Do you keep track of your heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep patterns in addition to your number of steps? You’re doing well, you would think. But these experts doubt that.
A pedometer seems so innocent. Such a counter encourages movement and more movement is good for your health. “You just have to be able to handle it,” says Pieternel Dijkstra, social psychologist and researcher.
Not everyone is mentally capable of this, she thinks. “Then I’m mainly talking about people who have a tendency to have obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions. To people who are too strict with themselves and are perfectionistic.”
For example, if you aim to take 10,000 steps a day, you must also be able to deal with it if that doesn’t work out once. If you find that difficult and you feel that you have to drag yourself off the couch for another walk, then according to Dijkstra something is not right.
Losing Grip On Your Own Body
There are two sides to using a health tracker, says Lidewy Hendriks, psychologist at MIND Korrelatie. “Depending on the person and the reason you use such a tracker. Maybe you like that competitive element very much, or it helps you move more.”
“But if you have a low sense of self-worth or are not mentally strong in another way, such a tracker can give you a feeling of failure or stress,” Hendriks explains. As soon as it becomes a matter of having to, these apps do more harm than good, Dijkstra also thinks. “Then it becomes a straitjacket or a compulsion.”
You can always wonder whether it is good to always measure your bodily functions. Because such a health tracker can encourage more movement by, for example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. But you can also lose grip on your own body.
“For example, if you receive an abnormal notification from your heart rate monitor once, that can cause stress, while there doesn’t have to be anything wrong immediately,” says Dijkstra. And if you no longer recognize the signals from your own body and need a tracker to determine whether you have slept well or not, you have also lost that connection.
“It keeps us away from our ability and skill to listen to our bodies,” says Hendriks. “Such a tracker, for example, does not know why you slept badly. Maybe you had an argument with your partner and your bad night can be explained by that.” According to the psychologist, it is already difficult enough to feel what you feel. Let alone if that becomes dependent on a Fitbit or pedometer.
Don’t forget the addictive effect of the apps
Do you let yourself be guided a little too much by the trackers? Then look for another way to get a satisfied feeling or boost. Hendriks: “Or talk about it with friends. Go exercise together. That also brings back the social and human aspect.”
According to Dijkstra, you should always keep the addictive effect of these apps in the back of your mind. And one is more sensitive to it than the other. “If you feel that you are being carried away too much, take a break. And try to deal with it more consciously.”
Both experts emphasize that these gadgets can contribute positively to your (sporty) life, as long as you do not forget to continue listening to your own body and do not compulsively deal with certain goals that you set for yourself.
“For people with, for example, depression or people who need a push, I applaud it. The condition is that the use of this type of tracker always yields more positive than negative for the user,” Hendriks concludes.