Researchers have examined data from 121 randomized controlled trials and 141 study comparisons, and exercise monitors are used for daily physical activity, moderate and active physical activity, and sitting, as seen in phone apps and Fitbits. I investigated how it affected the time that I tend to have. study.
Studies have shown that using the fitness app, daily physical activity is equivalent to 1,235 steps per day, and moderate and active physical activity is increased by 48.5 minutes per week. Studies have shown that the effect on sedentary time was negligible.
“People who use activity monitors and wearables are more active than those who don’t,” said Rasmus Torstrap Larsen, a researcher at the Faculty of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen.
“These effects are highly relevant in terms of health and illness risk, especially among those who have only moderate activity or do not meet current physical activity guidelines,” he said. I mentioned in the email. Larsen is also a management consultant for IQVIA Healthcare.
Fitness monitor effectiveness is a question that has been commonly investigated since it hit the market, but Larsen says the study is the most comprehensive study to date.
And it comes because many are trying to move again during the pandemic that created the situation. Encourage more sedentary behavior.
“In the post-covid era, the need to focus on behavioral changes related to physical activity and inactivity is more urgent than ever,” Larsen said in an email. “The latest physical activity monitors (wearables, smartwatches, fitness trackers) can be used to drive behavioral change and provide users with direct feedback on their activities.”
Although the study is “careful and useful,” it raises further questions, said Dr. David Ash, a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Wharton School and a managing director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation. ..He said He also wanted to see an analysis of how the study used rewards and incentives.
How to use them better
If you expect 2022 to be a more active year than before, Larsen recommends investigating surveillance devices or using the ones available on your smartphone.
“These devices are cheap, simple, and innovative. Now we can say that they are effectively motivating people to do more in a secure way,” Larsen added.
But activity monitoring alone may not be the best bet for success, Dr. Mitesh Patel said. Companion, colleague He is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and vice president of clinical transformation at Ascension, a private healthcare system.
“It’s always difficult to change behavior,” said Patel, who wasn’t involved in the study. “Using activity monitors, such as those available on smartphones and other devices, can be an important part of our efforts to increase physical activity.”
Other studies in this area are even more effective when combined with programs aimed at changing behavior, such as adding game-like elements to behavior and leveraging financial or social incentives. It has been suggested that it works.
These tracking apps add a level of personal accountability, said Dana Santas, a CNN fitness contributor and professional athlete’s mind and body coach.
It doesn’t even have to be electronic, she added. Using notebooks and physical reminders tends to embody your conscience.
And a little competition with yourself will never hurt, Santa said.
“When you get a message from your Apple Watch that you can still do it, you can reach 10,000 steps, stand longer, and do everything the watch tells you that you haven’t done yet. Become. “Santa said.
Experts have agreed that setting goals, adding incentives, and adding accountability with a physical activity tracker may be necessary to get you moving again.
..
