Tracking your habits

Does tracking habits help?

Yes, tracking tends to help a little, at least in the short term. In adults aged 18–65 without chronic illness, apps and trackers added about 1850 steps per day⁴. Among adults aged 40 and over who were overweight or obese, tracking your own behaviour was linked with positive effects in both the short and long term⁵.

Checking your progress is the useful part. Monitoring had larger effects on reaching goals when the information was physically recorded, for example written down, and when results were reported to someone else². So writing your progress down is a reasonable way to start, and you don't need a gadget.

Support helps too. Trackers used on their own showed an effect, but it was larger when combined with other support such as coaching, telephone counselling or group education⁶.

Tracking is easier to keep up when it stays simple. More than half of people who buy a wearable activity device stop using it, often within the first few months³. If you stop tracking for a while, that is common. Pick it up again with a small step.

• Track one thing: days you walked, or minutes walked.
• Share it: tell a friend, family member or health professional, or ask someone to check in with you.
• Pair it with support: a walking friend, a group, a coach or reminders.

Do habit-tracking apps help?

Apps and trackers help modestly. Among physically inactive people, mobile health interventions improved physical activity⁷, and the gains in adults aged 18–65 without chronic illness were the same kind of size noted above⁴. Wearable devices may add a median of 1,312 steps per day, though the certainty of that estimate is low to moderate³. These figures come from step trackers and general activity apps, so treat a habit app as something to try rather than a promise.

Apps seem to work better with extras. Text-message prompts and personalisation features made a difference⁴, and so did motivational messages, personalised goal setting and feedback³. A plain digital exercise diary may not hold your interest without features such as periodic reminders or active participation⁸.

The type of tracking may matter depending on your aim. If you want to sit less, tools that count your movement for you worked better than self-reported diaries or recording forms⁹. Paper or device tracking is not clearly better overall, so choose whichever you will actually use.

• Choose a simple app that is easy to use. One with reminders or goals you can set yourself may help you stay with it.
• Check what an app does with your data before you sign up. Be wary of anything asking for payment details or personal information you don't understand.
• Think about pairing the app with some human support, such as a friend, a group or a health professional.
• Don't worry if an app doesn't suit you. A paper calendar or diary is a fine alternative.

When to check with a health professional

If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first.

For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio.

For a sore muscle or joint, ease off, and see a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse.

Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe.