5 Ways Gadgets Can Help You Lose
Weight
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Looking for a weight
loss partner? Look no further. Fitness devices like BodyMedia Fit, FitBit Flex,
Jawbone Up, or Nike+ Fuelband could be exactly what you need. People who track
are more successful at losing weight. And these wearable devices are trackers
on steroids -- monitoring your workouts, counting your calories, evaluating
your sleep, and tracking your progress as you slim down.
1. Tracking Your
Every Move
If you're just
starting a weight loss plan, it's enough to know
the number of steps you take each day or how many minutes you were active, says
Natalie Digate Muth, MD, a spokeswoman for the American Council on Exercise.
"Keep it
simple," she recommends. "Just moving more is a great goal."
When you're ready for
a bit more, compare your tracked numbers against
exercise goals you've set for yourself. For instance, you may be working to
increase 10,000 steps a day to 12,000 -- an excellent goal for fitness and
weight loss.
You can use your
device to:
·
See how close you get to your target goal each day or if you crushed it!
·
Set a smaller, shorter-term goal so you'll feel successful right away;
doing so will help you to stay focused.
·
Send yourself reminders to move if you've been sitting too long. (This
is an excellent way to give yourself a jolt to help you break that bad habit.)
If your device doesn't have this feature, send reminders via your cell phone.
Once you've been
exercising awhile, think about using your device to track
a workout's intensity. To do that, look at the number of calories you burn and
how they increase over time. Or check how long it takes to burn a certain
number of calories and work on shortening it.
Most devices have an
app for charting intensity over time. That can give you a real sense of
progress. "It can be really eye opening," Muth says.
Remember, some
devices are less accurate at tracking certain exercises, such as strength
training or biking. So you'll need to record them differently. Most fitness
devices let you enter the info into your tracker's app manually -- the type of
exercise, how long you did it, and how hard you pushed yourself.
2. Everything
Counts
You burn calories
even when you aren't running, cycling, or swimming. You also burn calories via
NEAT, which stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
That’s a wordy way to
describe things like folding laundry, vacuuming, casual walking, gardening, and
more. They’re not exercise, but they do get you moving and burn calories.
Regular exercise is
still crucial, but you may find it easier to bump up these types of activities
than to add additional trips to the gym or 40-minute power walks.
3. Crunching the Numbers
Most devices either have a place
for you to log what you eat, or they link with an app that does. That allows
you to measure the calories you swallow vs. the calories you burn.
Sure, it's a lot of data entry,
Muth admits. But just as it is with exercise, people who log their food are
more successful at losing weight.
Usually the data entry gets
easier with time. Once you've figured out the calorie count for a food, it'll
be stored in your device. That means within a few weeks you'll be able to track
most of your favorites quickly.
4. While You Were Sleeping
When you get more and better
sleep, you're less likely to overeat and more likely to stick to your fitness
and diet program, Muth says. Plus, too little sleep is linked with weight gain.
The tried-and-true way to get a
good night's sleep is to set a regular bedtime, turn off distractions, and plan
for 7 to 8 hours.
Trackers show how long you've
actually slept. You might think you're getting 7 hours when you're only asleep
for 6 and a half hours.
Some wearable fitness trackers tell you how well you sleep. "That insight
may inspire (or compel) you to make changes to try to improve sleep quality or
duration," Muth says. Even if you’re in bed for 8 hours, your device may
show you’re getting less than 7 hours of restful sleep. Ask yourself what’s
interfering with your sleep. Using a smartphone or tablet right before bed? A
pet in the bed?
5. Get Connected
Many fitness devices link to
their own online communities and to Facebook and Twitter as well. When you
share your fitness goals -- and how much you're exercising each day -- you feel
more accountable. Some sites encourage friendly competition with other device
users to inspire you.
"Social support is one of
the most important things to help you maintain weight loss," Muth says.
"If this technology can connect people, it will be a real tool and not
just a gadget."
Gadgets Work Best When You Do
Consistency rewards you. Wear
your device and upload your data regularly. That's the best way to get accurate
info on your activities, what you eat, and your progress.
