The Fitbit: A Help or a Hindrance?

Today, there is an innumerable amount of small, convenient devices for an even more innumerable amount of uses. Increasingly popular are the gadgets used to help keep track of the number of steps one takes in a day, calories consumed, and even heart rate. Though this is the age of convenience, it may be a mistake to have your health habits depend on a wearable device. While technology’s intention is to help with such health matters, the more traditional approach—normal diet and exercise—may be more effective. While the problem may not necessarily exist in the technology itself, shortcomings found in the habits formed by those who used these gadgets may actually be a detriment to weight loss goals. A recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association looking at the long-term weight loss of those who used wearable fitness devices is telling. Read more…