5 Reasons Your Smart Watch is Sabotaging Your Weightloss

A smartwatch is a fabulous device to utilize on your health and fitness journey!  I have loved using mine to track my workouts, see improvements, and figure a little more out about myself and my body.

I am a self-proclaimed Fitbit addict.  I have had a Fitbit for almost six years now.  I actually won my first Fitbit from the Dr. Oz show.  I was shocked when it came in the mail!  It sat on my desk for a while before I finally figured out how to use it, and then I wondered why it took me so long to get it working.

It is completely addicting to hit your step goal each day.  It's even a little addicting trying to hit your sleep goal.  And now, it's addicting to see those goals change from blue to green! But are you too focused on those numbers that it's sabotaging your progress?

I have five reasons to share with you why your Fitbit (or another smartwatch) could be a big hindrance in your weight loss and fitness goals.

1. You pay way too much attention to how many steps you get in a day.  I see time and time again in my monthly groups that women pay more attention to the steps than anything else.  One of the BIGGEST excuses I get for not getting an actual workout in is, "But I got my 10,000 steps in today," or "I went over my 10,000 step goal today."Great...good job.  You went above and beyond your step goal.  That's awesome!  And truly, it is.  But if you're not seeing the results you want and you're using your step goal as an excuse...stop it! 

The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic movement 5 days a week AND 2 days of moderate-intensity strength training.  That means that you should be getting your heart rate up to help with your cardiovascular health!  We know that this can help prevent heart disease and stroke.  So get up and move more!

We each have 30 minutes in our day that we can dedicate to moving.  That may mean less tv watching, less sleep, being intentional at getting your kids to go on an evening walk, or just using your time more wisely!  Get your heart rate up, sweat, and you'll be feeling SO much better.

2.  You eat the calories that you already burned off.  There is a danger of syncing your smartwatch app with other apps.  If you pay attention to your macros or track your food, you can sync your smartwatch app with your food tracking app.  This will then show your food tracking app that you've burned so many calories that you can now eat! However, if weight loss is your goal, you shouldn't be eating those calories that you've burned off during your workout.  If you do, then this could be a possibility of why you're not seeing the results you want. Allow yourself to see the deficit at the end of the day.  Don't eat those calories back that your app is showing that you burned.  Also, don't use those calories burned as an exact science.  They are probably an estimation and maybe overestimated.  This will also factor in the equation if you're eating back those calories that you've already burned--you could be eating too many!

3. You let it dictate how you feel.  When I first got my Fitbit, I saw that it could track my sleep.  I found that feature very fascinating!  I learned that I needed to be getting around 7-8 hours of sleep a night to feel my best.  Any less than that and I was super tired. Recently, Fitbit introduced "sleep goals" to the app, and I know that I was allowing it to tell me how I was feeling.   If I didn't get my 7 hours, then I told myself I was tired.  I told myself that I was going to need a nap.  I stressed a little too much about getting enough sleep. Last summer, I had some health problems going on, and I couldn't figure out why or what was happening.  I was literally pushing myself to get more steps in and get more sleep.  I was stressing my body out.  I knew that I had to quit letting the Fitbit dictate how I was feeling.  I needed to listen to my body.  Once I stopped listening to the Fitbit and started listening to my body, those problems went away.  Do not let your smartwatch tell you how to feel.

4. You don't workout because you forgot your Fitbit.  Ever hear the phrase, "Well, those were wasted steps!" :)  I think that I've said them a few times! Haha!  I know that it can be frustrating to forget your activity tracker.  I remember several times that I forgot mine, and I didn't want to move.  Silly, right?  But it's an excuse that people use.  It is completely ridiculous to not workout just because you forgot your tracker.

5. You don't workout because you are soooo far from your step goal.  This may be another ridiculous excuse, as we can circle this back up to reason 1.  Just because you may not reach your step goal today doesn't mean that you shouldn't get up and get a workout in!  This is just another silly way of justifying your reason for not getting a workout in.

If you find yourself using one of these reasons, stop!  Your body craves movement.  So get up and don't worry about what your smartwatch says. Move because you should--you'll eventually learn to love it.

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