Using a calorie-tracking app and seeing we have consumed 90% of our daily fat allowance by the time breakfast is done can make the rest of the day an extremely stressful challenge. If notifications to get up and move are received while in a stressful business meeting, while working furiously to meet a reporting deadline, or changing a diaper, it has created a new problem rather than a useful solution. Following the commands of a device can cause unnecessary anxiety. If using an app or a device adds another layer of stress and pressure to your life, it is probably working against your goal of achieving a higher level of fitness. The impact of stress on our sleep and hormonal activity is well-documented and none of it is helpful in getting healthier. Perhaps the most likely negative aspect of using technology to guide our physical fitness is the possibility we have invited another source of stress to enter our life. The amount of calories and nutrients we ingest can be significantly different than what a tracking app estimates for us. Fruits, vegetables, and grains grown in different soils and environments can have very different nutrient profiles as well. There are usually not-so-slight differences in the amount of fat in two steaks or even two chicken breasts in the same pack. The next time you are in the grocery store, look at two random packs of the same meat. While standardized and universally accepted values for foods are used in developing tracking apps, there are always variations from food sample to food sample. The way that apps track our calories-in is also concerning as well. It is not reasonable for us to expect a watch on our wrist to account for all these factors and then spit out an accurate measure of calories-out. Therefore, we don’t want to exercise to the point of passing out because our watch says we must burn another two-hundred calories before midnight. Other factors can play a role in determining the rate calories are expended such as: Even if a fitness watch monitors heart rate and steps, it can only estimate how many calories are burned throughout a given period of time. We must remember the tools provide only estimates of CICO. Knowing how many calories we ingest and burn enables us to set minimum goals for activity and maximum goals for food intake each day. Calories-In, Calories-Out (CICO) is the single most important factor in losing fat however, we recognize that there are many factors that impact someone’s ability to lose body fat.
Technology provides us with assistance in counting and tracking the calories we consume and use throughout the day can be helpful in achieving the goal of losing weight. While apps and devices can be helpful tools for achieving fitness goals, they should be used carefully and viewed with caution.
However, there are opportunities for these tools to move us away from being healthy even while getting us closer to the “idea” of health we hope to achieve. The new readily available technology provides data to help us choose the correct direction to make progress toward our fitness goals. Even better, many food tracking apps are available at no cost to the consumer. Apps to count the calories we eat are conveniently installed on our phones so we are always aware of how much more food we can consume throughout the day while remaining in the necessary deficit for fat loss. They will even tell us when our body is ready for an exercise session or if signs indicate taking the day off for recovery is a better strategy. Watches track activity and calculate calories burned before, during, and after every workout. It seems we are entering a golden age of fitness where technology is making professional-quality guidance available and affordable for all. Learn about Childhood/Adolescent Obesity.
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