Are We Too Obsessed With Tracking Our Steps?

"Strava or it didn't happen," they say. We take a closer look at how properly tracking our fitness activity can really boost our health and lifestyles—and not just our egos.
Reading Time: 11 minutes

The Renaissance of the Active Era is upon us. After years spent inside our homes because of COVID-19 quarantines and carefully engaging with others with masks our masks on, Filipinos are finally emerging and rediscovering the joy of activities, finding themselves in run clubs, pickleball courts, golf courses, and even early morning hikes across level 3 mountains.

Embracing the Active Era comes with adopting new gear, and people are investing in fitness trackers and applications to record their movements and activities, then viewing, analyzing, and sharing data. Pedometers and heart rate monitors have been around for many decades, but we’ve seen them integrated into our smartphones via apps, as well as watches and other wearables, so it’s easier than ever to keep tabs on your movements. In McKinsey’s latest Future of Wellness research in 2024, roughly half of all surveyed have purchased a fitness wearable at some point in time.

Seeing real-time and relevant data on how our activities impact our bodies allows us to track our performance, keeps us from being sedentary or complacent, and helps motivate and empower us to keep progressing in our fitness journeys.

When Fitbit, arguably the first company in its field to launch in 2007, its first device tracked users’ steps, distance covered, and calories burned. Technology has developed so much that we can track and analyze a myriad of health and fitness markers, from your heart rate during workouts to the length and quality of your sleep. Activity data is no longer just for elite athletes, but for anyone who’s curious about their movements. Even on social media, we see people sharing their tens of thousands of steps when they travel or their run path and distance recorded on running app Strava. (As the Strava fans joke: “If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.”)

But can a fitness tracker really boost your health and performance?

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The Benefits of Tracking

More than a daily diary of your movements, activity trackers can be a huge support for people in starting and sustaining healthy lifestyles and habits. Studies show that using them boosts daily steps, moderate and vigorous physical activity, and energy expenditure significantly. In fact, research from the University of Sydney shows that using smartphone apps and activity trackers can increase physical activity by an average of 2,000 steps per day. “This level of increase has the potential to lower the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer, as well as improve quality of life and reduce the risk of premature death,” says the study’s lead author Dr. Liliana Laranjo, from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Medicine and Health and Westmead Applied Research Centre.

“Activity trackers also make you aware of your activity level, and people don’t change behaviors they’re unaware of.”—Michael Easter

Seeing real-time and relevant data on how our activities impact our bodies allows us to track our performance, keeps us from being sedentary or complacent, and helps motivate and empower us to keep progressing in our fitness journeys.

“Activity trackers also make you aware of your activity level, and people don’t change behaviors they’re unaware of,” says Michael Easter, New York Times bestselling author and journalist on health, science, and wellness, in his research on the accuracy of fitness trackers. When Aimee Padilla, a mom of two and a wellness entrepreneur, moved to another country, she realized she was walking a lot more than when she was based in Manila. “I was curious how many steps I was averaging per day,” she shared and started checking her phone’s built-in step counter. “My husband noticed how inaccurate it was, so he got me a Fitbit Charge 6.” This is Fitbit’s best-selling tracker, and aside from tracking activities like steps, it can also take note of other health, sleep, and stress indicators, like heart rate, VO2 max, spot changes in your blood oxygen levels, and even skin temperature. Initially, she just used it to track her steps and her water intake. “But as I started using it, I appreciated how it also tracks my sleep,” she said. Like many fitness trackers, her watch tracks how long she sleeps and how much time she spends in light, deep, and REM sleep stages. “Being a mom to a baby, I was prone to being sleep-deprived, but when I saw the hard numbers, it made me realize how much sleep I lacked and how much it should be prioritized.”

Is Your Fitness Tracker Really Helping You?

While the benefits of using activity trackers are quite promising, it is important to be careful and observant about how they modify and affect your behavior and mindset. While using trackers is mostly a positive, helpful experience, one study uncovers that over 60 percent of studies on fitness trackers often relate negative emotions from users, especially guilt, pressure and stress, and anxiety. “Tracking devices have the potential to reinforce negative behaviors by fostering obsessive tendencies, leading to anxiety and disordered eating patterns,” warns Haley Perlus, a sports and performance psychologist in an interview with Outside Magazine. Ironically, users are also prone to feeling frustrated or anxious when they don’t wear the device and are unable to track their data.

Sometimes, people end up building their entire workout routines around the data or targets set by their phone, without really knowing the scientific or health basis for their numbers. For example—the standard recommended number of steps that most people know would be 10,000, but actually, there is no actual health guidance that backs this specific number. In fact, it came from a Japanese company Yamasa in 1965 when they designed the world’s first wearable step-counter to capitalize on the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They called it “manpo-kei,” which translates to “10,000 step-meter.” Yet until today, people can get quite fixated on getting 10,000 steps without really understanding how it contributes to their general fitness.

“People use Strava data to post on their own social media accounts to get validation such as likes, comments, and reactions or engagement to make them look good.”—Chaidir Akbar

Then, there are those who are obsessed with their data just so they can flex. Reports of “Strava jockeys” from Indonesia have recently gone viral as people discovered how young individuals were being hired by running fans to run and log in data in their Strava apps, so they can post strong performances on their social media. “Based on my observation, people use Strava data to post on their own social media accounts to get validation such as likes, comments, and reactions or engagement to make them look good,” said Chaidir Akbar, a sports influencer from Indonesia.

While there is strong evidence to show that fitness trackers can boost everyone’s health journey, simply putting them on does not make us fitter. We have to know properly how to choose, read, and use the data they deliver to us. Else, they’re just (really expensive) accessories.

The Right Goals, The Right Metrics

Whether you already have a tracking app or device or are thinking of investing in a new one, it’s important to know and acknowledge your goals so you can be clear about how to get the most out of it. Fitness trackers are supercharged with so many performance indicators, too, but it’s best to focus on the ones that can be useful and meaningful in your health and performance.

If you’re looking to improve or maintain your general fitness, find a simple, straightforward tracker that tells you the basic information you need: daily activity (like steps) to monitor your movement, heart rate to track your intensity in workouts, and sleep to help you prioritize recovery. These will give you a baseline on how you’re moving and sleeping, and you can adjust your training based on your goals and progress. “I spent a few weeks just doing my normal day-to-day activities to set my baseline,” says Padilla. “Then I just started adding activities and seeing how it impacts my numbers.”

For example, if you would like to focus on losing weight, your activity tracker can help see if you’re also expending the appropriate amount of calories while you’re watching your calorie intake in your diet. If you are looking to improve your endurance or cardio in your workouts, you may want to check your heart rate if you’re staying within Zone 2 to build your aerobic base. (If you see you’re hitting 90 percent of your maximum heart rate, you may want to slow down.) You can also see if certain behaviors before bed affect your sleep quality or duration.

Take note that trackers have their proprietary metrics, so it’s best to take a closer look at how the numbers are computed before adjusting your training and activities around them.

If you have a specific athletic goal, this is when you want to explore specific metrics and apps for certain activities. Budding runners may want to log in their runs and pay attention to their distance and pace, so they can build their speed and stamina, and manage how fast they’re going on their training runs. Apps like NHS Coach to 5K can create and outline a training plan to reach a goal, as well as provide support and motivation. For those into tennis or pickleball, SwingVision can record your games and then process stats like your shot placement or ball speed to help you reach your goals.

Take note that a lot of the trackers also have their proprietary metrics, so it’s best to take a closer look at how the numbers are computed before adjusting your training and activities around them. Apple Watch’s Activity app, for example, tracks activity by encouraging users to “close their rings,” but the rings all represent essential movement: “Move” for number of active calories burned, “Stand” for number of times you stand every hour, and “Exercise” for the number of minutes spent in brisk activity. 

Be Consistent, But Set Boundaries

Aside from studying how the tracker’s metrics can serve you, it’s important to choose one that you can wear regularly and consistently, especially during the activities you want to measure. Ines Castro, a preschool teacher, got a Garmin (“My husband has been using one for a while and I got jealous,” she laughs) but chose the Lily model for herself, a smaller, more stylish line meant for women. “I have really small wrists, so it’s hard for me to find sports watches that fit,” she says. She wears it as she does CrossFit and plays tennis, but keeps it away for the rest of the day and night. “Being able to track my fitness helps me in making decisions on how to go about my day and my workout strategies,” she says.

Tracking your data carefully and consistently can tell you how to improve your training and performance, but it’s definitely important to set healthy boundaries with your tracker.

Once you have an idea of how you usually move and perform through your workouts, you can then learn how to set and adjust your targets. After observing her usual activities, Castro started to program her own targets into her Garmin Lily: about 200 minutes of intense work every week and eight hours of sleep every day. Her step target ranges from 7,000 to 9,000 steps, depending on what her watch automatically suggests for the day based on her weekly activities. However, she does not feel beholden to the numbers; she still tries to listen to her body. “Usually in the morning, my husband and I would check and talk about our sleep and see our recovery,” she says. “If I feel off for the day, and see that my watch shows the same thing, I take a break. If I feel not recovered enough, I still usually work out but I make sure I hold back a bit and just try to move.”

Just like with Castro, tracking your data carefully and consistently can tell you how to improve your training and performance, but it’s definitely important to set healthy boundaries with your tracker. As mentioned, some people get obsessed, anxious, and overly dependent on their tracker’s data, which is the opposite of the goal of supporting health and wellness. It may end up negatively affecting the way you look at exercise or the pursuit of fitness in general. If you find yourself falling into this behavior, try turning off the notifications from the tracker or app, or taking a break from wearing it. “I don’t really view [the metrics] as targets—just benchmarks,” says Padilla. She allows herself space and grace, especially when urgent and important issues keep her from her workouts. “I just use the Fitbit to keep me in check and make sure I’m relatively active the majority of the week.”

Interpreting The Data

It’s good to keep in mind that trackers are never 100 percent accurate. In an article reviewing different studies looking at the accuracy of fitness trackers, Michael Easter found that almost all brands of trackers both underestimate and overestimate the actual number of steps taken. On average, most trackers overcount steps by an average of 25 percent. Also, your dominant arm moves more in daily life, so wrist-worn trackers placed on this arm often have a small discrepancy. Instead of taking the numbers as gospel, try to look at how the numbers trend and relate them to your habits and activities. Do you notice a marked increase in your steps when you go to the mall? Have your daily active minutes increased since starting a new sport? Does your REM sleep increase when you avoid drinking caffeine after noon? Are you able to sustain a certain running pace when you get 8 hours of sleep? Fitness trackers can show you if you’re getting closer to or farther from your goal.

“You cannot manage what you don’t measure.” —Vince Bautista

Lastly, don’t hesitate to approach a professional when it comes to interpreting the data. Vince Bautista, a CrossFit coach, has used fitness trackers like Whoop and Garmin for himself, and is always happy to share his knowledge as a certified fitness professional to help people who ask him about their own experience with trackers. “I’ve noticed that those who get overly obsessed with the numbers of their tracker are those who are just starting out,” he says. “Perhaps it’s because they don’t have a foundation or a baseline yet on how their fitness is, and when they see the numbers, they immediately correlate their numbers to fitness. But there are a lot of factors that contribute to your fitness!” A health professional or a fitness trainer can help give you the bigger picture from the data of your trackers, and recommend ways to optimize your current routine. After all, the numbers in your activity tracker are never the only and ultimate sign of your health and fitness. Still, Bautista maintains that wearing fitness trackers can definitely help you in your journey, especially if you have the right mindset. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure,” he says.

THE TRICKS BEHIND TRACKING: KEY METRICS TO KNOW

Technology has allowed fitness trackers to measure an incredible and impressive range of data, but all of them can be overwhelming. Wherever you are in your fitness journey, here are some universal and useful data from trackers and why they’re important.

Steps

Step counters take into account the steps you take during the day, whether it’s related to your workout or not, and a fitness tracker—which is usually attached to your body, unlike your phone—can help you gauge how much movement you are typically getting in a day.

Michael Easter shares that counting your steps can reveal if you’re getting a minimum level of daily activity. “They can reinforce movement that isn’t our workout—which can be the most powerful movement we do,” he explains. Scientists call this type of movement “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis” or NEAT, and refers to daily energy expenditure resulting from spontaneous physical activity that is not especially the result of voluntary exercise, like taking the stairs, walking to the corner store, or fidgeting while you wait in line. “We often shrug off this activity,” says Easter. “But it’s gasoline for health and wellbeing.” This movement actually burns more calories than exercise for most people.

As mentioned earlier, you don’t need to obsess about strictly reaching 10,000 steps. A study in JAMA Internal Medicine took a closer look at the steps a day associated with lowering the mortality rate among women and found that while more steps are associated with a lower mortality rate, the benefits cap off at approximately 7,500 steps. If you’re looking at maintenance and longevity, you may want to keep your target steps around this number. But of course, if weight loss is your goal, taking more steps may help you achieve it faster. Take a few weeks to find your baseline steps per day, and based on your goals, adjust your targets.

Heart Rate

Most fitness trackers can record your heart rate during workouts and show you what heart rate zone you are at (a percentage based on your maximum heart rate), and this tells you how hard you are working. Depending on your fitness goals or activities, it’s a good idea to spend time in a variety of heart rate zones. The different heart rate zones are interpreted as:

  • Zone 1: 50 to 60%; Low to moderate intensity; warmup and recovery
  • Zone 2: 60 to 70%; Moderate intensity; steady-state cardio and endurance work
  • Zone 3: 70 to 80%; Moderate to high intensity; aerobic and cardio workouts
  • Zone 4: 80 to 90% High intensity; reaching your “red line”
  • Zone 5: 90 to 100%; Very high intensity; maximum effort

Specifically looking at cardiovascular health, the American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity (zones 1 to 3) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (zones 3 to 4)—or a combination of both.

Pace

Trackers can be useful for endurance athletes like runners and cyclists as it monitors time and distance, but pace is also useful and important as it tells you how long it takes to cover distances. Pace will tell you how fast you need to go if you want to reach a certain goal, like running 5 kilometers in under 30 minutes or bike to a nearby destination within an hour. Experts say training different types of speed (from easy rides or jogs to hard sprints) will help your body get stronger and go faster, and relying on your feelings (“I feel like I was going fast!”) may not be telling or accurate enough. Use the tracker during your training sessions to check what pace you are going at and make sure you’re hitting the stimulus you’re aiming for each time.

Sleep

Sleep may be the most underrated health metric, as it’s an essential biological process that allows our body and brain to rest and repair so we can recover physically, deal with stress, process memories, solve problems, improve our motor skills, and even help heal emotional trauma.

Phone apps can record your sleep duration (Experts recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day), but trackers worn on your body can be more accurate in recording sleep quality as they detect your movement. We have two types of sleep—non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, which repairs and heals your body and boosts the immune system, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which helps in learning and processing memories. Adults typically spend 25 percent of their sleep in REM, so in monitoring your sleep quality, check if you’re getting at least 25 percent of deep sleep.

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