Having the goal to get healthy shouldn’t mean your first and only focus is to lose weight. Your weight is only part of your total health, and if you’re just starting a journey to get fit, your goals should include gaining strength, improving your heart health, and building your core strength too.
That being said, there are multiple reasons why, if you can safely do so, dropping weight from your frame is a good idea. Weight loss decreases your risk for many diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and certain types of cancer. With a lower weight comes less stress on your joints, and you should sleep better too.
Weight loss and getting fit is hard, but it’s a goal well worth having. Every goal is easier to meet if you have help along the way, and there are three key pieces of tech I know can help you stick to your fitness journey and lose weight.
Strap on a fitness tracker
Even if you don’t own a fitness tracker right now, you’ve probably had people tell you why they’re work so well for activity tracking and weight loss. All you have to do is strap it on your wrist and your tracker will track your steps, distance covered every day, calories burned, and any sort of activity like running or biking.
The key to using a fitness tracker for weight loss is to choose one with heart rate monitoring. I’ve used a few different types of fitness tracker with heart rate monitoring including the Fitbit Charge 3 and the Withings Steel HR.
The reason they work for weight loss is because they will show you your resting heart rate as well as track your heart rate during exercise. You can see when you’re at your peak or when you’re in a solid cardio zone, and that information can help you tailor your workouts so you’re always at that level. After all, you’ll have more weight loss success if you’re taking 10,000 steps every day while getting your heart rate up than if you were taking those steps at a sedate pace.
Fitness trackers can also help you find out which type of exercise will work for you. You can tailor your tracker for activities beyond running and biking, so if you’re a hiker or you like to use the elliptical, your tracker will know exactly what you’re doing to give you the most accurate data.
Smart scales show more than just weight
I’m not a fan of weighing in, but when I started my own weight loss journey I made sure I stuck to weighing in every week on the same day and the same time. Knowing your weight can keep you accountable and on track, but when you’ve been doing your best and the scale isn’t budging, that number can make you feel like giving up too.
That’s why a smart scale is one of the most important pieces of tech you can own. Not only do they show you an accurate weight every week, they also show you your body mass index, muscle mass, and bone index. Some smart scales can also track your water weight. They’ll send all of the data to an app on your phone so you can always look back and track your progress.
Smart scales help you keep an eye on your goals and get over disappointment when the scale doesn’t show a drop. If you’ve weighed yourself and you’ve noticed your weight hasn’t gone down but your muscle mass has gone up, that’s great news. Muscle weighs more than fat, and your body is letting you know you’re building strength.
Digital kitchen scales for portion control
How much should you eat during a meal? It’s hard to guess, especially when you’re hungry. I always used an app on my phone to tell me how many calories were in a certain meal I was making, but I had to guess how large of a portion I should be taking.
That’s where kitchen scales come in. I had no idea how useful a kitchen scale would be until I actually started using one. They measure in ounces or grams, and when you’re starving and you just want to eat, a kitchen scale will keep you honest. I only weigh out the big things like pasta or portions of protein, but it really helps you learn to control portions.
I also like using my scale rather than the scoop included in protein or green powder. I don’t always want to use the entire scoop, so having the scale lets me know how much I’m using and what it’s worth in terms of protein intake that day.
Lose weight and keep it off
The interesting thing about weight loss and getting healthy is there really is no finish line. You might have hit your intended weight and you’ve succeeded in meeting whatever goal you’ve set out for yourself, but to maintain your healthy lifestyle you need to set new goals.
If you use these devices to lose weight, you shouldn’t stop using them just because you were successful. With a fitness tracker you can plan out a less intense workout program, aim to drink more water, or use it to monitor a sleep-better program so you feel healthier overall.
With a smart scale you can monitor your intended weight to ensure you’re not gaining those hard-lost pounds back, but you can also monitor your bone mass as you get older or check in on how your muscle mass is doing over long periods of time.
These pieces of tech are my most recommended go-tos when someone asks for advice on losing weight. They keep you motivated, keep you honest with yourself, and can help you overcome those mental hurdles when you just want to give up.
If you’re just starting your weight loss journey, check out all of the health and fitness related devices you can find on Best Buy. It’s never easy to lose weight and get fit, but isn’t it great how tech can lend you a helping hand along the way?
