Enhancing Health through Wearable Fitness Devices
Workout buddy on your wrist, fitness trackers have come a long way from just counting steps. Nowadays, you can find ways to monitor your heart rate, distance, and even play music – all while checking your phone notifications. And let's be real, they've made significant progress in the cuteness department, too.
But, you might wonder if these trackers accurately read your heart rate and give any health insights. Dr. Yonatan Buber, a cardiologist at UW Medical Center – Montlake, lays it all out for us.
Whys and Wherefores of Fitness Trackers
Countless brands offer fitness trackers, each boasting different features. Yet, one common attribute remains – heart rate. Today's trackers have better tracking capabilities than those from ten years ago, making them reliable for various purposes like sleep or exercise (you're welcome, insomniacs and fitness fanatics!).
According to Buber, the vast majority of heart rate trackers in use, such as watches, arm bands, and chest straps, are considered accurate. So, whether you're a deep sleeper or power lifter, these devices deliver impressive accuracy.
To ensure an accurate reading, wear your tracker above your wrist bone, directly touching your skin. Most watches use an optical heart rate sensor, which measures light scattered by blood flow.
Exercise and Rest: The Heart of the Matter
With your wrist adorned with a new best friend, you might wonder if heart rate tracking genuinely offers health insights. Ah, yes, the answer is a resounding yes!
Tracking your heart rate (via your wrist buddy or by taking your pulse manually) gives you a clue about your resting rate's normality. The average resting heart rate ranges between 60-100 beats per minute (BPM), with women often having slightly higher rates compared to men.
In general, a lower resting heart rate is a sign of better conditioning. Highly trained athletes, for example, might have very low resting heart rates. Stress, anxiety, medications, nourishment, and fitness levels can influence heart rate, while sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone can also play a role.
During exercise, use your heart rate to gauge your intensity. Subtract your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate. For example, if you're 30, your maximum heart rate is 190 BPM. To avoid overdoing it, aim to exercise at 50 to 70% of your maximum heart rate for moderate-intensity activities and 70 to 85% for vigorous-intensity ones.
Enhancing Your Workout and Heart Health
Finding your ideal workout intensity can boost your fitness and heart health. Exercise trains your heart to work more efficiently, strengthening the heart muscle, improving blood flow, and increasing the blood pumped out during each beat. By doing so, it reduces risks of heart attacks and strokes, among other benefits.
However, be cautious while exercising. Persistent elevated heart rates during exercise may represent overtraining, so it's crucial to adjust your intensity accordingly. If you experience symptoms like lightheadedness, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, seek medical attention or ask someone to stay with you to see if symptoms resolve.
Now that your heart is spinning with excitement, let's make the most of your wearable tech! Keep an eye on your beats per minute – it could save your life.
Catching Health Problems with Heart Rate
Regular heart rate monitoring can help detect health issues. High or low heart rates during exercise could indicate overexertion or heart arrhythmias. Sustained elevated heart rates, fast or irregular rates, or rates causing lightheadedness, chest pain, difficulty breathing, or feeling like you're going to pass out, warrant immediate medical attention.
But don't panic if, after a workout, you feel a strong heartbeat that lingers a while. This feeling is often normal and tends to disappear on its own. If it persists or is accompanied by symptoms mentioned earlier, seek medical advice promptly.
Be Mindful: Not All Features are Created Equal
While fitness trackers can provide valuable health insights, don't put too much trust in every feature. Some built-in features, such as 'intensity minutes,' blood oxygen levels, and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2) are yet to be validated, so should still be regarded as experimental, according to Buber.
When it comes to blood oxygen levels, although finger pulse oximeters can measure this accurately when manufacturer instructions are followed, smartwatches are still lacking in validation. If you're curious about your blood oxygen levels, use a finger pulse oximeter instead, and don't let nail polish get in the way!
So, even though you can be skeptical of some features, dive into the world of health insights with your trusty fitness tracker and kept heart rate in check. With heart rate monitoring at your fingertips, you can seize valuable – and potentially life-saving – health information.
- With the advanced features available today, fitness trackers can monitor not only steps but also heart rate, sleep patterns, and even offer music playback, all while allowing simultaneous phone notification checks.
- When it comes to heart rate measurement, the majority of fitness trackers, such as watches, bands, and chest straps, are generally considered accurate for various applications like sleep or exercise.
- Tracking your heart rate during exercise can help determine the intensity of your workout, allowing you to aim for moderate-intensity activities at 50 to 70% of your maximum heart rate and vigorous-intensity ones at 70 to 85%.
