Is Your Fitness Tracker Working For You?

By: Brian Kridler, Director of Fitness Services and Personal Trainer at Oxford Athletic Club

Fitness Trackers are the number one trend in fitness. You have one. Now what?

Most trackers can handle basic metrics such as steps, sleep, and heart rate.  We can debut whether wrist trackers are accurate enough for tracking heart rate, let’s just say they are getting better.

Back to my original question, you purchased a tracking device now what?

STEPS:

Tracking your steps can keep you from overdoing it between training sessions. If you are on your feet at work or during an intense phase of your training regimen you need to monitor your stress.  Your body does not distinguish training stress from other stresses very well.

If you’re tracking your steps for weight loss, typically you burn 400 calories per 2,000 steps.  There are 3.500 calories in a pound of fat, so you can outline your weight loss goals from your steps per day.

RESTING HEART RATE: 

Track your resting heart rate to monitor your current level of conditioning. A normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 bpm.  If you’re approaching the top end range, your heart is not as efficient as a conditioned one.  If you’re overtraining, you will see an increase in your resting heart the following days of an intense training session.  Listen to your body and rest, so that it has proper time to recover.

HEART - RATE VARIABILITY TRAINING:

Because heart rate variability training reflects the current state of your body it is the perfect way to train.  We all use rest periods when we train, and we just pick an arbitrary rest period.  With heart rate variability training, your rest period is specific to your current state.  Instead of choosing a rest period for 30 seconds, you choose a rest period of a specific decrease in your heart rate.  Therefore, you’re able to train as hard as your body will allow each training session, without overtraining.

MyZone comes with a detailed Mobile App that connects you to Oxford whether you're in the building or out taking the dog for a run! Connect and compete anywhere, anytime!

Everyone has their favorite tracking device and there are pros and cons to everyone, but my favorite fitness tracker is the MyZone Belt. Why? Because I know my chest strap is going to pick up every movement I perform and accurately provide me with immediate feedback of my bodies current state.  It is also nice not to have to fumble around with my watch to receive my feedback when I can look up at a television screen located either in the studio that I am in or when I am training on the fitness floor/basketball court.  Myzone also has a nice app that I can use while outside the Oxford Athletic Club.  Until tracking heart rate through light sensors improves I will be sticking with my Myzone Belt.  Stop in our Pro Shop to purchase your soon to be favorite fitness tracker as well.