Doctors, exercise physiologists and coaches say not all data is good or useful, and more data doesn’t mean more effective training. The real question is not with the wearable, but with the wearer.
What is a wearable?
Wearables are tracking devices worn on the body that measure one or more bodily functions, such as heart rate, sleep time, steps, and breathing. Most, including those made by Fitbit, Garmin, Coros, Whoop, and Oura, are not considered medical devices and are not regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, the FDA recently warned consumers that wearable devices that claim to be able to measure or estimate blood sugar levels without puncturing the skin should not be used for diabetes management.
In any case, many devices include metrics that are typically collected in a laboratory environment.
For example, one useful measurement for athletes is VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during intense exercise. This number is usually determined in a lab by exercising at different intensities while wearing a mask and recording oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. But wearables claim to estimate this number using a formula based on heart rate, which experts say should be taken with a grain of salt.
Other data, such as steps and distance traveled, are generally more accurate.
Can you motivate yourself to exercise more?
“Activity trackers are facilitators, not facilitators, of behavior change,” said David R. Bassett Jr., professor emeritus of kinesiology, recreation, and sport studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
In other words, devices alone won’t make your workouts easier or improve your sleep cycles. However, it can help you identify trends in your exercise plan and track your progress if you’re looking to improve.
