Viva Lewes Issue #132 September 2017

HEALTH
Fitbit
Let’s get digital
It started gradually. A few sporty types began wearing
chunky black gadgets on their wrists, while the
rest of us looked on in bemusement. Now, fitness
trackers are everywhere, with market intelligence
firm IDC predicting that 47.6 million of the techie
wristbands will be sold worldwide this year, rising to
52.2 million in 2021.
According to a survey carried out by Tata Consultancy
Services last year, 82 per cent of ‘recreational
athletes’ in the UK were using fitness tracking
devices in 2015, with 93 per cent of them claiming
the tools improved their fitness behaviour, and
three-quarters saying they were exercising more.
Impressive figures, but can wearing a plastic wristband
really make you fitter? There was only one
way to find out…
I went to the nice people at local Fitbit stockist,
Lewes Mobile, who kindly provided me with a
Fitbit Surge. Tracking steps, stairs climbed, heart
rate, calories, distance, sleep, and a variety of
workouts, it was one of the latest launches from the
market leader. But it looked outsized and clunky
on my (admittedly small) wrist, resembling an oldfashioned
digital watch more than a state-of-the-art
fitness device.
Despite its unpromising appearance, though, the
Fitbit Surge lived up to its hype, and I found I quite
enjoyed monitoring my activity levels. Allowing
the user to set daily and weekly goals, the tracker
records data then syncs with a laptop or smartphone
to provide statistics. Although some functions were
too advanced for me, I am a little embarrassed
to admit how much I liked being awarded with a
starburst each time I reached 10,000 steps!
“Motivation is the main thing,” agrees Debbie
McLean, Group Exercise and Gym Co-Ordinator
for Wave. “In my experience, people are three
times more likely to reach their goals if they are
tracking them. If something can show you your
progress, then it’s far easier to keep on track. It
provides accountability and shows a picture that
isn’t otherwise there.”
It’s also about customisation, she adds. “You need
to know what you want to achieve. If you’re already
active, you might want a tracker that does more
than count steps. But if you’re looking for something
to get you off the couch, then a more basic
tracker might be perfect for you.”
Taking things a stage further, Wave operates a
system called Fit Connect, whereby gym-goers
can collate data from different fitness devices and
apps.“It holds all of a person’s data in one place, and
sends out suggested workouts to suit the individual,”
McLean explains. “Life generally is moving more
and more towards technology, and tracking fitness is
an important part of that.”
So am I fitter after my Fitbit fortnight? I’d say I’m
more aware. Aware of my current activity levels, and
also what I could be doing to improve them. And
that can only be a good thing. Six-thousand-andsixty-one
steps and counting… Anita Hall
Photo by Sam Williams
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