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Fitness Trackers - Are They For You?

Fitness Trackers - Are They For You?

How do you track your training sessions? At worst I'm hoping you have a notebook to record your loads, weights, reps, sets, rest breaks etc and be able to refer to this information from one workout to the next.[caption id="attachment_4190" align="alignleft" width="225"] A training journal is a necessity for those seeking the best results.With something as simple as bringing a notebook to the gym you'd think everyone would do at least this much. it doesn't cost anything and takes no extra time or effort. You can make all your entries during a rest break or immediately after training.But besides going old school and low-budget with a journal there a number of fitness trackers which will monitor and record everything from heart rate intensity and averages, caloric output and even sleep cycles at night.Recently, a study at the Iowa State looked at the accuracy of 7 different fitness trackers. Researchers looked at BodyMedia FIT, DirectLife, Fitbit One, Fitbit Zip, Jawbone UP band, Nike+ Fuel Band and the Basis B1 Band. BodyMedit Fit and the Fitbit Zip were found to be most accurate. And in a related story Nike may be killing off its fuel band in the near future.But back to the point of gadgets to track your caloric output I have never really been sold on them. I'll admit there are benefits to knowing what your heart rate data is and to monitoring the length of your workouts. However when you think about it these type of products are usually favoured by those with a few pounds to spare.And my concern is that individuals tracking how many calories they burned at Zumba or spin class will then see this as a credit to indulge later. For example, if a fitness tracker shows that I burned 473 calories sweating to the oldies can I...

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