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You're determined to get back into shape, lose weight, or be more active throughout your day, and this fitness band is going to help you do exactly that! Unfortunately, your fitness device isn't perfect. It can only work with the information that you give it--and if you're really dedicated to getting in better shape, you have to keep in mind those little things that your tracker won't actually track.
You made cookies with the kids and ate a double handful of the dough. You stole just a bite...or two...of your girlfriend's not-so-healthy treat. You added a little extra to the top of your portion size or slipped a second helping of your main dish onto your plate. Then, when you entered your calories consumed, you conveniently forgot those little details. Here's the thing: the numbers on your fitness tracker don't matter nearly as much as the real numbers. You can lie to it all you want, but if you want to see real results, you need to give it real information.
Depending on your workout routine and the band that you've chosen, your fitness device might not be great at tracking the calories you've burned. With most bands, you can make up for this by entering the exercise and calories burned on your own, but it won't just track them automatically.
Many people choose fitness bands for one simple reason: because they're hoping to lose weight. They're obsessively counting calories, pacing around their bedrooms at night to kick their step count to their ideal 10,000 or more, or working hard to keep their heart rates in that fat burning zone. There's just one problem: in spite of what they believe is frenzied devotion to the instructions laid out by the fitness band, these individuals aren't able to see the scale move at all. The problem? Neither the scale nor your fitness band can tell the difference between fat and muscle. With any fitness journey, it's important to notice how your clothes look, how you feel, and how your body looks, not just the numbers on a scale.
Your fitness band will give you a great estimate of what works for other people. It can provide a general idea of how many calories you need to cut to achieve your weight loss goal, and it will offer a guess of how many calories you're actually burning throughout the day. It is not, however, a crystal ball or a fitness guru. It can't tell you how your needs are different from others around your height or weight. It can give you an idea of just how sedentary your desk job has made you, but it can't tell you that you need a few extra calories per day thanks to high muscle mass or that you don't burn as many calories as it thinks by walking. Pay attention to the results you're getting and the way your body operates, not just the numbers the app gives you.
It doesn't take long to figure out how to "cheat" your device, and your highly-motivated friends are capable of doing exactly that. If you're working through a high-pressure competition, you may discover that your so-called friends are tricking it into adding steps, lying about their calorie consumption, or adding more exercise than they actually did. It also won't include information about the rest of their lives: the busy days, the days when nothing seems to go right, or the days when you spend half the day waiting for a specific event so you can get in your exercise. Don't worry! No matter how "successful" your friends seem according to the numbers, they might not be an accurate representation of what they're actually accomplishing.
Your fitness band is a wonderful tool for increasing your overall health and wellness and creating a template for your nutrition and exercise needs. It allows you to track your progress over time, to view your daily successes and failures in an objective manner, and to create a strong measure of how well your overall fitness goals are progressing. It's not, however, the magical solution to all of your fitness problems. The solution to fitness and health success is your dedication.
Photo Credit: Bigstockphoto
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