How can I use wearable technology to improve my health?

For better or worse, technology has become a part of our daily lives. We can receive calls and messages anywhere, at any time. We can count our steps and track our runs. We can even do guided meditation and receive daily affirmations. And now, “wearable tech” can monitor our health moment by moment.

Wearable tech is made up of devices designed to be worn on the body to help you to achieve fitness and wellness goals and track your health. Examples include fitness trackers, smartwatches and even virtual reality headsets. While smartphones have been able to collect data about our health for a while, it wasn’t always very consistent. AED Superstore, a preferred vendor for PTPN (Physiquality’s parent company), points out that wearable tech like Fitbits and Apple watches are an improvement over smartphones because they are in constant contact with our skin, the body’s largest organ.

These wearables can use infrared light to measure heart rate and an accelerometer to measure calories burned. These capabilities mean that the wearables are tracking lots of data that can be used to improve our health, if we pay attention. But how?

Even if you haven’t been exercising on a regular basis, that smartwatch or fitness tracker gives you a baseline to measure by — how many steps do you take per day, on average, for example? This allows you to set goals to move beyond what you were doing previously. An American Journal of Preventive Medicine study shows how people that set goals and measured their progress with wearable technology were able to increase their physical activity. And when you’re more active, you’re reducing your risk for a variety of issues and diseases.

If you’re trying to improve your endurance or lose weight, you can also set goals for your heart rate while exercising. The experts at Polar, a Physiquality partner, explain that the first step is knowing your resting heart rate. For the best result, measure your resting heart rate in the morning, right after you wake up. For an accurate and easy measurement, consider using a heart rate monitor. Polar recommends doing the measurement more than once, on consecutive mornings, to establish a good baseline.

According to the American Heart Association, a healthy resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If it’s lower, you’re most likely an elite athlete and in excellent health. But if it’s higher than that, you need to talk to your physician about why your heart rate is so high, and then discuss ways to bring it down and improve your health.

Age	Target HR Zone 50-85%	Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100%
20 years	100-170 beats per minute (bpm)	200 bpm
30 years	95-162 bpm	190 bpm
35 years	93-157 bpm	185 bpm
40 years	90-153 bpm	180 bpm
45 years	88-149 bpm	175 bpm
50 years	85-145 bpm	170 bpm
55 years	83-140 bpm	165 bpm
60 years	80-136 bpm	160 bpm
65 years	78-132 bpm	155 bpm
70 years	75-128 bpm	150 bpm
Data for table from American Heart Association.

Once you know that your resting heart rate is in a healthy range, you can set goals for your target heart rate during exercise. The AHA has posted target heart rate ranges for exercise, as well as maximum heart rates; keep in mind that these are averages and haven’t been calculated specifically knowing a person’s level of fitness or previous health conditions.

Polar emphasizes the importance of finding balance in your heart rate goals — the “sweet spot” between not intense enough and too intense. You can overdo any form of exercise, and put yourself at a high risk of injury, pain or burnout. For most regular exercisers, Polar says, two or three times of high intensity training a week is enough. Your physical therapist is an excellent resource to help you find this balance.

Also, don’t forget that if your heart rate suddenly spikes or if you feel tightness in your chest, stop exercising and seek medical attention.

Regardless of how you’re monitoring your body and measuring its response to activity, be sure to speak to a healthcare provider about your exercise regimen. Don’t forget that your physical therapist is an excellent resource for musculoskeletal health. Use our therapist finder below to locate the professional nearest you.