Hello everyone,
I went to the gym for the first time last night and every single person but me had a smart watch on. Do they actually help? I cant think what I'd use it for!
Smart watch: Hello everyone, I went to... - Weight Loss Support
Smart watch
PhotographerGirl1st 7lbs
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PhotographerGirl
1st 7lbs
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TheTabbyCatAdministrator10 kg
Hi PhotographerGirl, this post made me laugh out loud, it's exactly what I've been asking myself, too. I even bought a cheapo watch to try out. It wouldn't stay connected to my smart phone for one thing so there was no record of anything. It would tell me heart rate, blood oxygen level, blood pressure, steps walked, calories burned almost anything I asked it. It's been sitting in the draw for a couple of years now and I don't miss it. Personally it's something I can live without. I can't wait to hear how it can help. Perhaps I'm just not with it enough to be able to enjoy it.
One year I was in the UK and met up with my brother and wife, both 60+, neither of them are particularly geared towards fitness. During the visit they couldn't take their eyes off their new FitBit watches ,with comments about heart rate, breathing etc. I came to the conclusion that they could be a good conversation starter and little more.
Thanks for asking this question PG, I'm as interested as you to see some pros and cons. Especially as the financial outlay is quite a lot even for some of the mid market options.
I think you either get on with it or you don't! I also have a cheap spinoff fitness tracker watch and I quite like it. I use it as a normal watch mainly 😂. The bonus for me is I can recharge it, I can see it in the dark, it wakes me up early for milking without waking hubby (it vibrates on my wrist and shakes me awake), it's wipe clean with few nooks and crannies for muck of every description, it's pretty tough and seems to survive hammering/being kicked by cows/getting soaked and submerged. I quite like looking at my number of steps too just out of interest! Like yours it doesn't really connect to my phone very well and I don't really use any of the extra functions 😂 I guess it's just a handy watch lol
BridgeGirlAdministrator2 stone
Ah well, it's post Christmas when all the kids are out on their shiny new bikes and scooters and the dogs in their smart new coats 
I bought a cheap one once but never used it
I do have Active 10 on my phone, so it records how many walking/active walking minutes I do but I can't say I "use" it to motivate me or help me plan.
PediPaws2lbs
I have a fitbit which I got about 6 years ago now after starting a new job and everyone in the team had one bar me
We used to compete with each other how many steps you did at lunchtime etc (lunch time was a walk and then back to have a quick bite to eat before back to work again - this motivated me
But to be honest since lock down I just use it as a watch, I have since joining on here used it more o try and increase my steps each day
The fitbit I have now (as the first one broke about 3 years ago) will show me text messages and emails on it, which you can turn off in the settings. I have found the text message part really useful in the winter months when out walking pup and it's raining etc as I can have a quick glance and see if I can ignore it until I get back home or if I need to dig the phone out to reply (must admit 99% of the time it's ignore until I get home 
)
PhotographerGirl1st 7lbs
I think itnwill take more than a watch to make me look cool at the gym haha
PhotographerGirl1st 7lbs
Thanks everyone, don't think it sounds like I need one! I've read they can't pick steps up while I'm pushing the pram so doubly not worth it!
Ahh the steps! I can't find the link at the moment . All movement, steps is good but the mythical 10.000 steps was apparently a translation mistake. I believe moreless posted the info
Hi hun.Oh yesss I absolutely love my smartwatch.I bought mine about a year ago.Amazfit GTS,only under £100 but oh my it’s brill and looks like an expensive Apple Watch-long battery life,mega loads of function(can even connect to Alexa!),doesn’t lose connection with phone and pretty!!For the price it’s unbelievably loaded with all the latest fancy functions!There are loads of them, which to be honest I don’t really use but as a watch it’s nice on an eye and step count is great.I’m so used to mine now and wear it every day and I was so against the smartwatches lol Also what I did from beginning,as I was not a watch person at all,I bought a cheap £10 one from EBay and worn it for like a month till it died just to get used to and I loved it so I bought my current one.I would suggest if you never worn one before like me,get a cheap one to see how you get on an if you like it buy a decent one later as it’s no point to buy an expensive one first and a month later it will end up in the bottom of your junk drawer(lol like many other good intentions lol lol).Hope you find this helpful.If you want to know more about the watch I have just ping me a message.😀
Professor-YaffleVisitorVisitor
Here's a counterpoint;
I have an apple watch and find it invaluable. I'm not young and I am resistant to too much technology... but a smart watch is the exception for me.
Firstly for the purpose that PediPaws states above - you can screen calls and messages very quickly and ignore everything that's not urgent or an emergency. I hardly ever have to get my phone out which I love, but at the same time I'm assured I'm not missing any family emergencies. I have found it incredibly freeing as I don't want to be one of those awful people with their face in their phone all the time. It also means I haven't dropped my phone for years as it just stays in my bag when I'm out and on charge when I'm home. Before my smartwatch I had dropped several phones (several on the ground, and 3 times into liquids) - most times they needed to be replaced. A Smartwatch is economically sensible for me. You can also pay for things using it; which means I don't carry (and haven't lost) a bankcard for many years.
But I also love the apple fitness app and the apple health app. Can't wait for the release of the non invasive blood sugar tracker which will be intergrated into the watch. Knowledge is empowerment! It also has blood oxygen and ECG functions which have saved a lot of lives apparently, as have the functions that alert people if you have fallen. Some of the data in the health app is really valuable in medical consultations, especially the data on heart rate and heart rate variability over time.
I have been closing my apple watch fitness rings (these are daily targets around activity, exercise and standing/moving each hour) without fail for nearly three years straight now - an achievement I'm pretty proud of. When I get to three years I'm going to have a little celebration with likeminded friends. At first it was tricky and took some concentration and planning (for example I'd have to make time to walk rather than get the bus) but after a while you just make healthier choices on autopilot - it becomes a normal part of life to be much more active. You can customise the daily targets.
Apple watch and several other fitness trackers, CAN pick up the steps whilst pushing a pram, by using GPS to track the distance you have walked. I often walk carrying groceries in both hands and on my back so I don't swing my arms but it still tracks those walks.
I promise I don't work for Apple 😂
I must admit I don't think I would ever want an app to pay for things with on my phone or my watch - perhaps I am old fashioned and not totally tech savvy
Yes, it's not for everyone. I delayed using technology for finance as I had subscribed to a number of myths about security/saftey. But it's pretty safe. And means you don't need a purse/wallet anymore - I hate carrying loads of stuff and getting out my purse/phone in a shop or to board a bus/tube. If someone steals my bank card they can use it repeatedly (with contactless) but it's not the case with a watch - as soon as it comes off your wrist all functionality is deactivated.
The haptic feedback function is also really useful for a more peaceful society. No need for ring tones/ message tones anymore - it's lovely!!!
TeamAdmin just wondering - is it possible to remove "7lb" badge please as I don't do weigh ins anymore?
Done.
I've given you a Visitor badge as you do drop in to chat from time to time. Hope that's OK
That's brilliant. Thank-you.
GrigidModerator4 stone
Hi PhotographerGirl
I received a Fitbit for Christmas and love it. It’s got me back into doing some daily exercise and is reassuring me about my sleeping patterns. I signed up for “premium” which works out at less that £1 a week, much cheaper than any gym membership I might have convinced myself to sign up to. It has loads of mindfulness and exercise videos which I’ve been using. I’ve also started to log my food and drink so I can hold myself to account - something I’ve stopped doing recently.
It’s never failed to sync with my phone and I’ve only put it on charge once.
Different things work for different people. Mine isn’t a fashion statement, I’m using it to kickstart my health and weight loss plans and so far it’s working.
Agreed - I'm also a big fan of the minfulness apps!
Not sure I want to see my sleeping patterns I have 2 children who have me up all night!
I can imagine 😊
The other thing it checks though is oxygen sats levels which can alert you to possible sleep apnea (especially useful when you’re older and overweight like me 😂)
I’ve had a fit bit for about six years love it, briefly it’s connected to my phone I get weekly updates which help me set targets, why not ask someone at the gym you go to what they think, can all these people be wasting there time and money?
Welcome back. I see you were here some time ago and are fighting your way back to fitness. I hope you are recoverd now. If you need a reminder how to find your way around all the information can be found herehealthunlocked.com/weight-l....
You might be interested in the FIt is Fun Club for exercise.
Keep coming here and chatting. The more you join in the better. You will get lots of support.
gman1961Restart April 2024
Morning Photographer Girl,I bought a basic one earlier last year and I've just upgraded to another one.
I'm not very technical so I'm still getting my head around it
Currently noting my excercise up and down stairs at work so that's good .
Not used it for mapping my running yet .
Gary
depending on what you want to achieve there are many free apps out there that can help you track your progress initially
You potentially need a watch when you want to track more detail. They can be great for tracking your steps, heart rate and keeping you motivated as you track your improvement
I have always picked up fairly cheap Garmin watches, often 2nd hand. Does the job and can link up to the free apps I like (Strava, MyFitnessPal)
Welcome back. If you need a reminder how to find your way around all the information can be found herehealthunlocked.com/weight-l....
You might be interested in the FIt is Fun Club for exercise.
Keep coming here and chatting. The more you join in the better. You will get lots of support
What do you use your heart rate data for?
like Spirit-bird I have a Garmin which has become my main way to check I’m doing exercise by logging my (short slow) runs. The main benefit is perhaps that it shows heart rate which Strava can’t do without a watch. That’s a really good way of keeping an eye on fitness in relation to general health : as I went through Couch25k I could see I was running further and longer with fewer worryingly high heart rates which isn’t something my phone alone could tell me.
Welcome back. I see you have done well on Couch to 5K If you need a reminder how to find your way around all the information can be found here healthunlocked.com/weight-l...
You might be interested in the FIt is Fun Club for exercise.
Keep coming here and chatting. The more you join in the better. You will get lots of support.
That does sound useful.
Welcome to the forum. Our Fit is Fun Club would be a great place to start, then explore all our other regular posts via the link Gizmocat has given you
What do you use your heart rate data for?
When I started Couch25k my heart rate used to go up to 180 on a one min run (week 1). That’s too high but I wouldn’t have known without the watch. It showed me that I needed to take it gently - otherwise I’d have felt I was struggling but thought it was just me being pathetic! Over the weeks I was able to do longer runs with a healthier average heart rate which showed me very effectively that my general health was improving and I found it really motivating. After a few months I could run for more than 30 mins with average heart rate only in the 150s. For me that seems to be about as good as it will get so I just keep an eye on it - my first post cold run after a month off the rate was much higher again so I know the cold affected me and it’s not just my imagination that it’s harder - I find that v helpful.
Well done on your running progress/journey.
My heart rate (both active and resting) increases quite a lot when I'm ill or recovering from illness too. It also increases quite a lot when I have a vaccine which I found fascinating to observe.
I also find it useful to look at my resting heart rate and if it's incraesed unduely to think about whether I need to readdress the balance of stressors and relaxation in my life.
thanks and yes that’s an interesting point about changes in resting heart rate. I noticed it during my recent cold and will pay a bit more attention to it in the light of your comments. All of which I found thoughtful and sensible in the chain below too.
Thank-you. Take care.
heart rate data can help you understand when you’re training too hard and can be used as a measure of success as your heart rate/fitness improves.
For example: I’m a runner, to improve it’s important I don’t always go top speed (different zones: aerobic, threashold, max, easy, etc) and your heart rate can help identify this.
HappykindaGalVisitor
great,piece of marketing by FitBit to turn the enjoyable pastime of going for a walk into a goal with ‘steps’. 🤷🏼♀️
Hello. Good to see you here. Are you on a weight loss journey? If so please let me know and I will give you more information about the forum. You are welcome to support here anyway.
How true. The other great piece of marketing was convincing people there was something magical about 10,000 steps: that appears to have been tied in to pedometer sales, with no scientific basis behind it everydayhealth.com/fitness/....
Absolutely! One of the earliest marketing pushes was in the 1950s and mouthwash. I 'think' it was Colegate that marketed it as being a health product etc...there was absolutely no evidence to substantiate it at all. Look at the market now.
I get so tired of people saying 'I must get my steps in'. It's become a tyranny, haha.
Yes, I've heard about the mouthwash one - tell people they have bad breath and then sell them something to fix it! Play on people's insecurities
yep! And it worked 🤷🏼♀️
although I 100% agree, it’s all marketing, I’d also add that 10,000 steps is better than the current UK standard, not very active, and it’s SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and targeted). In reality an adult needs more than 10,000 steps in a day (and no one can out train a poor diet). Better to have something to try and consistently achieve rather than what’s easier, nothing
no, I detest this having to achieve mentality we have now. Everything having to have a plan, a goal. Takes away the joy of living and just being happy in your own skin.
Good morning.
I realise your original comment was quite flippant, and my response is not, so apologies for the imbalance there but I wanted to highlight that the situation is complex. I have trouble with being incredibly verbose - apologies. Not trying to convince you as you say you “detest” “achieve mentality” and goals etc. but merely commenting in reply as this is a health discussion website and lots of people are here because they do have goals and want to achieve things.
Walking/increased activity is and should be a “goal” for many people. Don’t throw the baby (positive heath message) out with the bath water (greedy marketing execs and rich tech overlords).
The more complex approach of both/and is generally a more useful in health psychology than the either/or outlook. Walking is both/and; it's an “enjoyable pastime” (for some, some people don’t like it so much I guess)… and made of a number of “steps” - no getting around that fact..... and a walk can be a “goal” for someone whose health risks increase if they remain sedentary;. It can be all three and walking can be a million more things to different people, who may attached a series of complex meanings to each walk. No need for it to be either/or. No need for it to be “something turned in into something else by corporate greed etc…”. There is also no need to let very real capitalistic intentions, blind us to the benefits that many find in tracking physical activity and having goals.
Before the advent of smartwatches people still tracked activity in different ways and people still had health related activity goals - it’s just a different set of people, made the majority of the money from it before it was technoligised (not a word, I know).
Of course people also attach different meanings to “goals” and “tracking” as general concepts. You seem to think both are awful!
It occurs to me that this weight loss forum revolves around tracking body weight and food consumption; two ideas that are respectively more and less controversial in the world of health psychology. Some are still tracking calories here, despite a lot of evidence that it doesn’t work for most people in the long run and despite the unethical processed food corps making loads of money from calorie conscious consumers. Yet for some people here who are calorie counting it clearly has worked, at least in the short - medium term. New research and thinking advocates tracking health behaviour not calories or weight. Being able to formulate individualised and relevant goals for health behvaiours (like taking steps to get from a to b, rather than driving) and then meeting those goals is absolutely brilliant for our self-esteem as well as our physical health.
A goal is not inherently a bad thing - it's merely something we are working towards. We all have health goals whether we like them to be explicit or not, and most of us have fitness goals too. What matters is how we treat ourselves and each other on the journey and how much compassion we can muster when we experience set backs.
Anything that encourages people to be more active is great IMO. If more readily knowing the amount of steps is useful - as it seems to be for millions of people who walk and run- then that's great no? They may start walking because their watch tells them too, but they will still have all the emotional, sensory and health benefits of the walk. And for people who walk without a smartwatch and step-count, that’s great too. Health promoting behaviours are great, inactivity is not so great if it’s possible to avoid it!
For people NOT wearing a tracker, who are walking and enjoying it and concerned with their health, they are also tracking and making goals in some way, just more loosely (i.e. “I only walked to work twice this week so I’ll do a nice long walk at the weekend” = tracking…. or “I haven’t been out today, I’ll go for a walk and it will help me sleep” = tracking and goal). The real concern is able bodied people who are inactive or unconcerned with their health, whether they wear a health tracker or not is irrelevant.
Cont. from above ......
FYI Some people use their smart watches to inject more fun and creativity into their exercise routines - for example, google “Strava art” - it’s amazingly creative IMO! Do Strava sell their app based on this and make money from it? I have no idea, but if they do, does it matter? People enjoy it and it makes them healthier and they get to use their creativity. Alas, I’m not talented or time-rich enough to engage in Strava art, but I’m guessing this sort of thing can be really motivating for some who perhaps don’t enjoy exercise as much but know that they need it for health reasons. Some people who have achieved a healthy and balanced sense of competition will also presumably benefit from, and find fun in, the “compare my run to my friend’s run” type features, without undue distress or unhappiness for either party. Sounds great for them.
For other people they may experience tracking and counting as negatively self-competitive or shaming, or it may lead to difficulties with compulsive behaviours or addictions. Self awareness and emotional intelligence is key I guess. Tracking and monitoring doesn’t have to be viewed and experienced in that way however - people can heal. We can have goals - it’s safe. And we are worthy whether we meet those goals or not.
I have faith in people and I’m pretty sure lots of people can use trackers and at the same time think outside of the box and reject arbitrary targets (like 10,000 steps) in favour of their own intelligence, intuition and knowledge of their own bespoke health goals. We are not “sheep”, as much as some modern social narratives and marketing people would have us believe we are.
Having said that, as many people like Spirit-bird have pointed out, for most able-bodied, sedentary people approx 10,000 steps could be achievable and would make a big, positive difference to their health outcomes.
Although 10,000 was a partially “made-up” number and initial studies found evidence that slightly less steps was “optimal”, the most recent studies (as @Flimflab points out below) actually somewhat backs the idea that we should be aiming for somewhere in the realm of 10,000 steps. These studies also recognise that speed and therefore heart rate, are just as, if not more important. And that any walking is beneficial for an able bodied sedentary person who only walks from the house to the car.
This is a pop-medicine article but has links to the actual research too. It’s the same publication as the research that BridgeGirl references just newer data with a contradictory finding;
webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/new....
It’s not the best research I’ve read (neither is the original paper that questions the 10,000 steps) but there is small review of more recent research and it looks specifically looks for the first time at dementia risks and step count. You can find a study to prove almost anything though can’t you? Because the funding and scope of some research is dubious.
However if we are all being honest we really and truly don’t need research to tell us that most people in the Western world could benefit from moving more, and the more they move (within a reasonable threshold i.e. below the level of exercise addiction and not causing further undue damage to joints etc. and with caution in the case injury or overweight/obeese) the more they may lessen a certain set of semi-preventable health risks. Not to mention the emotional benefits and the impact it would have on mild and moderate mental health problem rates if everyone who was able strove for 10,000 steps rather than whatever the average is (I don’t know but I think it’s around 2500). Even if the advise was made up, it’s hard to deny we would by and large have a healthier, happier population if most able people tried to follow it.
Although I’m clearly an advocate of working towards encouraging the population to move more, I’m not particularly an advocate of the 10,000 steps concept, it’s not nuanced enough. I benefit from covering a greater distance than whatever 10,00 steps is, on most days and I benefit from having rest days where I cover a lesser distance which is probably more like 10,000 steps. I know a few people for whom 10,000 steps would be ill advised because of health conditions. I personally prefer to think about miles/kms rather than steps. I also think the message that “other activity exists - not just steps” is useful and should be promoted more- I just took up roller skating and it’s enormously fun and works on balance and core strength which are proven to be very beneficial for health as we age. In health terms it’s well known that most people would benefit more from adding strength training, rather than just continuing to increase cardio - this message doesn’t get about enough IMO. Some prefer to know they have reached at heart rate which will be highly likely to actually provide health benefits - rather than focus on steps. Whatever floats your boat right?
It’s also important to say that most modern smartwatches aren’t merely counting steps - something your phone probably does anyway if you carry it with you - they are also recording health data and have a number of safety features to protect runners/walkers/vulnerable people.
Heart data is invaluable for knowledge about our health, how much our level activity benefits us and whether our activity level is safe. It’s also invaluable for health care professions, assisting with diagnosis, treatment monitoring and understanding our lifestyle and diagnosing lifestyle interventions.
The new non-invasive blood sugar feature will be a complete game changer for people with diabetes, people who are struggling with overweight/obese health issues and a great many more people with other health conditions. Information about how our food and activity affects our body is GOLD if we choose to learn what it means and use it to improve our health outcomes.
Just because some greedy marketing execs and rich tech people are making bags of money from a concept they created that may play on some peoples health vulnerabilities, doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t anything beneficial in the message they are selling. We can notice the capitalism at work and also assess if part of the message is indeed accurate - —— some of us do need to increase our activity in order to manage health conditions and promote good health.
Also…. it’s not the morning anymore so “good afternoon” instead ☺️
Off for a lovely walk now… just me and my smartwatch and the squirrels, birds and ducks
I do 'detest' this achieve/goal/hustle mentality. I run a very busy company and I'm also a business coach for people with autoimmune diseases that run businesses so I know a huge number of business owners. Many of whom are so obsessed with 'hustle' to achieve their targets that they forget that they have a life and then don't know when to stop. Then other business owners look at them and feel they're doing something wrong as they're not achieving what they think others are (even though it's often likely to be exaggerated). It's absolutely terrible for mental health and the world is littered with business owners that have high anxiety (and worse) as they think they're not good enough. It's unhealthy and unfortunately, it seems as if it's the world we've got ourselves into.
Unachievable targets setting people up to fail and then to feel even worse about themselves. No, the obsession with steps is unhealthy and often unsustainable. When people realise that it's more important to enjoy what they do than to work towards someone elses goal that's been decreed for whatever reason, then mentally, they will be in a better place to make better choices.
I used to love roller-skating - alas, those days have long gone as I have severe rheumatoid arthrtis. There's my luck!
Hi also thought they were so cool if you had one don't have one myself. I have a step counter on my phone and that does my fine.
AscbVisitor
I love my Fitbit. It helps me stay motivated to move more plus it caught my AFib which allowed me to see a cardiologist and get treatment 🙂
Welcome to our friendly forum. I glad your Fitbit has helped you get treatment. Are you here to lose weight or just to offer support? Please let me know and I will give you more information about the forum. Either way you are very welcome.
That's great news re the AFib!
I've heard a lot of similar stories from doctors about people catching health conditions early with health trackers.
For weight loss I find the following useful
- The weekly step challenge
- The reminder that I have been sitting still for half an hour
Heart rate has only been useful for running to warn me if I am going to easiy or to hard
As others have said being able to see the start of messages, bank codes etc on my watch is surprisingly useful. saves a lot of hunting for my mobile as well.
Although the 10,000 steps a day was a marketing gimmick some of the recent research finds this to be a surprisingly good target. From one of the articles given above "a study revealed that averaging 9,500 or more daily steps helped a group of adults who were overweight or had obesity lose about 5.3 pounds and 2 percent body fat and increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol." I'll take that.
Sitting in a chair for long periods has been found to be surprisingly bad for belly fat and inflammation.
Links
Exercised by Daniel Liberman
everydayhealth.com/fitness/...
HI Flimfalb.
I agree. I have just posted a similar study to the one you state in one of my replys above.... I did try to tag you in my reply but I don't think it worked.... my IT skills are a little lacking.
I read the article you posted above and will walk this afternoon with this final thought from the piece in my mind;
“Movement is something that we’re fortunate enough to be able to do, and the more you do it, the longer you’ll be able to maintain that ability,”
Many Thanks for that.
atrax_robustusVisitor
It tells me exactly how well my cat's plan to kill me is going.
Smart Watch telling me I need to move, with cat telling me I need to stay put
😂
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From the Monday Weigh in to This!
Hi Everyone, Back again.
First step taken !!!! N
