Thinking About Accessories? Try A Fitness Tracker

Today, fitness trackers have become lightweight wearable pieces of technology that help you with your health in more ways than you might realize.

From tracking your daily steps to monitoring your heart rate, learn about fitness trackers, how they can differ and what kind may be best for your needs.

Brittany Dixon, MD, an independent cardiologist who chooses to work at Franciscan Health Cardiology Olympia Fields, explains what you should know about choosing fitness trackers.

What Are Fitness Trackers?

"There's traditional pedometers, there's now watches, there's rings you can wear. Even phone apps that all track your steps, your elevation, how many stairs you take," Dr. Dixon said. "They really help you to stay on target and provide motivation for living an active lifestyle."

Fitness tracker are wearable devices used to monitor your physical activity and provide data on your fitness progress, sleep and other metrics.

Fitness trackers can be worn as wristbands, watches or clip-on devices. Some trackers have connected apps to help you track your overall progress, set fitness goals, and even share information with your physician's office.

Are There Benefits To Fitness Trackers?

5 benefits to using fitness trackers are:

1. Increased motivation

Seeing your progress (steps, calories burned, distance traveled) can be highly motivating.

"The fitness trackers really help us stay in target and even remind us to get moving," Dr. Dixon said.

Many trackers have gamified features like daily challenges or competitions with friends, which can make fitness more fun.

2. Improved activity levels

Trackers encourage you to be more active throughout the day. Research has found setting daily step goals and striving to meet them can lead to significant increases in physical activity.

3. Better sleep monitoring

Many trackers monitor sleep patterns (sleep duration, sleep cycles), helping you identify areas for improvement in your sleep quality.

4. Enhanced health awareness

Trackers can provide valuable insights into your overall health, such as resting heart rate and heart rate variability. This information can help you identify potential health concerns and help you and your doctor make informed decisions about your well-being.

"Watches frequently monitor heart rate trends and detect irregular rhythm," Dr. Dixon said, adding that some watches even have EKG strips that can be printed and shared with your doctor.

5. Personalized goal setting

Trackers allow you to set personalized fitness goals based on your individual needs and progress. This helps you stay focused and track your achievements over time.

What Is The Difference Between Consumer-Grade and Medical-Grade Fitness Trackers?

Consumer-grade fitness trackers

Consumer-grade fitness trackers, available at stores or online, don't need a prescription to be purchased or used They're designed to be used without medical training.

"These consumer products are not necessarily subject to the same type of rigorous standards that we have to use when we're in the clinical setting, but they're generally safe and effective," Dr. Dixon said.

She explained that there are types of consumer-grade devices designed to give you alerts for concerning symptoms, such as a high heartbeat notification from a watch.

"Some of them are just to help with like daily disease management," Dr. Dixon said. "I always recommend that my patients get those accessories in case they're having any symptoms at home or changing their medications. They're helpful to have."

Medical-grade fitness trackers

Medical-grade fitness trackers are specifically tested for safety to be used in a medical setting to diagnose and treat patients in comparison to consumer-grade trackers. These typically require a prescription and assistance from medical professionals.

"There's more rigid standards and they're regulated by the FDA," Dr. Dixon said. "These medical-grade accessories fall into different classes, such as Holter monitors or loop recorders. Those are tools that we'll use in the hospital and in the office."

How Do I Choose A Fitness Tracker?

When choosing a fitness tracker, pick a device that focuses on your top concerns.

"You want to tailor it to your individual needs, otherwise you get alert fatigue or just irrelevant information," Dr. Dixon said. "For example, patients always ask me about purchasing pulse ox for their fingers. In some cases, it's a useful tool, but not everyone needs to walk around with it. That's just too much information at once."

Dr. Dixon explained that it's most helpful when they can identify subclinical problems or spot concerns before they become an issue that requires clinical attention.

"Ideally, the goal is to prevent you from having to go to the emergency department or having any worsening symptoms," Dr. Dixon said.

Should I Talk To My Doctor About Using A Fitness Tracker?

Even though fitness trackers are a great way to keep up with your overall health, the best way to effectively use these trackers is to build a health plan with a professional.

"I think a good place to start is just to see your provider," Dr. Dixon said. "Most people will visit their primary care provider, but if you happen to have a specialist, you can visit them as well."

Dr. Dixon shared a few questions that you can bring to your provider regarding fitness goals, including:

• What fitness routines are useful at home?
• Which areas of my health should I be monitoring?
• What are the important signs and symptoms regarding this specific part of my health?
• Is there anything else I need to be monitoring?

"This is very individualized, so it's not one-size-fits-all," Dr. Dixon said. "Just start there and be proactive in the conversation about your health. Patients ask me these questions with a goal of being more on top of their health. They know it's essential to call us and alert us sooner than later if they're having issues and that just leads to better outcomes long-term."