Millions of people now own smart watches (sometimes referred to as fitness trackers or wearable technology). Wearable devices have the ability to connect with our smart phones and make our lives easier. The real question is – can these actually improve my workouts or help me to achieve my goals? We discuss some of the potential benefits that these devices can add to our wellbeing. 

Whether your personal goal is to reach your target weight by starting a weight loss fitness programme, or to run a 5k in the new year – there are ways that you can use your smart watch to put you on a path to achieve your goal.

At Uniquely Health, we are here to provide you with tools to use wearable technology to reach your targets. Our clinical team are here to help you understand what the data actually means, empowering you to use this when you workout or have a goal to lose weight for example. We are here to give you accurate solutions to feeling your best and living a healthier, happier life.

What are Wearables used for?

In a health and fitness context, wearables are used to monitor and track various aspects of an individual’s well-being. They typically include devices like fitness trackers, smartwatches, and other wearable technologies. Key functionalities include:

1. Activity Tracking: Wearables monitor physical activities such as steps taken, distance travelled, and calories burned, offering insights into overall fitness levels.
2. Heart Rate Monitoring: They track heart rate in real-time during exercise and throughout the day, providing information about cardiovascular health and exercise intensity.
3. Sleep Tracking: Wearables often offer sleep monitoring features to analyse sleep patterns, duration, and quality, aiding in sleep optimisation.
4. Calorie Counting: Some devices estimate calorie expenditure based on activity levels and personal metrics.
5. GPS and Location Tracking: Useful for outdoor activities, wearables with GPS capabilities can track routes, distances, and elevation during exercises like running or cycling.
6. Biometric Measurements: Certain wearables can measure additional biometrics such as skin temperature, blood oxygen levels, and more, offering a comprehensive health overview.
7. Integration with Health Apps: Many wearables sync data with health and fitness apps, like the Uniquely Health App, allowing users to have a centralised view of their health and wellbeing.

Overall, wearables in the health and fitness context aim to empower individuals with real-time data, encouraging a proactive approach to their physical and mental health.

Data for personalisation

Wearable device data can help you and your clinicians to understand your current level of health. Your device may provide insights around heart rate, sleep, stress, energy and steps (+ many more). Tracking trends in each of these areas highlights patterns in your wellbeing and can help inform areas that need improvement.

For example, tracking your resting heart rate and cardiorespiratory fitness can identify whether general fitness levels are improving or not. A clinician can then prescribe you heart rate training zones to help you to develop your fitness, or give you the right training intensity to workout at to achieve a potential weight loss goal.

The bottom line is that this data is personal to you. No-one else will share the same metrics, and therefore personalised solutions offer the ability to radically transform your wellbeing journey.

The Context of Healthcare and Technology

The speed at which technology is revolutionising healthcare is rapid. From wearable devices to food apps that track your macros and micros, technology is accelerating the shift towards using personalised, data-driven insights for preventative healthcare.

Now is the time to understand how wearables can help with your own healthcare journey.

According to the latest data from GWI (1), there are 219.43 million smartwatch users worldwide. This number is rapidly growing. In the UK, approximately 15% of adults own a wearable device.

Considering the widespread use of fitness trackers, we need to think more proactively how we can use the data from our watches in a practical setting.

For example, studies have shown that there is a dose-response relationship between physical activity and health outcomes (2). Tracking watches provide much higher accuracy in data than self-reporting, and therefore it is more insightful to gather data through wearable devices than it is to simply self-report.

Similarly, it is more effective to demonstrate exercise intensity using heart rate intensity, rather than subjective measures like asking ‘how hard it feels’. Using heart rate can allow clinicians to understand whether someone is working in a fat burning zone, or whether they are developing their circulatory system.

How does Uniquely Health use data from wearables?

At Uniquely Health, we offer the ability to sync your wearable devices with our Uniquely Health App. At Uniquely Health, you can:

• Sync wearable data from your tracking device (may sync with Apple Health/ Android Health/ Google Fitness) to your personal Uniquely Health Dashboard
• Record exercise and workouts
• Record a food diary via smart technology that allows you to scan food barcodes/ take photos of food
• Comprehensive blood testing and results will be discussed with your GP and shared via your Uniquely Health personal dashboard

You will have one-to-one online consultations with each member of our clinical team (GP, Exercise Scientist and Registered Dietitian) who can understand your current patterns of activity and prescribe exercise and nutritional changes that line up with your health goals.

A Case Study for Weight Loss

For example, if weight loss is your main goal – your Exercise Scientist will prescribe you a heart rate training zone that is specific to your fat burning zone. You will be given a weight loss fitness programme alongside active interventions from your Registered Dietitian who will put a meal plan in place for you to find active solutions for reaching your goals.

Recording accurate fitness data at the gym or at home can help guide a bespoke exercise programme for weight loss which can include exercises to lose weight.

Your food can then be tracked through the nutrition section of the app, where you can take pictures or scan the barcodes of your food to record a log of your food each week.

As discussed, there are many potential benefits to wearable devices. Future innovation will continue to unlock further uses of your personal data, yet it is important to stay informed around how this data can actually be used to improve your wellbeing.

At Uniquely Health, a data-driven health approach can leverage the power of technology and shape your future of sport and health, driving positive change and helping you to live a healthier, happier life.

Don’t limit your potential by being behind the curve of technology. Get in touch to find out the best ways that you can use your data to improve your health.