Get The Skinny On Personal Activity Trackers

Posted on 07/31/2019

Time and time again, health experts advocate staying active as one of the most important keys to maintaining health and wellness for all ages, including seniors. Staying active can boost immunity, contribute to longevity, reduce stress and help maintain heart health. One tool that is showing great promise in the physical fitness realm is the personal activity tracker or fitness tracker. Personal activity trackers can provide motivation to help users achieve daily activity goals.

A Virtual Personal Fitness Coach
A personal activity tracker is a device that can be worn on the wrist or on other parts of the body, and allows the user to see fitness metrics such as number of steps, heart rate, calories burned and more. Experts say fitness trackers can provide motivation and help hold people accountable to fitness goals. Personal activity trackers come in a variety of styles and offer a range of tracking capabilities. In some ways, personal activity trackers are almost like virtual personal fitness coaches. Many trackers sync to the user’s smartphone or computer for more extensive fitness reporting.

Benefits of Fitness Trackers for Seniors
Conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension occur more frequently among people over the age of 60, and immunity can also become compromised with age. Staying active can help combat disease and also minimize the aches and pains that crop up more frequently with age. An activity tracker can provide added motivation to help individuals keep moving.

What to Look for in a Fitness Tracker
There are a wide variety of personal activity trackers, at different price points, available in the marketplace. Many brands offer models with complex features, as well as versions that are more basic, easy to operate and often available at a reasonable price. Some fitness trackers have a large screen display which can be helpful for those who have difficulty seeing small print. It’s also important to choose one that is waterproof, rather than just water resistant. Waterproof fitness trackers won’t get damaged if the user gets caught in the rain and can even be worn in the shower or swimming pool without getting damaged. This is tremendously beneficial for those who regularly swim or participate in water aerobics or who may occasionally forget to remove it while bathing.

Be sure to try on a variety of fitness trackers before making a decision in order to gauge comfort. Some personal activity trackers can even make phone calls or play music. Here are some additional features to look for:

Sleep Tracking. A fitness tracker can monitor the quantity and quality of sleep, and this can be beneficial for those who have trouble sleeping or have conditions such as sleep apnea.
Heart Rate Monitoring. Most fitness trackers can accurately monitor resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, calculate the level of fitness activity and even monitor stress level.
Battery Life. Opting for a fitness tracker with a longer battery life enables the user to spend more time wearing the tracker as opposed to charging it.
Step And Distance Tracking. Many trackers enable to user to set-up daily and weekly step or distance goals which the tracker can then measure. This feature can be a motivator for measuring activity levels.

No matter your preference, personal activity trackers can provide lots of motivation to get moving and stay moving. At Echo Lake, we understand the role of fitness as an integral part of overall well-being, and we offer a variety of unique programs designed for active adults.