The newest fitness trend is bracelets that track your activity level. There are various brands of these devices, but the most popular is Fitbit.
Rachel McCurry, a student at Samford University, got her Fitbit on Christmas Day of 2014. She said she decided to get the bracelet because she wanted “a stricter workout regimen” and she thought the Fitbit would help her reach that goal.
So far, she has felt successful in her endeavor, especially with the calorie-counting feature.
“I enter in my health goals, then enter in the food I eat each day, then the exercise for each day and that added to the steps that the Fitbit tracks keeps me on a healthy track,” McCurry said.
McCurry does not like the social feature of the Fitbit, which allows you to connect with other people around you with the same device.
“I don’t like the idea of other people keeping up with my health and fitness goals, nor do I want to compare myself with others,” she said.
She also added that the step counting feature can get thrown off by “a simple wrist flick” and therefore not be accurate.
Overall, though, McCurry is happy with her Fitbit.
“I benefit by being more aware of my daily activities and food intake, which also makes me more aware of my overall health,” she said.
Many people seem to feel the same way, as activity tracking bracelets continue to fly off the shelves. What do medical professionals have to say about the information overload of tracking yourself all day? Exodus Magazine plans to find out, and will have the full story in our print edition as well as online in May.