Are Fitness Trackers Suitably Fit?

“Burning off extra calories helps you maintain or lose weight.”

That is a bit of a misleading statement. A guy who eats 3,000 calories a day and burns off 500 calories a day will find his weight determined by the remaining 2,500. The misleading part is the assumption that burning off all extra calories is possible. Eating a 6,000 calorie per day diet and burning off 4,000 calories a day is pretty much impossible. Running burns up about 100 calories so taking part in a marathon probably “only” burn up about 2,600 calories. (Source: The Active Times)

Most guys know they have to watch their diet, count their calories in, and count their calories out. Rough estimates on the number of calories in food selections might be off a bit. This is another thing guys might already know. What they may not realize, however, is those calorie counters being relied upon for keeping tabs on what is being burned might not be so reliable.

A recent study of fitness trackers is not always doing a great job of tracking. They might end up being off significantly. For someone who wants to shed weight, a lot of frustration may be the direct result of relying on a faulty fitness tracker.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine noted that trackers can be off by 27% with low-quality trackers being off by upwards of a staggering 93%.

Fitness trackers can be a big help to someone who wants to lose weight, stay in shape, and burn up unwanted or unnecessary calories. Fitness trackers are, however, “machines”. Technological devices, like humans, are not always perfect. Relying on the benefits of a fitness tracker needs to go hand-in-hand with accepting the malfunctions they are capable.

The news about foibles with fitness trackers should serve as a warning of sorts to those who wish to burn up calories. Relying solely of fitness trackers may not be the best approach.

A fitness tracker cannot itemize the number of calories the body burns due to progressive resistance weight training, but calories are going to be burned. Adding extra muscle through weight training — for those medically cleared to take part in such exercise — helps speed up the metabolism. Cleaning up a diet and eating healthier, lower-calorie foods assists with getting a “lean and mean” physique.

Fitness trackers can still play a role in any workout program, but be aware of their limitations.