The surge of wearables for fitness tracking has enabled us to track, monitor and store a cornucopia of data about our bodies, our workouts and our habits. But what good is all of this data if we’re throwing in the towel after only a few days?
The problem is a disconnect between what we hope to achieve when we buy a fitness tracker and what we experience after we strap it on.
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And this disparity between expectation and reality is one of the reasons research from Endeavour Partners revealed that one third of those who buy wearable devices stop using it after just six months.
To give you more of an insight into how to set goals and stick to them, we’ve enlisted the help of two personal trainers to shed light on the nature of goal setting, to help you figure out the kind of device, goals and setup you need to stay motivated.
Polly from The Fit Mum Formula believes that to hit fitness goals using a tracker “you want a tracking device to make the process easier not irritating.”
She explained that without realising it, most of us have different motivations when it comes to making big changes to our fitness. “Some people love seeing numbers and are motivated by achieving goals, whereas others just want to see results,” she said.
Let us help you choose: The best fitness tracker for your needs
It gets even more granular than that, and Polly urged people to really think about how much motivation they have toward the whole process and want they want from their gadgets:
“Some might like inputting their own data, for example food intake, but others might want a device to do work for them, like one that counts steps or distance run,” she explained.
Unfortunately there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to fitness tracking.
Most people fail because they do not measure what they are trying to achieve.
Like Polly suggests, you need to work out what motivates you. If you like seeing numbers on your way to a goal you’ll need a device with a screen so you can keep your motivation levels high throughout the day, like a Fitbit Charge 2 or a Garmin Vivofit 3.
If you’re all about the end game, something more discreet with a great app experience will be more suited to what you’re after, like a Fitbit Flex 2 or a Misfit Shine 2.
