How Do you make the most of the fintness tracker on your smart watch

Looking to get the most from the fitness tracking capabilities of your smartwatch? We have some tips that will help you use your wearable correctly and maximize its utility. Let’s dive in!

1. Calibrate your fitness tracker

Add your biometric data like height and weight, along with other data like your age and gender, in the fitness tracking app on your smartphone. You will have paired your smartwatch to the app during the set up process. This data is a good starting point to measure stride length, distance travelled and calories burnt to a higher degree of accuracy.

The fitness and health tracking accuracy of wearables differs across different brands and manufacturers of smartwatches. Calibrating your device is something you can do to get readings that aren’t a long way off.

2. Wear it exactly as directed

Your smartwatch’s user manual will have instructions on positioning the wearable on your wrist. Some manufacturers may direct you to wear the smartwatch on your right or left wrist. They may specify how to position your device on your wrist, such as at a one finger width above your wrist bone during daily activity or a two finger width during exercise. If the device sensor doesn’t lie flat or the device is positioned such that it lets in ambient light, readings can be affected, say manufacturers. It’s a good idea to follow the instructions in the user manual to a tee for accurate measurements and device safety.

Using your smartwatch exactly as directed matters even more when you’re using it to monitor a specific health parameter, such as your blood pressure. Apart from the accuracy assured by the particular blood pressure smartwatch manufacturer, the levels of clinical accuracy you actually get will, in part, depend on whether your use the wearable correctly or not.

3. Ensure a good fit

As an addendum to the above tip, make sure that your smartwatch sits comfortably and securely on your wrist. You don’t want it to be so tight as to scratch your skin, which can be distracting during activity. On the other hand, a loose fit will cause the sensor to shift as you move your hand during the course of exercise or activity.

You could try adjusting the fit and positioning and check whether you’re getting consistent readings. This way, you’ll know what’s optimal for you and get into the routine of wearing your smartwatch in the right ways consistently.

4. Share your activities with friends

Many smartwatches allow you to set fitness goals and sync up with friends’ and family members’ wearables. The idea is to share your activity with your friends, and compete with them for top fitness stats. These fun features will supercharge you to stay on the ball and follow through with your fitness goals. You will also be in a position to motivate your friends or family friends to keep at it.

While fitness challenges have their benefits, they can also get in the way of achieving the original goals you’d set for your yourself. Over-exercising or working yourself up over a friend’s fitness stats will deviate you from what you’d originally intended to measure and improve. Set achievable goals, and give your activity plans the time they need to show results. When you improve, change your goals and aim for better stats.

5. Update your companion app

Your smartwatch works on software, which needs to be updated whenever such an option becomes available. Running updates will fix bugs and add new features to your fitness tracker. You will also stay updated on the latest privacy and security policies from the manufacturer.

6. Keep your smartwatch charged

All smartwatches ship with a USB charging cable. Many also include an AC adaptor plug. You can charge your wearable from the mains or hook it up to your PC or laptop. Keeping your smartwatch fully charged will allow you to use it for longer periods of time without having to worry about the battery dying.

Picture a situation where the device battery is running low and you have a good hour or more to go before your jog or gym session ends. You may be unable to capture readings properly and the purpose of wearing the device will go waste, at least for that day. Set a charging schedule and stick to it so that your smartwatch is always at 100% battery before you head out.

7. Use all fitness tracking features as intended

To make the most of the fitness tracker on your smartwatch, you need to use it to track the metrics that align with your fitness and health goals. Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Track your steps (higher step counts are associated with lower rates of death from heart disease and cancer).
  • Track aerobic activity to assess your endurance levels, nutrition, train for events or compete with friends.
  • Monitor your strength training workouts, tracking your repetitions, rest periods, time under tension and the weights you used for various workouts.
  • Measure your heart rate to get a real-time view into your heart muscle function, manage hypertension, and weigh workout intensity against fitness goals to push the limits safely.
  • Monitor your blood pressure to proactively reduce stress-creating activities, relax with deep breathing and shift your perspective, and avoid straining vital organs in high-pressure situations.
  • Set activity reminders (you can’t remember everything!) to stay on top your fitness regimen and manage your time more efficiently.

Keeping your smartwatch in good shape will help extend its life and make using it more pleasurable. Dirt or scratches on the screen affect the visibility of readings during activity. Damage to the smartwatch strap can, in a worst case situation, render the wearable unusable until you get a replacement strap or buy a new device.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the dos and don’ts of cleaning your smartwatch. The maker may also advise you to avoid wearing your smartwatch for extended periods of time as it can lead to skin marks or itching and rashes from sweat and dirt.

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