# Using a tracker well, and its limits

> A tracker helps most people move a little more, especially if you're not yet active, and it works best with one small goal and some support. Treat its numbers as a rough guide, look at trends rather than single days, and expect your interest to dip.

- Type: Guide
- Topic: Technology & Tools › Wearables & Health Data
- Reviewed by: Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, Podiatrist (2026-10-21)
- URL: https://twikka.com/learn/using-a-tracker-well-and-its-limits
- Updated: 2026-10-21

- **Trackers help a bit on average.** People using one tend to do more moderate to vigorous activity, but not less sitting or more light activity [1].
- **A small goal and some support help.** Wearables may work better with feedback, coaching or personalised goals than on their own [2].
- **Treat the numbers as rough.** Calories, sleep time and fitness scores are the least reliable figures [3].
- **Start small and build.** Some activity is better than none, and short sessions count [4].
- **Apps have limits too.** Many people drop out of app-based programmes, and a hard-to-use app is not your fault [5].

## Can a wearable increase your motivation?

Wearables seem to get people moving more, but the measures are steps and activity minutes, not motivation itself. Using one may add about 1,312 steps a day and about 57.8 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity, though certainty is low to moderate [2]. The benefit appears among people not yet meeting activity guidelines, which may describe you, and has little impact on other groups [6].

On its own, a tracker is a weak source of motivation. It may work better with feedback, coaching, motivational messages or personalised goals [2]. Game-style features such as badges and challenges tend to have short-term effects; ongoing contact, including with a health professional, could help people keep going [7].

So treat a tracker as a way to see what you do, not as a push. Pair it with one small goal and daily feedback, or with a friend, coach or health professional who checks in.

## Does tracking your activity help you stay active?

Tracking helps people move a bit more on average, but the effect is modest. Feedback from activity monitors added about 48.5 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity [8]. It did not significantly reduce sitting time [8] and had no effect on light activity [1].

Seeing numbers such as your steps can raise awareness and support change [9]. Trackers are usually used with daily feedback and a goal [8], so use yours that way: look at the day's number alongside one small goal you can manage.

Human support seems to matter too. Scheduled follow-up by meeting or phone may help older adults overcome barriers to using digital tools [2]. A link between an app and a health professional was highly valued, and can help people with low app skills and encourage continued use [9]. If you can, add a regular check-in with a friend, a coach or a health professional.

## What are the downsides of relying on a tracker?

Accuracy is the best-evidenced downside. Even among the best-performing brands, step counts were accurate nearly 50% of the time [10], and counts from consumer and research devices can differ by 20% or more [11]. Some devices miss steps at very slow walking speeds [11]. None of the tested devices measured calories burned accurately [12]. Sleep time tends to be overestimated, typically by more than 10%, and aerobic fitness (VO2max) by about 15% in resting tests and about 10% in exercise tests [3]. Only 11% of consumer wearables have had their accuracy checked for even one measure, so treat health-status scores that combine several signals as rough guides [3].

Another limit is staying power. More than half of people who buy a wearable stop using it, and about a third of those stop within the first months [2].

Look at your weekly pattern rather than any single day's number, and don't rely on calorie, sleep or fitness-score figures. On a bad week, look back over your longer trend and don't let one dip decide whether you carry on.

## How do you set goals on a wearable?

Start with a goal you can realistically manage and let it grow. People not yet meeting the targets should start with small amounts and build up how often, how hard and how long [4]. Activity of any length counts toward a weekly goal; there is no 10-minute minimum [4]. The WHO target of 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week is a long-term direction, not a starting line [4].

- **Start short.** Begin with a duration you're comfortable with, which may be five to ten minutes, then build up [13].
- **Set one goal at a time,** and make it matter to you. Manageable goals with visible progress made app users more likely to come back, and goal setting was linked to sustained use [9]. Some people avoid goals for fear of not reaching them, so keep the first one easy [9].
- **Raise it gradually.** When you reach a goal, add a few minutes per session or one more day. Building up slowly may reduce injury risk [14].
- **Review and have a back-up.** Check your progress and revise the goal if needed. If bad weather stops your walk, marching or stepping indoors can stand in [13].

> **Try this:** Choose one goal for this week, such as 5–10 minutes of walking on a few days. Check your weekly total on your tracker, and add a few minutes next week only if this week felt manageable.

## How do you use a wearable for training goals like pace or heart rate zones?

For most beginners, the simplest approach is to judge effort by how you feel and whether you can still talk. Aim for the "light" to "somewhat hard" range; if your breathing becomes uncomfortable and you can't keep talking, you're probably overdoing it, so slow down [13]. The talk test is a practical, inexpensive way to check intensity and is consistent across walking and other steady activities, though it may not suit short, intense bursts [15].

Use your tracker's heart rate as a rough guide only. Wrist readings were within about ±3% on average in controlled settings [10], but errors for steps and calories vary widely [3], so don't treat one reading as a precise target.

Pace matters less than you might think. Once total daily steps are taken into account, time spent walking at faster stepping rates was not linked with lower risk of early death, so total steps mattered more [11]. These are observational findings, so they show a link, not a cause. Build up your total steps or minutes before worrying about speed.

If you have a heart condition, an irregular heartbeat or take beta-blockers, a wrist heart rate reading may not reflect how hard you are working. Ask your care team to set any heart rate target, rather than taking one from a tracker or an app [16][13]. In these cases, scales of perceived effort can be used instead of heart rate [16].

## What are the downsides of fitness apps?

The best-evidenced downside is that many people stop using them. About 43% drop out of app-based programmes for people with long-term conditions, and even in trials with detailed support, many people barely used the app [5]. Apps may also end up helping younger, healthier people most [5].

Low tech confidence, little experience with apps and low health literacy were linked to lower use [17]. A difficult, time-consuming app can reduce your sense of your own competence, and lacking app skills can bring self-blame and disappointment [9]. If an app feels hard, that is a common reaction, not a personal failing. Choose a simpler app, or ask someone to help you set it up.

Privacy concerns reduce people's willingness to keep using an app [17], and the information you enter may not be secure [18]. Check the privacy settings and be careful what personal details you enter. The content of most health apps isn't written or reviewed by medical experts and may be inaccurate or unsafe [18], so check anything important with your doctor or another health professional. Reminders and social features such as competition don't suit everyone and can trigger negative emotions [9]; turn off any that make you feel pressured.

## 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.

Don't let a tracker push you past how you feel. Start slowly, listen to your body, and see how you feel before trying more challenging activity [14].

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.

Feeling sick, sweaty or unwell, unexplained discomfort, or breathlessness or dizziness that doesn't settle during or after activity should not be put down to normal effort. If it has settled, see a doctor soon. A sore muscle or joint, or soreness a day or two later, is the kind of thing to ease off for, and see a doctor or other health professional if it persists or gets worse.

## Quick answers

### Do I need a tracker to get more active?

Not necessarily. On average a tracker adds a modest amount of activity, mostly for people not yet meeting the guidelines. What counts is moving more: some activity is better than none, and short sessions count. A tracker is one way to see what you already do.

### Why do I lose interest in my tracker after a few weeks?

It's common, and nothing to feel bad about. The novelty tends to wear off, and a tracker alone rarely changes habits for long. Pairing it with one small goal, and a friend, coach or health professional who checks in, gives it more staying power. Expect a dip and plan for it.

### Is it a problem if I feel bad when I miss a goal?

Missing a goal is normal and doesn't undo what you've done. Look back over your longer trend rather than one week. If a goal keeps feeling too big, revise it: choose fewer minutes or fewer days, then build up again. If the numbers make you feel pressured, switch off those features.

## Sources

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13. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Cardiac rehabilitation home exercise guidelines. https://www.cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/cardiac-rehabilitation-home-exercise-guidelines/
14. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2025). Tips to Keep Moving. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/tips-get-active/tips-keep-moving
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17. Jakob R et al. (2022). Factors Influencing Adherence to mHealth Apps for Prevention or Management of Noncommunicable Diseases: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9178451/
18. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Know the Science: Finding Health Information on Mobile Health Apps. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/know-science/finding-and-evaluating-online-resources/finding-health-information-on-mobile-health-apps/tips-when-using-mhealth-apps

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Source: Twikka (https://twikka.com/learn/using-a-tracker-well-and-its-limits). General information about physical activity, not medical advice.