{"id":1374,"date":"2019-12-11T17:40:33","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T17:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vpms1.humber.smartmanagedservers.com\/sweatmag\/?p=1374"},"modified":"2022-11-17T21:35:27","modified_gmt":"2022-11-17T21:35:27","slug":"fitness-tech-needs-a-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humberjournalism.com\/sweatmag\/fitness-tech-needs-a-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitness Tech Needs a Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Raymond Brooks<\/em>
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Many believe fitness is the secret to a long life. Walk through any workout room or athletic centre and it is obvious why. What isn\u2019t obvious are the devices attached to gymgoers\u2019 wrists, in pockets, or downloaded on their phones. Technology compliments fitness by offering performance review, heart rate monitoring and GPS tracking. As athletes improve however, the technology can\u2019t keep up with their workout routines, often causing frustration and overreliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2016 study, Wearable Fitness Technology, from the University of Texas, looked into perceptions and acceptance of fitness technology. The study shows that \u201cwearable fitness technology collects personal data through various tracking features \u2026 meaning the resulting motivations that follow will vary by user. Most health-related behaviours such as eating well and exercising regularly could lead to meaningful improvements in an individual\u2019s health if they are sustained. If devices are to be part of the solution, they will need to create long-term, enduring habits.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What better example of a long-term enduring habit than cross country running?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Runners can track their performances and improve their personal best. Photo by Galvin Zaldivar.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cross country coach at Sheridan College Danny Webster says, GPS watches and heart-rate monitors can measure general exercise data, but not specifics. \u201cSo, the big thing with cross country is learning how to run by feel, so what I tell the team, is to learn how to use your inner GPS rather than the GPS on your watch,\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot fo the time i see them becoming too relient on their watches in the middle of the race or the middle of a workout. And if they\u2019re not hitting the pace that they think they should be, the race is already predeterminded to be a bad one. And in reality, they could be running a fantastic time,\u201d he says. \u201cAgain, they\u2019re not 100 per cent accurate. Every course read or run is different. There might be more hills, less hills, it could be a windy day, a hot day, cold day or muddy day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webster thinks that many runners over-rely on their wrist-based coaches.  He worries runners get too bogged down in the metrics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Webster also acknowledges the inaccuracy of some devices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere have been some really informal studies show that whether a person was wearing the watch on the right hand versus your left hand on a 400-metre track, the distance changed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He isn\u2019t the only one who has observed inaccuracies in a professional environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of the time i see them\u00a0
becoming too relient on their watches in the middle of the race or the middle of a workout.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Toronto Kinesiologist Dillon Whitley, knows of at least 10 people who use fitness devices, but describes some drawbacks with the technology. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s the be all end all, because when we\u2019re talking about averages, you have to be specific as to what population you\u2019re thinking of.\u201d He describes how fitness devices only rely on the information they have from heart rate or partial step count. Not from a hub or collaborative environment. Cole Czucknicki is a fourth-year kinesiology student and a cross country athlete. He has seen athletes use one such environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are various websites online that you can automatically upload whatever workout you did, or run you did and that brings \u2026 social media aspects to that. Garmin Connect is an example of that.\u201d He describes the Garmin app, which incorporates various devices and provides vital health data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Czucknicki has also seen evidence that what keeps people exercising is consistent progression. He thinks that in diet or exercise, consistency is the most important thing. \u201cIf you feel obligated to get a certain number of steps in a day or to be at a certain activity level, and you have something reminding you, I can\u2019t see that hurting. Most people have a hard enough time getting started,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That line of thinking is why fitness technology is popular to begin with. A tracking of regular exercise or casual walking, provides a positive boost in motivation for further exercise. However, some say that can be taken too far. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Czucknicki mentions that some people might overdo it, but that is not concern for the majority of fit tech users. \u201cOvertraining might become more of a concern,\u201d but that he says \u201cis not the vast majority \u2026 In my experience, most people have a hard-enough time getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cross country coach and high performance centre coordinator at Humber College Teresa Arnini, says \u201cmost of our athletes are high achievers. When you give them the opportunity to get benchmarked [after a run], with the help of their conditioning coach, we can get them to perform to their optimal level. It really gives them that ability to learn more about themselves or know when to push themselves, because it\u2019s development for them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is relates to technology affecting athletes\u2019 personal goals, and athletes learning to judge themselves instead of by a parameter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leanne Henwood-Adam, is the fitness coordinator and fitness facility manager at Humber College. Her job allows her to keep an eye on the technology brought into the fitness centre. \u201cAs far as the technology in our area, we\u2019ve looked at things and said, there\u2019s just too many things that can break down. So, we\u2019ve kept all of our treadmills fairly basic. We don\u2019t have the big monitors on the treadmills or the bikes for someone to watch Netflix while they\u2019re working out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regarding fitness tracking, Henwood-Adam has a different opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A runner expertly jumping hurdles at Humber College. Photo by Galvin Zaldivar.<\/em><\/strong>

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\u201cWe highly recommend them to everybody, because something as simple as just an old-fashioned pedometer has shown to be very motivating for people. Years ago, I started a pedometer challenge with very simple devices that were not that accurate at all. However, I gave out a bunch one summer and people got so into it. Just the idea that they were wearing that pedometer that was tracking how far they were walking, made them more conscious. I would hear stories about people who walked around their dining room table, or people doing marching steps in the elevator. So, those apps really have proven to me to be extremely motivating for people, and its really kind of cool because you\u2019re not competing against anyone but yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some ways, technology needs a major workout, in the meantime, athletes should use realistic goals, productive habits, and exercise routines to keep in shape. No matter how many bells and whistles a treadmill has included, it doesn\u2019t make an athlete run. Running comes naturally to anyone who can take a step forward. Although technology has some benefits, it cannot replace that drive.
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