How to use your fitness tracker to actually get fit

You’ve taken the first step toward taking control of your health and bought a fitness tracker to help keep you on the straight and narrow. Next thing you know, you will be fit, right? Not so fast. Much like buying that gym membership, the price of admission is not enough to magically make you lose weight. You still have to put in the work to help you shed those unwanted pounds, but we have some tools to make it a little easier to see the results you want.

Track what you eat

Keeping a log of what you eat makes you more conscious of what and how much you consume. Weight loss is generally 75% nutrition and 25% exercise so if you are working out like a fiend and still not seeing results, it could be your diet that needs tweaking. By keeping track of your food, you will have a better understanding of how many calories you eat and by syncing your calorie counting app such as My Fitness Pal with your fitness tracker, you can see a more accurate picture of your day with both food and exercise.

Set a goal and stick to it

The daily recommended step goal is 10,000 steps each day. This works out to about 5 miles and if you do this each day, that burns about 3,500 calories or one pound a week. That sounds like a lot and if you are new to fitness, this may also sound daunting. The last thing we want is for you to feel overwhelmed and burn out before you get started. See what your baseline steps are each day and set a goal to increase it by 1,000. If your norm is 4,000 steps each day, shoot for 5,000. Once you master that, raise the bar a little bit higher. Meeting your step goal can be as easy as parking your car in the back of the lot, walking your dog one extra block or taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator.

Keep it charged

Your fitness tracker won’t be of any use if it won’t stay on. Make it a point to charge it when you are in the shower or know you will be sitting for an extended period of time. This will ensure you don’t miss out on any steps taken while it’s charging, and you know it will be ready to record when it’s time to get going.

Go the extra mile

How many times have you taken the laundry out of the dryer but left it in the basket because you didn’t feel like putting it away, or you let the clean dishes sit in the dishwasher because you don’t want to unload? Use those chores to your advantage! Not only will your house look better and feel more put together, every time you move, your tracker captures that movement and adds it toward your daily goal. Now that’s a win/win!