Fitness in a digital world

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We live in a digital world and increasingly, almost every aspect of our lives has some kind of digital or online component: we use our smart phones and computers to communicate, to find romance, to find a place to eat, check the weather and track different aspects of our health and wellness. The saying “there’s an app for that’ is almost always true: if there is something you need assistance with, there is probably a digitized assistant that can help you out.

Fitness is one such arena that has been greatly impacted by the surging digitization of contemporary life.

So how can wearable devices such as Fitbit and the many health data and goal tracking devices available on smart phones benefit your fitness goals?

Set goals:  Goal setting apps are a great way to stay on track. They allow you to create multiple goals, set reminders and log whether or not you met that goal each day. At the beginning, set small, attainable goals and increase them once you get your streak going. Don’t break that streak when you’re on a roll!

Track your progress: Sometimes when we work out it feels like we are getting nowhere, “I’ve been doing this for three weeks and it’s just as hard as it was on day one!” You may recognize this thought if you have ever felt like you’re hitting a wall in your fitness routine. Logging your progress can help show you that though it may feel like you have plateaued, you are actually continuing to make progress. Log how many minutes or kilometres you are walking and running, how many times a week you cycle to work, how many kilos you are lifting at the gym and you will see that little by little you are indeed improving.

Keep track of your weight: If weight loss is among your goals, weigh-in weekly and log it in your fitness app to see how you measure up.

Share your progress with your friends: Many fitness apps and devices allow you to link your data with your friends, partner or the people in your boot camp or running club. A little friendly competition is a great way to rev up your motivation and keep you working harder toward those goals.

Being plugged in all the time can become addictive and can have you sitting staring at your logs rather than getting active. If you find that you are working out just to log, it might be time to take a break from your device - leave it at home and go for a jog the way people did generations ago: listening only to the sounds of your environment and letting your body tell you when you have gone far enough.

While technology is an excellent way to keep us going and remind us to stay active - the real work is up to you. Wearable devices and apps are there to motivate you and keep you on track with your fitness goals but they won’t do the work for you: you are still the one who needs to get your body in motion.

If you need further help staying on track with your sleep, mood and productivity at work, fitness and wellness goal, help is available through your EFAP.