With Data, Keeping Fit is Easier

In a few days, It’d be a new year and I’m really excited because it’s time to make new year resolutions. For most of us, ‘working out’ and ‘keeping fit’ would be listed amongst our top five or top ten goals for 2021 as it has been in the three previous new year resolutions.

But the sad truth is, according to this data, you’re 79% likely to not keep to that goal because 1. If you really wanted to work out, you’d have started already 2. You’d start but give up after two to fours weeks because there’re no physical indications to show that you workout.

For reason (1), they’re pocket of reasons, some beyond your control, why you haven’t started working out and I won’t judge you for it. What I’d say is: If you want to work out and you have the time/energy to do it, please start now.

A simple explanation for the reason (2) is that we don't keep data of our workouts.

I can't overemphasize how data is so crucial in making everyday decisions. Example, in marketing, data is how we know what campaign worked, what post has the highest engagements, what day/time is best to post, who viewed a particular page. No matter how small, there're tools that help us collect these data for processing and making decisions.

Data tells us, what your eye condition is, whether you need glasses or not, what type of glasses and how long should you wear them(reads: glasses). Data-driven decision-making (sometimes abbreviated as DDDM) is the process of using data to inform your decision-making process and validate a course of action before committing to it.

So, what has all of this got to do with exercising your body?

On the 23rd of September, 2020, my birthday, I was lucky to have been gifted an Apple watch. I love this watch because it reminds me to stand, breath, measures how long i have stood, walked, run and how many stairs I've climbed. It also checks my heart rate.

With this data, I know how many calories I've burnt, how often I've moved my body and importantly, see improvements even when my body looks otherwise.

I celebrate the small win when i weight 67KG today and 66.5KG next week because seeing the numbers always compel me to do better.

Say, if you stood for 30 minutes today, your watch reminds you to do better next day, your human condition would want you to beat your very best to stand for 45 minutes in ways that won't stress you. You become more proactive.

We have a narrow view of what working out looks like or feels like. There's the common running, skipping, jogging and participating in sports but people who can't physically or are mentally not available to do the commons feel excluded.

Most people feel if they're not doing the 'commons', they're not working out. This isn't true. Walking for just 10 minutes can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier. Now imagine if you had a tracker that monitors your vitals, then you see how many calories you burnt just walking 10 minutes, you'd want to walk more with a sense that it's easy.

Keeping data makes the weight loss journey smooths because it shows doing the lightest things helps keep fit. This comes with loads of inspirations to do more.

On how to go about tracking your vitals, the Apple Watch is expensive and I would not advise you get it. They're lots of good low price Android smartwatches that reads your body very accurately.