The ‘Healthcare Watch’ To Watch Your Health? Remember, Watch Yourself!
Zubin Daruwalla
PwC Asia Pacific Health Industries Leader * Surgeon * Doctorpreneur * Consultant * Futurist * Thought Leader * Advisor * Researcher * Mentor
The irony of being a doctor is that we often as a profession end up being unhealthy. A lot of us wake up early and sleep late (and on some occasions, do not even sleep at all). We go for hours without water. And even longer without food. We treat our patients with care and compassion but fail to realize that in the process, we often neglect ourselves. Recently, I took it upon myself to get back into shape and regain the fitness of my youth. Considering my secondary school 2.4 kilometre run time as part of our local national physical fitness test held the record for more than two decades, it was especially embarrassing for me when I found one of the senior consultants whom I work for able to climb up six flights of stairs with less breathlessness than me. And so my hunt for a fitness tracker began.
With the latest craze amongst frenzied fitness fanatics being wearable fitness trackers, it was no surprise that the market was flooded with a multitude of brands making anyone interested in buying one spoilt for choice. Whether it was the “cheapest on the market” Xiaomi Mi Band, the mid-range priced Fitbit or Jawbone, or the more expensive Apple Watch, there was something for everyone. After doing a fair amount of research, I decided on the Fitbit Surge HR. I knew I made the right choice when almost every store I went to said they had sold out. When I did finally get one, I thought that was that and was ready to burn my fat. Even though I noted hitting more than 10,000 steps by just noon every single day, was I really getting into shape? Was I really regaining the fitness of my youth? No. And it was then that it dawned on me. Rather than hoping the fitness tracker would get me in to shape, I hoped that it would motivate me. And that, it did.
To all of you out there contemplating getting a wearable fitness tracker, get one! But get one in the knowledge that none of them are going to slim you down, tone you up or make you buff. Eat healthily, sleep adequately, and always remain well hydrated. And most importantly, if you want that beach bod you are always promising yourself or your partner or spouse about, get yourself exercising regularly. With hypertension and diabetes inching their way to becoming the leading causes of death in the developed world today or at least being associated with them, not only will your partner or spouse benefit from a sexy new you, so will your health benefit too. Oh! My Fitbit is vibrating around my wrist. Time for a run!
Health Profession Education
9 年Good writing. The question is: how long can we maintain being physically active with the tracking device?
So true and similarly as someone who wishes to get back to a fitness level of say 60-70% of days past, a good tip. As part of a company wellness initiative, similarly clocking over 10,000 steps daily but certainly not enough to achieve this aim :)
?? Global Health Tech Executive | ?? Medical Doctor | ?? Impact-Driven Growth Strategist | ?? Free Thinker & Disruptor | ??? Patent Holder | ?? Speaker & Podcast Host
9 年Good call, Zubin. Activity tracking devices do in fact nothing else but measuring your level of activity or lack thereof. Nothing more. The psychological benefit that some might get out of using them is measuring their discipline in exercising regularly: I use the Runkeeper App and I try to keep myself above water by making sure I track a minimum of 3 activities a week. There's a motivating effect behind that. I therefore believe it's increasingly about how we use those gadget and not what we buy that makes a difference. Furthermore, I would safely argue that using the good old weight scale is still a very reliable and inexpensive method to gauge most people's fitness levels. As everything in life, it's all about the will to do something and be active. Personal expectations from activity tracking gadgets should be set accordingly.
Health Education Section Head at National Rehabilitation Center
9 年Well said Zubin I know a lot of people who bought these gadgets but unfortunately with no positive effect on their health nor their fitness
PwC Asia Pacific Health Industries Leader * Surgeon * Doctorpreneur * Consultant * Futurist * Thought Leader * Advisor * Researcher * Mentor
9 年I'm still of the opinion that they are great motivational tools though and I love mine! : )