QOTW - Do motivational fitness gadgets really work?

by Parm Mann on 28 June 2013, 16:30

You thought choosing a smartphone was tough? Try picking out the right motivational fitness gadget. The tech industry is adept at recognising the needs and wants of the average consumer, and our desire to shed a few pounds has become big business in the gadget world.

Whether you're looking to keep tabs on what you eat, how active you are or how well you sleep, there are products designed to help you reach your goals by monitoring and analysing your progress, which naturally can then be shared with the world.

FitBits, FuelBands and Forerunners are just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous products promising to help you "stay active, live better, and reach your goals," but let's hear it from you, the consumers: do motivational fitness gadgets really work? Whether you think it's all a gimmick or you've found a gadget that works for you, share your success stories and your misadventures in the comments below.

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Motivational gadgets are good tools for getting into shape; they instill discipline for those of us who are weak-willed. I've previously used a Garmin Forerunner to coerce me into following a get-fit plan.

However, as you get fitter I find that these gadgets get in the way. My Garmin comes bundled with a heart-rate monitor and I use it to ensure I'm not pushing myself too much, but having to look at the screen when cycling takes some fun out of the process - I'm often more concerned with keeping a 140bpm average heart rate than I am in looking around.

I've now decided not to be a slave to the numbers and rarely use the Forerunner 410. I'm sure it'll come back out once I lose the little bit of fitness that I have.

+1. I have the 705 for my bike (which doubles up as a primitive satnav) and a 910xt for running/swimming/multisport.

To be fair, I've found writing a blog forces me to do stuff as much/if not more as I can post the Garmin Connect details to wind up my fellow competitors, and if I don't do anything I get abuse back!

Do motivational fitness gadgets really work

I guess they can be useful if you need just a small push to keep motivated. But I think that if you're looking for an “electronic personal trainer” then you're going to be very, very disappointed. Personally I've got more respect for these console-based “fitness trainer” programs - especially EA's Active Fit series.

I've got a heart rate monitor - quite useful. And when I'm on my bike (not frequent enough this year!!) I use a piece of freeware called “My Tracks” (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.maps.mytracks&hl=en). This can be useful for getting post-cycle stats etc.

Best weight-loss/fitness gadget I've come across is … a wife “pinching more than an inch” of man-flab and laughing loudly. :embarrassed:

She's a cruel person. :iloveyou:

I used to use runkeeper on my phone all the time but it was hard to check pace as other than the 5 minute updates there is nothing. Well unless you unlock your phone which is a ball ache as I have a arm strap/

I now have a forerunner 310xt which i use all the time. Gives me loafs of info and lets me check my pace all the time. Also BEcuase I`m in a running club it allows me to do lap splits so I get a much better idea where I am up to :D

Fitocracy is a nice tool for motivation, everyone loves levelling up :)

If I needed fitness gadgets I'd probably invest in a Casio digital watch and a pedometer, should be enough!

QOTW - Do motivational fitness gadgets really work?

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