Was there an activity tracker under the Christmas tree for you? It's not just a handy gadget, there's a downside.
It's nice to see how long, how far and how fast you have run, or to see how many steps you have taken. The downside, however, is that exercising becomes less fun. By keeping track of all your results, the focus is too much on the end result, so that you tend to forget that exercise is supposed to be fun.
There are a number of studies that support this claim. For example, 95 people went for a walk, they were allowed to decide for themselves whether they were wearing a pedometer or not. The conclusion:people who wore a pedometer walked further, but enjoyed the walk less than the people without a pedometer.
So why are we monitoring all that information so closely? Many people have a soft spot for statistics and facts. The trick is to find a good balance between keeping the stats and keeping the fun.
Still, the activity tracker is likely to become even more popular. Read the 10 sports trends for 2016.
Do you think your activity tracker makes sports less fun?
Read also: Get more out of your activity tracker
