The Rising Popularity of Fitness Trackers
If you’re into working out, chances are you enjoy tracking your progress too. From the duration of your exercise to heart rate, calorie burn, and distance covered, fitness trackers provide a wealth of information to help you stay on top of your fitness goals. They’re especially useful for weight loss or training for specific events. However, fitness trackers can do more than just the basics.
Many people are familiar with the standard features like tracking calories, steps, and heart rate, but advanced fitness trackers go beyond these basics. Let’s explore some of the impressive capabilities fitness trackers offer, starting with the essentials.
Core Features of Fitness Trackers
Calories Burned
Most fitness trackers calculate the calories you burn daily, whether through workouts or everyday activities like walking.
Cycling
Certain trackers, such as the Garmin Edge 520, cater specifically to cyclists. These can attach to your bike or wrist and provide details on speed, inclines, heart rate, and calories burned.
Heart Rate Monitoring
Fitness trackers monitor your heart rate to assess your overall health and the intensity of your workouts. They can also track stress and sleep patterns, helping you make adjustments to improve results.
Running
Trackers designed for runners, like Garmin’s wearables, measure pace, distance, and calories burned. Some even suggest new running routes to keep your routines fresh.
Sleep Tracking
Fitness trackers can analyze your sleep quality, breaking it down into deep, light, and REM sleep to help you identify patterns and improve rest.
Step Counting
Nearly all fitness trackers record daily step counts and track flights of stairs climbed.
Surprising Features of Fitness Trackers
5. Detect Pregnancy
Believe it or not, some fitness trackers, like the Fitbit Charge 3, can hint at pregnancy. In one case, a Reddit user noticed unusual heart rate data on his wife’s Fitbit, which ultimately led to a positive pregnancy test. While a fitness tracker isn’t a substitute for traditional tests, it can provide early signs worth investigating.
4. Assist with Pain Management
Some trackers use heart rate monitoring to help track chronic pain incidents, such as migraines or back spasms. By identifying patterns in spikes and activity, doctors can better understand triggers, duration, and frequency, offering a more informed approach to pain management.
3. Track Your Location
With built-in GPS, fitness trackers can map your routes and show where you’ve been. This is helpful for navigating unfamiliar areas or finding your way back. However, keep in mind that this feature can also reveal your location in unintended ways.
2. Solve Crimes
Fitness trackers have been used as evidence in criminal cases. In one instance, a Fitbit disproved a man’s alibi and led to his conviction for his wife’s murder. Conversely, another case saw a Fitbit exonerating an innocent man, showing he was asleep during the crime. These examples highlight how fitness tracker data can have real-world legal implications.
1. Save Lives
Fitness trackers can detect potential health issues. For example, one user’s Fitbit alerted him to a dangerously low heart rate, which led to discovering major arterial blockages. This early warning gave him a chance to seek medical help and ultimately saved his life.
Beyond Counting Steps and Calories
Fitness trackers do much more than track basic metrics. From improving sleep and aiding pain management to solving crimes and even saving lives, these devices are packed with potential. If you’re considering purchasing a fitness tracker, be sure to explore one that fits your needs. For more, check out our Fitness Trackers for Women Buyer’s Guide and discover exercises you can pair with your tracker!