Yes! Send me the FREE digital editions of Spa Business and Spa Business insider magazines and the FREE weekly Spa Business and Spa Business insider ezines and breaking news alerts!
Increased exercise and a low-calorie diet, supported by an activity tracking device, is less effective than the same regime supported by regular counselling, according to a two-year study from the University of Pittsburgh in the US.
For the research, participants were put on low-calorie diets and prescribed increases in physical activity – but while device users lost an average of 7.7lbs, those being counselled lost an average of 13lbs.
The study concluded that, although devices allow for easy tracking of physical activity and give feedback and encouragement, they may not enhance adherence to a healthy lifestyle – ultimately the most important aspect of any weight-loss regime.
Lead researcher John Jakicic says: “Questions remain regarding the effectiveness of wearable devices, and how to best use them to modify physical activity and diet behaviours in adults seeking weight loss.”
Not only that, but a growing number of media reports and internet chat forums indicate that people who have turned to trackers to help them lose weight have found their weight plateau, or even rise – an outcome generally attributed to inaccurate calorie trackers, or to the fact that any nutritional advice from the tracker is insufficiently personalised, so users tend to make the wrong food choices.
So, what advice should operators be giving their clients when it comes to using activity trackers for weight loss? Might using a tracker stop you losing weight – or worse, cause you to put it on? We ask the experts.
It’s good that wearable technology and physical activity trackers are being debated, but we need to put them into context – we’re only at the start of the journey of their functionality. We’re at the stage where we can only use tracking information as an indication and not take it too seriously. If companies like Nike and Microsoft have withdrawn their devices, it shows we’re at a very early stage.
There’s so much confusion over healthy eating and weight management. Monitoring activity is only part of the answer and people need to be careful about setting their calorific intake based on the information from a tracker: most people tend to over-estimate their physical activity levels and under-estimate what they eat.
Going forward, to make trackers more effective, there needs to be more use of artificial intelligence. There also needs to be more gamification. This needs to be fun – it shouldn’t be boring or dreary.
"We’re at the stage where we can only use tracking information as an indication and not take it too seriously" – David Minton
Liz DickinsonFounder and CEOMio Global
Liz Dickinson
The majority of trackers on the market today are limited to a single objective: to provide information on steps, calories or sleep. What’s missing are the appropriate actions that must be taken to lead a healthy lifestyle. To have a significant impact as a weight-loss tool, wearables must also be able to provide personalised actions.
It isn’t an appropriate strategy to just rely on calorie deficit as the primary means of achieving weight loss. There are complex and dynamic properties which alter how we metabolise calories, including the type of calorie composition and the individual’s physiology and genetics.
Wearables can have a significant impact as a tool for weight loss, but only if they provide both insights and personalised actions. Mio’s approach is to transform information into insights, using a scientifically-validated metric called PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence), which contextualises sensor-acquired data. Contextualising a user’s physiological habits, sleep, daily activities and exercise – all 24/7 – should positively impact the likelihood of behaviour change by providing truly personalised insights and meaningful actions.
Anna Gudmundson CEOFitbug
Anna Gudmundson
This is a new segment that will evolve and get more accurate in terms of using the data generated. Wearables aren’t a magic wand, but they can help with a healthier lifestyle. Just like scales or a mirror, trackers can’t be weight-loss tools on their own, but they can help shift us towards a healthier lifestyle.
Education and awareness is key, and Fitbug is focused on creating programmes that have context and explanation. Working within the corporate environment rather than health clubs, we look at holistic wellness and seek to change overall health and wellbeing – not just to support weight loss.
We aim to be an education tool that helps people recognise their bad habits and address them. For example, the device made me realise how few steps I do when I’m travelling. Those using the app also receive feedback based on their behaviours – for example, suggesting fewer sugary snacks or offering tips on how to get a better night’s sleep. The more people engage, the more they get out of it.
The impact wearables can have in getting people to move more, and adopt a healthier lifestyle, should not be underestimated. Our research shows that people increase their daily average from 4,900 steps to 9,900 during a Fitbug team challenge and afterwards their activity levels remain 16 per cent higher. This won’t guarantee weight loss in itself, but it’s unquestionably an important part of achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Participants in a Fitbug challenge almost double their average daily steps
Dave Wright CEOMYZONE
Dave Wright
Any form of self-awareness that’s driven through the use of an activity tracker (or reminder) can help with consciousness of food habits.
However, what people don’t realise is that many trackers currently on the market are simply not accurate in their measurement of calorie burn. This lack of awareness on the part of consumers, in conjunction with a pay-back mindset (“I’ve exercised – I deserve a treat”), could certainly lead to weight gain.
For example, if you have an accelerometer that tries to measure exertion by movement, you could be sitting on a bus to work and the bouncing of the bus could trick your tracker into clocking up 3,000 steps. You then see the calorie tracker and think you can have a bar of chocolate.
The bottom line is that the more data points that a tracker uses, the more likely it is to measure true calorific output. Not only that, but the more data that you see, the more likely you are to change both your exercise and food habits for the better.
Andy CaddyCIOVirgin Active
Andy Caddy
The problem is that the technology is limited and over-hyped, so there’s a tendency to put too much faith in it. In five to 10 years, we’ll have the functionality we’re looking for, but at the moment it’s early days.
Steps don’t give enough insights and although people are initially excited, after a while they lose interest. When trackers can take into account nutritional and exercise knowledge, they will be able to increase engagement in a contextual way – for example, summarising what people did last week and giving them advice on how to build on that with some nutritional guidelines.
A key player in the wellness industry since 1954, Yon-Ka Paris has dedicated its expertise to
developing exceptional, naturally rejuvenating and high-performance products which suit
modern lifestyles. [more...]
Amra Skincare has positioned itself at the forefront of dermatological science and
introduced its Micro-Cellular Actives line – a range of innovative molecular agents
formulated to redefine the brand’s clinically-driven skincare applications for unparalleled
results. [more...]
Increased exercise and a low-calorie diet, supported by an activity tracking device, is less effective than the same regime supported by regular counselling, according to a two-year study from the University of Pittsburgh in the US.
For the research, participants were put on low-calorie diets and prescribed increases in physical activity – but while device users lost an average of 7.7lbs, those being counselled lost an average of 13lbs.
The study concluded that, although devices allow for easy tracking of physical activity and give feedback and encouragement, they may not enhance adherence to a healthy lifestyle – ultimately the most important aspect of any weight-loss regime.
Lead researcher John Jakicic says: “Questions remain regarding the effectiveness of wearable devices, and how to best use them to modify physical activity and diet behaviours in adults seeking weight loss.”
Not only that, but a growing number of media reports and internet chat forums indicate that people who have turned to trackers to help them lose weight have found their weight plateau, or even rise – an outcome generally attributed to inaccurate calorie trackers, or to the fact that any nutritional advice from the tracker is insufficiently personalised, so users tend to make the wrong food choices.
So, what advice should operators be giving their clients when it comes to using activity trackers for weight loss? Might using a tracker stop you losing weight – or worse, cause you to put it on? We ask the experts.
It’s good that wearable technology and physical activity trackers are being debated, but we need to put them into context – we’re only at the start of the journey of their functionality. We’re at the stage where we can only use tracking information as an indication and not take it too seriously. If companies like Nike and Microsoft have withdrawn their devices, it shows we’re at a very early stage.
There’s so much confusion over healthy eating and weight management. Monitoring activity is only part of the answer and people need to be careful about setting their calorific intake based on the information from a tracker: most people tend to over-estimate their physical activity levels and under-estimate what they eat.
Going forward, to make trackers more effective, there needs to be more use of artificial intelligence. There also needs to be more gamification. This needs to be fun – it shouldn’t be boring or dreary.
"We’re at the stage where we can only use tracking information as an indication and not take it too seriously" – David Minton
Liz DickinsonFounder and CEOMio Global
Liz Dickinson
The majority of trackers on the market today are limited to a single objective: to provide information on steps, calories or sleep. What’s missing are the appropriate actions that must be taken to lead a healthy lifestyle. To have a significant impact as a weight-loss tool, wearables must also be able to provide personalised actions.
It isn’t an appropriate strategy to just rely on calorie deficit as the primary means of achieving weight loss. There are complex and dynamic properties which alter how we metabolise calories, including the type of calorie composition and the individual’s physiology and genetics.
Wearables can have a significant impact as a tool for weight loss, but only if they provide both insights and personalised actions. Mio’s approach is to transform information into insights, using a scientifically-validated metric called PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence), which contextualises sensor-acquired data. Contextualising a user’s physiological habits, sleep, daily activities and exercise – all 24/7 – should positively impact the likelihood of behaviour change by providing truly personalised insights and meaningful actions.
Anna Gudmundson CEOFitbug
Anna Gudmundson
This is a new segment that will evolve and get more accurate in terms of using the data generated. Wearables aren’t a magic wand, but they can help with a healthier lifestyle. Just like scales or a mirror, trackers can’t be weight-loss tools on their own, but they can help shift us towards a healthier lifestyle.
Education and awareness is key, and Fitbug is focused on creating programmes that have context and explanation. Working within the corporate environment rather than health clubs, we look at holistic wellness and seek to change overall health and wellbeing – not just to support weight loss.
We aim to be an education tool that helps people recognise their bad habits and address them. For example, the device made me realise how few steps I do when I’m travelling. Those using the app also receive feedback based on their behaviours – for example, suggesting fewer sugary snacks or offering tips on how to get a better night’s sleep. The more people engage, the more they get out of it.
The impact wearables can have in getting people to move more, and adopt a healthier lifestyle, should not be underestimated. Our research shows that people increase their daily average from 4,900 steps to 9,900 during a Fitbug team challenge and afterwards their activity levels remain 16 per cent higher. This won’t guarantee weight loss in itself, but it’s unquestionably an important part of achieving a healthier lifestyle.
Participants in a Fitbug challenge almost double their average daily steps
Dave Wright CEOMYZONE
Dave Wright
Any form of self-awareness that’s driven through the use of an activity tracker (or reminder) can help with consciousness of food habits.
However, what people don’t realise is that many trackers currently on the market are simply not accurate in their measurement of calorie burn. This lack of awareness on the part of consumers, in conjunction with a pay-back mindset (“I’ve exercised – I deserve a treat”), could certainly lead to weight gain.
For example, if you have an accelerometer that tries to measure exertion by movement, you could be sitting on a bus to work and the bouncing of the bus could trick your tracker into clocking up 3,000 steps. You then see the calorie tracker and think you can have a bar of chocolate.
The bottom line is that the more data points that a tracker uses, the more likely it is to measure true calorific output. Not only that, but the more data that you see, the more likely you are to change both your exercise and food habits for the better.
Andy CaddyCIOVirgin Active
Andy Caddy
The problem is that the technology is limited and over-hyped, so there’s a tendency to put too much faith in it. In five to 10 years, we’ll have the functionality we’re looking for, but at the moment it’s early days.
Steps don’t give enough insights and although people are initially excited, after a while they lose interest. When trackers can take into account nutritional and exercise knowledge, they will be able to increase engagement in a contextual way – for example, summarising what people did last week and giving them advice on how to build on that with some nutritional guidelines.
The Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC) recently marked another year of industry
achievement with a prestigious awards ceremony held during the 2024 APSWC Round Table
event in Bangkok, Thailand.
Luxury health and wellness brand The Ranch is gearing up to open its first East Coast
destination in the Hudson Valley near Tuxedo Park, New York, on 18 April.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is the latest brand to join the collection of luxury hospitality
partners at Saudi Arabia's upcoming regenerative tourism destination Amaala.
The Covery, a lifestyle optimisation wellness brand, has announced a new licensing partnership
with Aura Spa, solidifying its commitment to broadening access to recovery and wellness
therapies throughout the US.
Egym, which raised €207 million last year in new investment, continues to build its top team
with the appointment of former Technogym MD, Steve Barton, as country director for the UK.
The International Spa Association (ISPA) Foundation has released the 2024 edition of its
Consumer Snapshot research initiative, shedding light on the behaviours and preferences of
regular spa-goers in the US.
The team behind TRIB3 has launched a reformer Pilates studio concept called PILAT3S, which
will be available either as a standalone franchise, or as a club-in-club concept, aiming to take
the exercise modality into the mainstream.
The International Sauna Association's (ISA) Sauna Aid initiative is asking for donations to
establish a sauna complex in Ukraine to provide a sanctuary for Ukrainians amid the conflict
with Russia.
Janu – Aman’s highly-anticipated sister brand – has opened its inaugural hotel in Tokyo,
marking the first in its pipeline of 13 properties across city, country and coastal destinations.
A key player in the wellness industry since 1954, Yon-Ka Paris has dedicated its expertise to
developing exceptional, naturally rejuvenating and high-performance products which suit
modern lifestyles. [more...]
Amra Skincare has positioned itself at the forefront of dermatological science and
introduced its Micro-Cellular Actives line – a range of innovative molecular agents
formulated to redefine the brand’s clinically-driven skincare applications for unparalleled
results. [more...]