Nowadays more and more young people become conscious of their health. Health is wealth and it is hard to maintain it in a good condition in a fast-developing world. During the day, we are expected to manage a lot of things: work, meet friends, exchange ideas, read or watch the news (more often negative ones), study and manage stress. We can not shield ourselves from ‘fast life’ and it has its benefits and disadvantages. By benefits, I mean personal growth, contribution to society and by disadvantages, I mean being exhausted, tired, nervous, and depressed. That is why it is important to take care of yourself while you can – one of the ways to do so is to have a fitness bracelet.
The fitness bracelets have helped many people become more self-aware and know what is going on with their bodies. The bracelets automatically measure heart rate, steps, how many calories you have burnt so that at the end of the day you can see how your day went and look at how your heart behaves when you are walking, standing, writing an essay or going shopping. You have the data that shows how your body is feeling and responding to these events. The technology is not only helping you to see how your body behaves throughout the day but also when you are asleep. In my opinion, it is the most important feature because when we are asleep we are unable to measure our heart rate by ourselves and we can not know what kind of sleep phase are we in. But if you have a mini-computer on your wrist you will be able to see the data when you wake up.
I do enjoy comparing my daily data with my friends so we can all see how different our bodies work. This way, we can relate to one another and also see how different we are, it contributes to our social interactions. The differences in the data were fascinating to me. It showed that some of us are rather nervous (me) and some of us are very calm, this way we can understand one another more and be more conscious of how differently we perceive the same situations and how sensitive we are. My bracelet also allows me to compare my data to all the users who use the same bracelet. The data is anonymous and because of it, I can compare myself to society and see whether I am different than the majority or not. Turns out that I am super stressed and nervous during the day but extremely calm throughout the night.
The bracelet has also changed the way I exercise. When I am riding my bike, I am unable to measure my heart rate manually or have a map in my hands to see how long the distance that I biked is but I have data of it. I know exactly how many kilometers I biked, how fast I ride my bike and how many calories I have burnt. I feel more motivated to exercise and since I can compare my data to all the other users, I can take challenges and see whether I am more active than others.
There are a lot of pros about the bracelets but there are also cons. Sometimes the data is not accurate so you can not rely on it 100% and expect it to act as your doctor. You still need appointments and regular check-ups but the data that you are receiving from your wristband can help you to be informed more regularly and be more self-aware. The other con is that great and accurate fitness bracelets are expensive but you can view them as an investment in your health because you only have one body and you have to take care of it in any way possible. 🙂
Hi! Thanks for your blog-post, this topic for me is really fascinating. One of my first blogs was indeed on the practice of self-tracking and how this practice can help us to have control over our body through the analysis of the data these digital tools collect, like your electronic bracelet! I think it is a good example on how digital media can improve our lives, having as point of departure us with our body in the first place. It is always positive to understand ourselves, so we can have agency in changing our lives, or as you said, in challenging ourselves! Having the possibilty to track our data enable us to gain awareness, and this is the first step toward the change. So.. I think i will buy one of these bracelets too!
Thank you, Eleonora! Yes, you should definitely get yourself one and let us know how it works for you! 😉
Hi,
thanks for your reflection on fitness bracelets. I am actually considering to get one as well but I am still not sure if it is a good idea for me.
You mentioned that you can compare yourself to strangers that have the same watch. I am quite suprised about that. Every body is different and every body works different. Don’t you think it creates some risks if you try to keep up with data of other persons?
Of course, I also appreciate the data that you can access to observe your body functions and make sure that you are active. However, I am quite afraid about how it will change my behavior. I am a competitive person and I am scared that I will rely too much on the data of the tracker 😀
but I guess that’s a decision everyone has to make on their own.