Experts warn fitness tech may do more harm than good
If you spend as much time tracking your activity as you do actually engaged in the activity, that is probably going to hurt your progress, psychologist says
When it comes to health and fitness, some technology that's meant to help you actually could be hurting your progress.
Fitness trackers, part of the booming wearables market, have caught fire with the health conscious and boosted the fortunes of their manufacturers.
In 2014, worldwide consumer spending on health and fitness services clocked in at over US$200 billion, with wearable devices capturing a growing percentage, said analyst Jim Duffy at Stifel. Duffy noted that Fitbit alone had sales of US$1.8 billion last year, and that the company expects revenue in excess of US$2 billion for this year.
Still, at least a few experts say the trend in some ways may be counterproductive.
When it comes to fitness tech, "You need to ask: Am I in effect adding stress when the goal is to reduce it?" psychologist Michael Woodward said. "If you spend as much time tracking your activity as you do actually engaged in the activity, that is probably going to hurt your progress. "
Wearable fitness tech and apps can help wearers change bad habits — as long as they don't burn out, said Dr. Steven C. Garner, New York Methodist Hospital's chairman of radiology.
"If it leads to more awareness of what you're eating and your physical condition then that's good," Garner said. "But I find some people become too committed [to the tech] and then this becomes an overriding part of their life."