One benefit of owning a fitness tracker is that it can be a great motivator to move more. As the saying goes, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion and a body at rest rusts.” Moving more is one factor that can help improve quality of life. It is estimated that those who have fitness trackers are 20-30% more likely to move more often than those who do not. A fitness tracking device benefits not only those who are sedentary but those who already have a regular exercise routine but spend a good part of the day sitting at a desk job. Fitness trackers help improve more than the amount of movement you get in a day. They can help improve your overall health by tracking calories expended for weight loss and track the amount sleep one gets per night. All important factors contributing to healthy living.

Here’s what you can do to benefit from your tracking device

When implementing any kind of new habit into a routine it is important to have a plan. So, for the first week just wear your new tracker to get a feel for what you are currently doing. This will be a good starting point to build upon. Many fitness trackers use 10,000 steps a day as a good “health goal”. But if your daily average is 3,500 steps, 10,000 steps can seem an impossible goal to reach. Instead, work toward increasing your steps by 200-300 per day for an additional 2,000 steps per week, which equates to one extra mile a week. Find small ways to increase your activities. Go for a 10 minute walk at lunch. Take the steps instead of the elevator. Use wasted time as an opportunity to move more. On hold with service rep? Pace the house while waiting. If you have a child practicing a sport on a ball field? Walk the perimeter of the field instead of sitting in the bleachers.

Find small ways to increase your activities. Go for a 10-minute walk at lunch. Take the steps instead of the elevator. Use wasted time as an opportunity to move more. On hold with service rep? Pace the house while waiting. If you have a child practicing a sport on a ball field? Walk the perimeter of the field instead of sitting in the bleachers.

Many fitness trackers calculate calories burned or even sleep cycle patterns. If your goal is to lose weight, remember, to lose one pound a week you need a deficit of 500 calories per day. The best way to do this is to eat a little less and move a bit more. Set a goal to eat 250 fewer calories and do approximately 30 minutes of moderate activity to burn an additional 250 calories for 500 total calories for the day. Then you’ve met your goal for that one pound weight loss for the week.If you want to improve your time and quality of sleep, a fitness tracker is a great way to monitor how much sleep you are actually getting. For health benefits 7-9 hours of sleep a night is recommended. Based on your sleep results if more sleep is needed, decide if watching that hour of tv before bedtime is worth losing precious sleep time. The quality of sleep is also important. A fitness tracker can determine how much time you are actually asleep. Cut back on sugar, caffeine or alcohol and be sure your room is completely dark and free from electronics to help improve the quality of sleep. Deep breathing and meditation techniques can also benefit sleep quality.

If you want to improve your time and quality of sleep, a fitness tracker is a great way to monitor how much sleep you are actually getting. For health benefits 7-9 hours of sleep a night is recommended. Based on your sleep results if more sleep is needed, decide if watching that hour of tv before bedtime is worth losing precious sleep time. The quality of sleep is also important. A fitness tracker can determine how much time you are actually asleep. Cut back on sugar, caffeine or alcohol and be sure your room is completely dark and free from electronics to help improve the quality of sleep. Deep breathing and meditation techniques can also benefit sleep quality.

No matter what kind of fitness tracking device you own, you are more likely to move more if you wear it. So use this functional tool to its fullest potential to help improve your overall health.