FitBit vs. Pokemon Go: Which is Better for Your Fitness Routine?
Times are changing fast. Where once being tech savvy would have suggested a more sedentary lifestyle, this is no longer true. In the age of smartphones, activity bands, and fitness apps, professionals are free to take their calls, emails, and workouts on-the-go. Even video games have begun incorporating fitness features into their new popular apps. With so many options for informing and enhancing your active lifestyle, it leaves you to wonder which system would best suit your fitness routine. While most serious adults think of fitness apps in terms of black FitBit wristbands, long runs, and sweaty sessions at the gym, some find that the self-tracking watch designs just aren’t motivating enough to get up early and go for a Saturday morning run. On the other hand, there are a lot of reports that the unique AR app Pokemon Go has been doing wonders for the workout routines and social lives of usually otherwise introverted gamers. Would you be better off chasing Pokemon during your fitness routine?
FitBit Personal Health Tracking
The benefits of the FitBit are undeniable, and their design starts with the same concept used to enhance Fitness in Pokemon Go: the step counter. The simplest model of FitBit is the Zip, which like its name indicates can be attached like a zipper clip to your bag, jacket, or belt. It tracks the steps you take, distance traveled, 7 days of motion data, and syncs to the FitBit app on your phone and computer. The FitBit One adds sleep tracking and slient alarms, while the Flex and Alta are sensor-less wristbands with small, simple displays that show you the time, your steps, and how close you are to a goal set on the phone app. If you love to compare and top your own fitness stats, this system is amazing.
Getting Active With Pokemon Go
You’ve probably heard rumors and discussions of the Pokemon fitness app, but is it really effective? How exactly does it encourage people to get out and exercise while chasing down the little pocket monsters? Most people understand that you have to go to certain locations to catch AR rendered creatures on your phone, but what’s to stop kids from just driving or skateboarding around without ever working up a good aerobic sweat? The answer is Poke-Eggs. Pokemon have to be hatched from eggs collected and earned throughout the game. If you want to hatch rare creatures or just raise your Pokemon from infancy, you have to hatch the eggs by rocking them with the motion of your steps. According to Science Daily, it can take up to 6 miles of steps to hatch a single poke-egg. This motivation has kids and adults alike walking and running more than they normally would every weekday, and many users will walk hours of extra time on weekends in order to collect more items and hatch their beloved eggs.
The Right Fitness Routine For You
If you’re currently wondering why we’re comparing a professional fitness tracking system with a phone app about cartoon animals, then FitBit is definitely the product for you. If, on the other hand, you are not so easily motivated by your own heart rate and the speed of your last run, you may find a lot of benefit in seeking a gamified fitness solution. Pokemon Go brings all they motivations and psychological hooks of a video game and dangles them ahead of you like an adorable AR carrot, keeping you running all weekend long without even realizing how much time and energy you’re dedicating to a fit lifestyle. Pokemon Go now even offers a wristband accessory that helps to track your steps and alert you when you are approaching a Pokemon.
The key to living a successfully active life is motivation. Even pure willpower can’t replace the raw enjoyment of loving what you do to work out. Whether it’s the speed of a run, the delight of beating your own stats, or the joy of catching and raising Pokemon, what matters is that you are motivated to get active and stay active in your fitness routine. For more interesting news on fitness, contact us today!
David Michael Gilbertson is the founder and president of 3 Elements Lifestyle, LLC., a Fitness and Weight Loss company that specializes in YOU!. With more than 15 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, David lectures, delivers seminars and gives workshops on the practical skills required to successfully help you with your health and fitness goals. David also helps you build the teamwork, management, and training necessary to open your own fitness center. For more information on Licensing and Consulting Services Visit his website at www.3elementslifestyle.com or email at daveg@3elementslifestyle.com or call (805) 499-3030.
