Can You Be Addicted to Your Fitness Tracker?

October 17, 2019

Dr. Srikanth Reddy

#Best Psychiatrist in Indore

#Best Psychologist and De-Addiction Specialist in Indore

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become a popular trend in recent years. These handy tools can keep track of your daily steps, heart rate, sleep, and more. They can be a convenient and even fun way of staying motivated, hitting your exercise goals, and challenging your workout buddies.

Do you check your step count whenever you’ve been out running errands? Or do you pace around the house each night to boost your numbers up over your daily goal? Or maybe you find yourself taking the stairs more or parking further from your destination just so you can get your heart rate up in your target zone.

These kinds of behaviors probably mean you are benefiting from your fitness watch. You’re increasing your activity level each day in small ways that are good for your health.

Signs You Might Be Hooked

There are some signs that your obsession with your fitness tracker might be problematic:

• You keep rising the length of your workouts because your tracker makes you feel like you need to keep doing more
• You neglect friends and responsibilities so that you have more time to workout
• You feel anxious, irritable, or upset when you are not capable to use your fitness device
• You feel like you don’t have control over your behavior; you use your device more than you intended or workout more than you planned

The Allure of Counting Steps

There are a number of reasons why hitting a daily step count (often 10,000 a day) can be so appealing.

• It’s a very tangible, concrete goal, and wearing a device that tells you how far you’ve come and how far you have to go can feel very motivating.
• Having a daily step goal can give you the drive to move more during the day, which might help you make better choices such as parking further from your destination or taking the stairs.
• It can make you feel like you are taking definite actions towards your fitness goals.

Why Track Fitness

The goal of fitness trackers is not just to provide detailed information on behaviors—they are also designed to encourage you to make healthier choices. The goal is to get you “hooked” on your device so that you rely on its feedback and use that information to set goals to stay motivated and stick to your fitness plans.

How Effective Are They

While fitness tracker addition has garnered headlines, most findings suggest that the majority of people eventually stop using their wearable devices.

If you do fear that you might be addicted to your fitness tracker, there are some steps that you should consider taking:

Set limits- If you are spending too much time looking at your smartwatch or exercising excessively each day, try to rein it in slowly by setting limits. Tell yourself that you will only check your tracker a few times each day. Restrict your daily step count to a level that is comfortable and not so high that it takes an excessive chunk out of your day to achieve.

Use distraction- Find other things to do that don’t involve checking your exercise tracker. Engaging in hobbies or socializing with friends can help get your mind on other things.

Skip wearing your device- While it isn’t essential to give up your fitness tracker completely, not wearing it on occasion can help keep you from being too focused on your daily step count.