Features - QOTW - Do motivational fitness gadgets really work?

[HEXUS]

Or are the only pounds they shed financial?

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[Tarinder]

Motivational gadgets are good tools for getting into shape; they instill discipline for those of us who are weak-willed. I've previously used a Garmin Forerunner to coerce me into following a get-fit plan.

However, as you get fitter I find that these gadgets get in the way. My Garmin comes bundled with a heart-rate monitor and I use it to ensure I'm not pushing myself too much, but having to look at the screen when cycling takes some fun out of the process - I'm often more concerned with keeping a 140bpm average heart rate than I am in looking around.

I've now decided not to be a slave to the numbers and rarely use the Forerunner 410. I'm sure it'll come back out once I lose the little bit of fitness that I have.

[b0redom]

+1. I have the 705 for my bike (which doubles up as a primitive satnav) and a 910xt for running/swimming/multisport.

To be fair, I've found writing a blog forces me to do stuff as much/if not more as I can post the Garmin Connect details to wind up my fellow competitors, and if I don't do anything I get abuse back!

[crossy]

Do motivational fitness gadgets really work

I guess they can be useful if you need just a small push to keep motivated. But I think that if you're looking for an "electronic personal trainer" then you're going to be very, very disappointed. Personally I've got more respect for these console-based "fitness trainer" programs - especially EA's Active Fit series.

I've got a heart rate monitor - quite useful. And when I'm on my bike (not frequent enough this year!!) I use a piece of freeware called "My Tracks" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mytracks&hl=en). This can be useful for getting post-cycle stats etc.

Best weight-loss/fitness gadget I've come across is ... a wife "pinching more than an inch" of man-flab and laughing loudly.

She's a cruel person.

[kopite]

I used to use runkeeper on my phone all the time but it was hard to check pace as other than the 5 minute updates there is nothing. Well unless you unlock your phone which is a ball ache as I have a arm strap/

I now have a forerunner 310xt which i use all the time. Gives me loafs of info and lets me check my pace all the time. Also BEcuase I`m in a running club it allows me to do lap splits so I get a much better idea where I am up to

[jimbouk]

Fitocracy is a nice tool for motivation, everyone loves levelling up

If I needed fitness gadgets I'd probably invest in a Casio digital watch and a pedometer, should be enough!

[AEGIS]

I see fitness gadgets as a way of motivating individuals to exercise sharing info through social media, showing off those before and after pics then getting compliments for their hard work.
A good way to prevent obesity.

[Splash]

I picked up a Fitbit One when they were on Groupon early in the year, and while I've not lost a great deal of weight I'm certainly pleased I picked one up. The gamification always makes me think about things like "if I walk the longer way I'll make a few more steps", plus having a mate that used one gave it that slight competitive edge for me.

I'm definitely more active because of it, and it helped me sort out some issues with my sleep and as such I'm definitely feeling better but as I said: it's not a tool to make you lose loads of weight.

[AlexKitch]

+1 for the Fitbit One.

I feel more motivated to skip the public transport each day and try to crack my 10,000 steps instead. In fact, I'm 3 months 'clean' of lazy public transport because of it.

[Dooms]

I've recently starting cycling for the first time since I was 16? (10+ years ago) and really enjoying the details I get from Strava on phone (eg: http://app.strava.com/activities/61904521) which gives me distance, time, elevation and some more details that don't quite make sense to me yet but I'm sure they are both important and awesome to know!

and since I'll be doing 20mile a day 5 days a week on the commute as of monday the community side of things should come into play a bit (plus beating my own time).

I'm all for gadgets to balance out my weakwillness!

[phil4]

+1 again for fitbit one.

I'm far more active trying to hit my targets and get badges. Have lost nearly 3st using the calories in vs out that it suggests.

For fitness itself I started out using a program suggested my a polar watch I have, on a treadmill trying to keep my heart rate in certain zones for periods of time. Setting me a target worked well to getting me to do it.

More recently for outdoor running I use a garmin forerunner 610, not so much to encourage though more to record where I've been and how fast I was moving.

So far I'd say the fitbit has been the most motivational of the three, and the most effective.

[Infinite]

Do motivational fitness gadgets really work?

I find that gadget in my bathroom that tells me my mass is the best one of the lot

foreverfat :<

[Dooms]

My first 9.3mile commute to work and it gave me a medal! I feel more motivated by tech, makes the journey to work that little bit better

[crossy]

I've recently starting cycling for the first time since I was 16? (10+ years ago) and really enjoying the details I get from Strava on phone (eg: http://app.strava.com/activities/61904521) which gives me distance, time, elevation and some more details that don't quite make sense to me yet but I'm sure they are both important and awesome to know! and since I'll be doing 20mile a day 5 days a week on the commute as of monday the community side of things should come into play a bit (plus beating my own time).

Hmm, that looks quite good - one of the things though that I liked about the Google app was that you can check speeds etc along your route - so you can see if you're slowing too much - which can be very helpful if you're trying to get your pacing correct.

Think I'll give Strava a go next time I head out. Although I work from home, so using it on the commute isn't going to possible.

[TooNice]

For me, they work to a point: I definitely get fit faster when I am competing with someone, even if that someone is the myself from a previous day. So the use of gadgets (or log) allow me to get fitter faster than without. I am more concerned with beating a time for a certain distance, or vice-versa and it does not bother me if my heart rate exceeds 175 (or 195 during the final sprint) so my efforts aren't restricted. But while they makes me work harder, they don't override what I consider to be my obligations, so whenever I go through a phase with lots of deadlines, my level of activity will decline.