As the years go by, smart watches seem to be everywhere, whether a basic step counter or a more advanced smart watch that is essentially an extension of your cell phone. But what are the pros and cons when it comes to fitness? Check out our list below as we investigate these popular pieces of tech.

Pros

•   Promote a healthy lifestyle. “Aside from being a pedometer, most smartwatches can track activity, nutrition, and calories burned. Some can also monitor heart rate and blood pressure. This data can help you reach your fitness goals faster as well as give an overview of your overall health.” This can be particularly helpful if you are tracking your fitness with the assistance of a physician as you will be able to show them accurate data to help your doctor get a more accurate picture of your health. “Also, newer smartwatches have lots of sensors that make fitness tracking easier. Some even have dedicated workout modes such as walking, running, swimming, cycling, weight lifting, and so on.”[1]

•   Easy notifications and reminders. It is easy to get tunnel vision when we are working, especially if that work involves sitting at a desk. Smart watches can help combat that with notifications that remind you to get up and move. Many models send reminders each hour to make sure you get up and move a bit, helping you to avoid a completely sedentary day.

•   Increased connectivity. Smart watches sync with your phone which can help you stay connected while you workout—no need to worry about missing that important call while you are working to reach your health and fitness goals! However, depending on your feelings about constant connection, this could be viewed as a negative instead of a positive. If that is the case for you, many smart watches have a do not disturb feature you can enable while you take time for yourself to exercise.

Cons

•   Fashion, baby! Some people enjoy the look of a smart watch, and other people feel like it makes them look like someone from a Spy Kids movie. Even with customizable watch faces, sometimes smart watches can feel too bulky to wear all the time.

•   Limited batteries. The more your watch does, the more power it is going to use and generally you can only get one, maybe two days out of a full charge. This might not be a big deal for some but for others who want to wear it continuously, including at night to track sleep patterns, this can present an issue.

•   High cost. As with most tech, the fancier watch with the cooler features, the higher the cost. Older models often drop in price as new ones are released, but the older the model, the sooner it will stop getting updates and you will not have access to the newest features.

 How do you feel about smart watches to help you achieve your health and fitness goals? Tag us on social media and tell us if smart watches make you Bodē Happy!

[1] “12 Smartwatch Pros & Cons - Advantages and Disadvantages.” WatchRanker, 5 June 2019, https://watchranker.com/smartwatch-pros-and-cons/.