It's rare for a day to go by when someone isn't asking me my opinion on fitness trackers [1]. "Which is the best? Which will help me lose weight? Is this one really worth that hefty price tag?" Some people thrive in a fitness routine that's driven by numbers, but celebrity trainer and Flywheel instructor Lacey Stone [2] thinks that for some folks, this technology might be doing more harm than good.
Source: Instagram user popsugarfitness [3]
Lacey is a fan of anything that helps people move (especially a quality heart rate monitor [4]), but focusing too much on hitting that "perfect" number of steps or calories can lead to serious stress. When your body is stressed out, it pumps out excessive amounts of the hormone cortisol, causing a hormonal imbalance that reduces your ability to burn fat and holds you back from reaching your goals. Beyond the scientific evidence, Lacey is a big believer in the following weight-loss mantra: "it's not just what you do; it's how you feel." If you're going to lose the weight and keep it off, it needs to be about more than calculations and numbers. You need to find a workout you love.
As someone who tightly held on to an extra couple of pounds until I found this workout that made me a morning person [5], Lacey's advice resonates with me. For months, I tried to rock a fitness tracker and count all my calories. Instead of feeling supported by these calculations, I ended up obsessing over them. When I realized I was doing more harm than good, I let go of that pressure, focused on finding a workout I loved, and started to eat in a way that supported and improved my performance. The rest took care of itself.
This isn't to discount all of the advanced fitness trackers out there on the market. Tons of people have found huge weight-loss success in counting their steps, calories consumed, or calories burned. However, if you can relate to my experience and are putting in the hard work without seeing results, it might be time to take Lacey's advice; focus a little less on the numbers and a little more on having fun.