5 mistakes you’re making with your fitness tracker

When it comes to wearable technology we’re all about it. Who doesn’t love going about their daily life with continual reminders that every step you take is one towards wellness? It’s revolutionary.

However, according to Tom Tom, who has been making fitness wearables since 2011, you’re likely not using your device correctly. This means you might not be maxing out the benefits.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes when it comes to fitness trackers – so you can optimise your wellness efforts.

1. Don’t take it off

It’s so easy to take off your wearable and leave it in your bedside drawer, right? We know, we’ve done it, then cursed ourselves for it and thought about all those wasted steps and minutes of exercise that didn’t count. The fix? Opt for a tracker that’s waterproof so you don’t have to take it off to shower, and won’t miss wearing it during sleep to collect more accurate data about your slumber patterns.

2. Update your personal data

Losing weight? Make sure you tell your tracker, otherwise it won’t know what progress you’ve made and the stats, and recommendations, may be off.

3. Buy a tracker with real-time accurate data

This will mean that you can get immediate feedback after your exercise and compare your fitness schedule to ones you’ve done in previous weeks. Some will even provide personalised and actionable feedback. Think of it like a PT within your little device.

4. Don’t forget about heart rate

You can get so caught up in getting to 10,000 steps (hands up who’s jogged on the spot before to clock over?) that you don’t even look at the built-in heart rate monitor. It will help you get a good picture of how active you were throughout the day and how hard you went at the gym. Your resting heart rate (RHR) is also a good indicator of your overall fitness.

5. It’s about more than your steps

You can also track your heart, sleep and calories burnt. Take some time to get to know all the features your wearable offers, and how to use them correctly. Some may even offer body composition and help you get stronger, fitter or leaner from there.

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