"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Fitness Trackers: The Path to a Healthy Heart?

Newer, higher devices and apps can higher guide you in exercising at the correct intensity to assist your heart.


Photo: LDProd/Thinkstock

Perhaps essentially the most well-known problem with fitness trackers is that folks often retire them to the junk drawer after just a few months, once the novelty of using them wears off. But that's not the one drawback of those devices, which are frequently worn across the wrist or wrapped in clothing.

Sure, they'll count your steps, display your heart rate, and even estimate what number of calories you've burned—though you'll probably need your tracker to see that data. It might want to sync with the app in your smartphone, tablet or computer. . However, few of these kinds of popular free apps are based on published evidence. And they don't necessarily follow well-established exercise guidelines. Even if you happen to meet really useful every day exercise goals—like half-hour of brisk walking or 10,000 steps—how do you understand if you happen to're really doing enough to maintain your heart healthy? And what if you happen to've been sedentary for years or have a chronic medical condition—can an app assist you to exercise safely?

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