What your activity tracker missed

The next time you are in a public place, take a look around at the device on people's wrists. Chances are, many of those devices are counting, measuring, and calculating activity. This wearable technology holds so much promise for improving health and physical performance. But does your activity tracker truly measure all of your activity? And if not, what does that mean to you?

A study was conducted by Arizona State University to measure the accuracy of activity trackers. In this double test, participants were asked to engage in activities like exercise, playing games, and housework while wearing the small devices on the wrist or waistband. These results were compared to the industry "gold standard" for determining energy expenditure which uses high tech masks placed over the participants face to measure oxygen consumption.  The study found that the trackers were able to record some but not all of the participants' movements; namely, they counted steps taken while walking or jogging and accurately determined the corresponding energy consumption.

However, the activity trackers missed some movement that would've also contributed to energy consumption like participants standing, easy bike riding, or sweeping with a broom. These devices rely on mathematical equations that are easy to measure, (ie, walking, jogging, running) and they are accurate in this area.

So here's what I want you to take away from this: Activity trackers are a single tool among many that add up to a well balanced and healthy lifestyle.  They are excellent for tracking walking or jogging type activity, they encourage you to move more, they can be a source of motivation to change behavior.  But the other tools among your toolbox (clean eating, resistance training, sufficient sleep, low stress levels, etc) must all be used to achieve good health.

So, the next time you are performing a weighted squat (working your hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes while stabilizing through your core) or holding a plank (using your ENTIRE body to resist movement) remember that your activity tracker is probably napping. And you know how hard and how much work goes into these exercises- trust me- THEY COUNT. Don't miss this! Total body resistance training will probably never equate to the "activity calculation" that an hour jog can- but that is ok. As long as you understand what your activity tracker was designed to measure along with the importance of the many other non-walking/jogging events that take place in your day, you will continue down this successful path!

This week, two things to Refuel your exercises:
1. Choose an activity tracker with heart rate monitor capabilities. So much can be learned by assessing our heart rate throughout an exercise session. 
2. Work hard in your resistance training sessions to get everything out of each movement and don't let the "lack of activity" calculation trick you into thinking it wasn't enough.

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