel information (to help you recognize people) and general gym information.
This can assist you in determining what questions you may have ahead of time, allowing you to either phone on and ask or write them down to bring when you visit.
Before you come in, it’s a good idea to know the hours, where to park, if you need an appointment to speak with someone, what the COVID guidelines are in the gym and anything else you need to know.
This extra step will alleviate some anxiety about visiting a new gym for the first time.
2. Heavy Breathing
Deep breathing can assist your nervous system relax and reduce anxiety symptoms. “Box breathing” is one of my favorite breathing exercises.
The proper breathing technique consists of a 4-second inhale, a 4-second hold, a 4-second exhale (completely releasing your breath), and a 4-second hold.
After you’ve become used to the rhythm, you may extend the time to 5, 6, or even 8 seconds to assist you to relax. Repeat as many times as necessary!
3. Modify Your Perspective
I realized that perspective is crucial when overcoming fear in athletics, public speaking, or anything else that might induce anxiety. You can’t control your body’s reaction to its surroundings, but you can channel it for your benefit!
When you get the classic nervous/anxious sensations, they will seem eerily similar to exhilaration. The heart is pounding, the hands are sweaty, and the heart rate has skyrocketed.
I’m sure you’d feel the same way if you were waiting at the airport for a loved one you hadn’t seen in a long time! I’m sure I have.
Instead of thinking about how worried you are when you feel those typical sensations, tell yourself (out loud or in your brain), “I’m so delighted! This is going to be fantastic!”
4. Inquire About The Game Plan With Your Trainer Or Group Fitness Instructor.
While your trainer or group instructor might not be able to provide you a detailed description of the program you’ll be following in advance, they’ll probably be delighted to help you establish expectations for what’s to come.
Based on your goals and where you’re starting, your trainer is likely to have devised a broad progression plan for you.
They can assist you in understanding what phase of training you are in, what sorts of workouts to expect, and how long you will be in that phase so you can psychologically prepare.
Final Thought
Now that we have established that fitness trackers cause anxiety, it is also essential to analyze yourself, your exercise objectives, your lifestyle, and your needs before buying a fitness monitoring gadget.
After all, there is no one method to get healthier, and healthy individuals existed long before fitness trackers were invented.