Once you set up your new fitness tracker, there’s so much more you need to get the hang of in order to get the most out of it. Of course, each fitness tracker works differently, but here are the general top tips that will ensure you master your wearable in no time.
1. Make Sure Your Fitness Tracker Fits Snug
It’s not always as simple as strapping it around your wrist. If your fitness tracker doesn’t fit just right, it won’t be comfortable to wear throughout the day.
Take a moment to think if your wearable is scratching your skin or if it’s too tight on your arm. If it doesn’t fit you comfortably, there’s less of a chance you’ll want to put it on every day.
It’s vital to get the fit right; you may even need to buy a new strap or swap it out for more comfortable ones that don’t leave marks on your wrist.
2. Customize the Dashboard to Work for You
Making your fitness tracker work perfectly for you is critical for wearing it regularly. Today, a wide range of wearables do plenty of things, from tracking your sleep to counting steps.
If you want to use your fitness tracker to record your heart rate data, you don’t have to use absolutely everything it offers. To avoid unnecessary stress, customize your wearable dashboard only to see the stats that matter to you.
Unfortunately, not every wearable has this option, but consider yourself lucky if you have the Fitbit. One of the Fitbit app’s features is that it allows you to edit your dashboard and customize your experience to help you make the most of your fitness tracker.
3. Make Putting It on a Habit
Checking, charging, and wearing your fitness tracker should be a habit that’s ingrained in your mind. Using prompts to remember your wearable is helpful to incorporate into your life.
Maybe stick a note on your bathroom mirror that says “Apple Watch.” By doing this, you’ll associate getting ready in front of the mirror in the morning with putting on your fitness tracker. Alternatively, you can set the alarm on your phone or send yourself a text message as a reminder.
Using prompts to remind yourself to do one simple thing, like putting on your wearable, can become a positive habit.
4. Keep Your Fitness Tracker Charged
It’s not a good idea to start the day with a fitness tracker that has a low battery. By the time you’re off to the gym after work, your battery will be dead, and you’ll feel unmotivated.
You should schedule a time for charging so that your wearable has a full battery when you need it the most. Perhaps, charge it when you’re sleeping or in the shower; that way, you’ll get into the routine of charging it frequently.
Where you choose to charge your fitness tracker is also important. If it’s under your work desk, you could forget that it’s there for days on end. Instead, charge it somewhere you’ll easily see it, like on your bedside table or next to the coffee machine.
Some wearables these days charge very fast. For instance, the Apple Watch Series 7 can go from 0% to 80% in just 45 minutes! You can forget about overnight charging if you own such a device.
5. Wear the Fitness Tracker on Your Less Dominant Arm
There is a range of reasons why you should always wear your fitness tracker on your less dominant arm. One of the most important ones is that it has less chance of getting damaged. A fitness tracker is a costly device, so you don’t want to be accidentally battering and bumping it all day.
Another reason why it’s important is that your less dominant arm doesn’t move as much as the other. This means your wearable is unlikely to record incorrect data. For example, your dominant arm moves more, so your fitness tracker might think you’re taking steps when you’re not.
6. Take Advantage of the Goal-Setting Feature
Most of the time, people buy fitness trackers to keep an eye on their physical activities and achieve a particular goal they’re after. This is why you should go ahead and take full advantage of the goal-setting features that your wearable provides.
Maybe your goal is to walk a certain amount of steps per day, or it could be that you want to enhance your fitness level by doing at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. People, in general, enjoy hitting specific goals, whether it’s something big or small.
The Apple Watch has a great feature that allows you to set your movement, exercise, and standing goals. The wearable will also offer you suggestions and even send you encouragement.
7. Remember to Take Your Fitness Tracker Off
Yes, that’s right, and there are a few key reasons why. First, if you wear it 24/7, it could lead to your skin becoming chafed or hurt.
Most of the wearables available these days are specifically designed not to irritate your skin, but it could affect some people if they never take it off. Secondly, wearing it all the time can lead you to become dependent on your wearable device.
There needs to be a balance between putting it on as a positive habit and becoming unhealthily obsessed with it and the data it collects.
A great tip is to take your fitness tracker off every Sunday and give yourself a break. This simple act will prove that you can wear it 24/7, but you don’t necessarily need to.
Fitness Trackers Should Work With You, Not Against You
Wearable devices are all the rage these days. Almost everybody will be wearing one in a few years or so, and that’s why it’s essential to make it worth your while and get it to work perfectly for you.
Before you give up on your fitness tracker and shove it into a drawer to be forgotten forever, make sure you try out these general tips to get the most out of your purchase.
