How Smart Watches Encourage You to Work Out

With the introduction of smartwatches, fitness changed drastically. Before these watches, exercise and fitness were mostly no-tech endeavors. Sure, you may listen to music so you feel pumped while you work out, but that was the extent of technology and exercise, other than exercise machines, of course. That all changed when smart watches entered the mainstream.

Using a smartwatch, you could send texts, make calls, track your health, and more all without pulling out your phone. You could change tracks in your playlist and even browse the Internet while exercising, all while staying hands-free. This made exercise more engaging in some ways, but how does it really encourage the average person?

HOW SMART WATCHES HYPE YOU UP

Sunk-cost fallacy

This first point is a little odd to bring up, but some people may understand what this means right out of the gate. Sometimes, motivation can come from yourself, but even then it can be difficult to really hold onto that drive for so long. In some situations, you’ll need external factors to push or even pressure you into doing what you really want to do, and this is possible via the sunk-cost fallacy.

The sunk-cost fallacy is a type of fallacy wherein someone feels compelled to continue a certain course of action or activity because they’ve already spent so many resources on said activity. It happens all the time at work, at home, and even with friends, but you can actually use this in a somewhat positive way.

If you’ve had the mind to exercise for a while now, but you never found the motivation to do so, you can make yourself feel pressured to exercise by buying a smartwatch. It sounds silly, but by spending a lot of money on a fancy smart watch, you’ll feel the need to make use of it, seeing that you already own one. This method doesn’t work for everyone, but for certain individuals, it may give them the push they need.

It keeps track of progress

One of the nice things about smartwatches is that they are like a personal coach of sorts. They track your daily progress for you, remembering your BPM (Beats Per Minute) and other statistics after every workout session. You can even add additional information, such as your diet, so you can keep track of everything at a glance.

The reason why this is such a good thing to have in encouraging you is that progress makes you feel motivated. Knowing how far you’ve come gives you the feeling that all the effort you put yourself through was worth it, and that will give you the strength to keep going.

It’s a long-term companion

Investing in a smartwatch is like investing in a long-term companion of sorts. You’ll feel like you have something that you can rely on for months and years to come when it comes to fitness, and that alone can be reassuring. The fact that you have a form of support for your routines can help make the journey feel a little less taxing. While smartwatches don’t last forever, you can replace them with certain replacement parts, such as Fitbit Charge 2 bands for your Fitbit if they end up breaking by accident.