If you received a brand new fitness tracker for Christmas or have made a wonderful New Year's resolution to get in shape, then you'll want to know how to use technology to achieve that goal. I've been using and talking about these gadgets for years and have accumulated some helpful tips to keep in mind.
Fitness tracker is a smaller and more affordable version smart watchthat's designed for elegance and ease of use, while keeping its finger on the literal and metaphorical pulse of your body. They are great as a gift or as a commitment to yourself that you will be better than ever, allowing you to take care of your body without having to buy something top of the line, e.g. Apple Watch Ultra 3.
So, whether your goal for 2026 is to be fitter than ever because you have a big goal you want to achieve or because you want to be more in tune with your body, here are five tips to help you stay healthy and informed.
Wear it for the rest of your life, not just for training.
A simple mistake that many people make when using fitness trackers is that they only wear them when they want to track fitness. They'll put it on for a run or a long walk, but take it off when they're done.
In reality, your fitness tracker can track much more, and you should keep it attached to your wrist for as much of the day as possible. Most will track your sleep if you wear it at night, your heart rate at certain points during the day, and the calories you burn doing small tasks that you would never consider exercise.
Of course, for this, the fitness tracker must be on your wrist at all times (except for charging, of course). So try wearing it all the time and you'll be surprised how much your new wearable can track.
Be sure to explore all its features
If you want a fitness wearable to inspire your fitness, just browse its menu to see what activities it can track. You may have bought it just for step counting or sleep tracking, but most models on the market can do much more.
Most modern fitness trackers can collect information on more than 100 different types of activity, and some have other unique modes such as workouts, running recommendations, or HIIT. This may inspire you to take up an exercise or activity you haven't even thought about, or get more serious about something you're already doing.
Use your data, don't just collect it
Using a sleep tracker, you can collect a wealth of information: running time, sleep schedule, heart rate over time, and so on. But all this data is meaningless if you don't actually use it.
Be sure to use your fitness tracker's phone app as it will collect information for each metric you study. Most will give you a breakdown of individual workouts or sleep sessions, such as your running route and pace or REM stages of sleep, and they can be helpful in helping you understand what factors to change or how to train differently to improve your fitness.
Additionally, most fitness trackers will show you data in graphs over time, either for individual activities or for some kind of virtual fitness currency. This can be very useful for observing overall fitness trends: are you getting better or are you hitting a plateau? And when you use a fitness tracker long enough, you may see other trends emerge: perhaps you sleep worse in warm weather or run slower in winter. With this information, you can better understand your body.
Don't be afraid of accessories
Like any gadget, a fitness tracker can benefit from a little extra money spent on accessories. You can buy them from the company itself or from a third-party accessory manufacturer.
The most common purchase many people make is a new bracelet. The ones included are often fit for purpose, but are fairly basic. Luckily, most brands sell alternatives in a variety of designs, materials, and colors, so you can choose a model that suits both your body and your outfit. Ideal for fashionistas who want a specific color, those with sensitive skin who want a specific material, or those who find that a standard strap doesn't fit their wrist.
There are a few other things you can buy that may help. Some fitness trackers come with covers to protect your body from harsh impacts if you're involved in endurance sports, and a charging cradle will help you power up the tracker quickly and easily. If you have headphones that can store music, wireless workout headphones will also help you appreciate this feature.
Don't worry too much
The most important thing to remember when trying to get fit is that you always need to listen to your body, not just your fitness tracker (even though it can provide useful information that you can't get from your body).
Whether your tracker tells you it's time to go for a run, or that you need to push yourself to workout, or that you've gotten enough sleep, these are all useful things to hear. But technology isn't all-knowing, and your body can tell you how it's doing: just see how you feel.
Many people rely too much on fitness trackers and forget to check in with themselves from time to time, but the healthiest people know to maintain… well, a healthy relationship with their technology.
