TECHNOLOGY IS REVOLUTIONISING HOW WE WORK OUT

Wi-fi and 3G re-imagined technology from something that ties us down to something that lets us log on on the move. Since tablets and cell phones became handbag staples, technology is well and truly  upwardly mobile. And since Silicon Valley types reconciled computers with common wardrobe items  – think watches and wristbands – we’ve entered what experts are calling the ‘era of the quantified self’ Now you can reduce your arvo tea, 10km run and even how much you toss and turn to a set of numbers  (which of course sync with your desky devices so you can geek out later).

There is, of course, the question of whether all this is just giving us more details in which to get bogged down. And there is a risk of confusing crunching your numbers with improving them (generating four pie charts won’t burn more fat). The exciting flip side is that, in the right hands, apps and online trackers can help you over hurdles, from getting out of bed for the gym to maintaining your resolve when results stall (or – gulp – slide).

A Rackspace study of Australians who use wearable technology found overwhelming belief that on-person  tools boost health and fitness. Whether you are out to lose weight, run a marathon or even give up the gaspers, there’s a device – if not an app, virtual coach or online community – claiming to help you do it. 

So how do you choose the tech that will tap into your intricate psyche and lifestyle?

Motivation 101

Motivation, says fitness guru Craig Harper, is what gets you started to achieve your goal, but it’s commitment that sees you follow it through.

“For most people motivation is a temporary emotional state – it comes and goes and is inherently unreliable,” says the Melbourne-based trainer and motivational speaker of 20 years.

To stay on track it’s best to redefine your non-negotiables, he says. “Ask yourself what needs to happen to achieve your weight, health or fitness goal that is non-negotiable. Something that you can do all the time; not something that you just do when you’re in the zone, feeling motivated or on a program.” And, before you turn to the latest high-tech fitness tool designed to help you across the line, try to work out what is driving you to change in the first place. Are you approaching or working towards a goal that will bring you comfort or make you feel great? Or is fear or wanting to avoid a situation that is painful spurring you on to take action? Understanding more about yourself will increase your desire for overall wellbeing, plus the likelihood that your action plan will be fulfilled.

Use tech right

Fitness gadgets and gizmos can be a great way to track your progress – and we all survive on progress, says principal sport psychologist Daniel Dymond of Melbourne’s Performance and Sport Psychology Clinic. When your smart phone is gleaming back results that show you’ve lost a few hundred grams this week or run a few minutes faster than last week, you can’t help feeling revitalised.

“The great thing about technology is it’s objective,” says Dymond. Strava doesn’t know if you’ve had a dog of a day or a lousy night’s sleep. If your data shows a solid workout, it can be just the reality check you need to snap yourself out of your funk.

But, it’s how you use the feedback from your device, app or online community that really matters to your motivation, says Harper.

Online tools can be as valuable or as worthless as you make them. Use data and feedback to keep track of your developments, but try to avoid getting too caught up in the numbers game. Relying too heavily on technology can see you externalise control over what it is you are trying to achieve.

Sydney clinical psychologist Louise Adams works with many clients who develop unhealthy fixations with numbers, particularly in relation to weight loss. “Any kind of technology that is monitoring calorie intake or calories burned for example, creates an obsession with numbers, which is at the heart of a lot of eating disorders,” explains the head of online wellness program Treat Yourself Well. “I find that not only dangerous and disrespectful,but really promoting obsessive behaviour rather than a relaxed attitude about food and our bodies.”

Choose wisely

Three things to remember when
picking the right tech tool for
your fitness mission:

Define your goal

The technology you select must not only match your goal – a running tracker for a marathon mission – but also allow you to set a realistic time frame in which to achieve it, says Dymond. Training for a foot  race or losing 10 kilos should be considered long-term goals, he says. And remember, it’s natural for your motivation to come and go along the way, so don’t log out just yet.

Put it in context

Apps, online communities and virtual coaches are objective and often only offer generic plans and programs. The risk? You set unrealistic and unsustainable goals for in which to achieve it, says
Dymond. Training for a foot race or losing 10 kilos should be considered long-term goals, he says. And remember, it’s natural for your motivation to come and go along the way, so don’t log out just yet.

Put it in context

Apps, online communities and virtual coaches are objective and often only offer generic plans and programs. The risk? You set unrealistic and unsustainable goals for yourself. Try to find a tool that allows you to register as much personal information as possible to create some context to your task. A good example, says Harper, is MyFitnessPal, a personalised online food diary and activity log.

Know your personality

There is little regulation when it comes to fitness tools, which makes knowing your personality – and more so, how thick your skin is – vital when it comes to making your tool work for you, says Adams. She warns against using sadistic apps such as Carrot-Fit, which shames you into taking action with feedback like: ‘Get your flabby body moving, meat bag!’ “Try to select things that treat you with respect. The way to motivate is not through self-hatred, it’s through self-kindness and desire for wellbeing,” she says.