Tracker Information Motivates
It's not the device that matters; it's what it tells you.
With the abundance of activity trackers on the market, deciding which product to choose can be overwhelming. New research suggests that the most important criterion may simply be how easy it is to access the data the device provides. Recent research conducted at the Atlantic Sports Health Research Department of Atlantic Health System in Morris­town, New Jersey, shows that people who wore a device and accessed data via an app were more active daily when compared with those who did not access the activity information.
Lead investigator Damion Martins, MD, medical director of sports medicine and sports physical therapy for Atlantic Health System, said, “Information is a powerful motivator. Wearable trackers can be instrumental to one’s journey to fitness, but it’s truly the information that they convey about a person’s progress that helps keep [the individual] on track in a rewarding direction.”
Use this information to motivate clients to maintain or increase their activity so they can reach their goals.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
