The one thing Fitbit helps you realize to "take back your health"

Masakazu Honda is a journalist who is well-known in the field of technology. In this series, Honda writes about wearable devices. In this episode, he talks about Fitbit, a smart device that focuses on "knowing yourself."

Fitbit Sense

　As we reach middle age, some readers may have given up on the idea of ​​having a slightly protruding belly, thinking, "Everyone else is the same." "I don't have many opportunities to exercise because I work from home," "My metabolism has slowed down as I've gotten older," "I'm no longer at the age where I need to worry about my appearance," or "Work comes first."

　If you look hard enough, you can find plenty of reasons why you can't lose weight. However, many people have given up halfway, thinking, "It's still okay if I do this much," "I'll make it up someday," or "I haven't eaten much lately," and then, after a few small indulgences, they've reached a point of no return. However, there's no need to give up. There's just one thing you need to do to regain your health: "Know yourself."

　The Apple Watch, which has now become a major player in the world of watches, also offers features that help people get to know themselves, but Fitbit, whose acquisition by Google was recently approved by the US federal government, is a device that was created to help people get to know themselves and use that knowledge to improve their health.

You can change your lifestyle even in your 50s

　The reason I'm writing this is because I have actually lost 50kg from my heaviest weight by my 50th birthday. My peak weight was 142kg, and my body fat percentage was about 45%. I started losing weight in September 2016, and achieved this weight loss in September 2017, on my 50th birthday. Furthermore, by April 2018, my body fat percentage had dropped to 18% and my weight was 84kg.

　I lost 4% of my body weight and my body volume was halved. It goes without saying that my daily life and work have become easier. As I lost weight, I discovered exercise and lifestyle habits that suited me, as well as new hobbies. I no longer get too excited or upset about my weight, but instead maintained my figure, increased my muscle mass, and took up martial arts, and I'm enjoying life.

　People say, "Mr. Honda seems to be very patient," but that's not true. I personally have no desire to live a lifestyle that is too strict on me. There is only one reason why I was able to change myself: by "knowing myself."

　Many readers probably think that losing weight is a successful diet. However, a successful diet is nothing more than maintaining a healthy weight. No matter how many kilos you lose, it's pointless if you gain it back after a while.

　So how can you maintain a healthy weight?

　Whether you're trying to lose weight or maintain it, the important thing is to "know your condition." If you know your condition well, you can see how your behavior, diet, and lifestyle patterns affect your weight and physical condition.

　You will experience the changes in yourself. In other words, if you are aware of the changes in your body, you can turn them into something fun and use it as motivation. Even if you lose weight by persevering, there will eventually be a limit to your patience. In order to "enjoy dieting, rather than endure," it is very important to know yourself.

　Rather than living like a sage who disciplines himself and leads a clean and righteous life, we create a healthy and active lifestyle while enjoying ourselves in our own way.

What makes Fitbit's products unique?

　Well, that introduction sounds like something from a health magazine, but what makes Fitbit unique is that it focuses on "knowing yourself." While it does have other functions, it's essentially focused on recording the user's day, reflecting on it, and providing information.

　The hardware comes in different forms, whether it's a wristwatch or a fitness band, but all of them focus on looking back on your daily, weekly, or even monthly habits.

　This realization is evident not only among direct users, but also in the fact that Fitbit products are widely adopted by health insurance associations and health insurance companies, who are also trying to incorporate comprehensive lifestyle and health management into their products by providing a smartphone app that allows users to record general lifestyle habits such as diet.

　It may seem like nothing, but it's no surprise that Google, a unique company with such a thorough approach, acquired them. Founded in 2009, the company now has over 120 million devices in use in over 100 countries. Their devices have recorded 275 trillion steps and over 15 billion hours of sleep, and they've been studying this data to use it for health and wellness.

“Know yourself”

　It may seem simple, but many users will have questions about how much a device worn on the wrist can do. However, the Fitbit Sense watch-type device they have released not only measures steps, heart rate, and sleep status, but also incorporates a weak current sensor that correlates with blood oxygen saturation levels and stress.

　You might think that many of these features can be used with the Apple Watch or other smartwatches, but Fitbit is a manufacturer that puts health management first. Their products have longer battery life than most smartwatches, and are small and lightweight, so they are comfortable to wear and you won't want to take them off while sleeping.

Turning a change in your lifestyle into something you enjoy

　How does your lifestyle affect your body? The purpose of keeping a record is to gain insights by "knowing yourself," but if you go a step further, it also provides an opportunity to objectively see the "results of your actions."

　Why did I lose weight? Why did I gain weight?

　For example, electronic devices can objectively observe your behavior, allowing you to repeat positive experiences such as, "I'm exercising more now than before, thanks to my weight loss. Because my body is lighter, I don't get tired as easily, I'm more active, and I enjoy every day."

　You'll notice that changes in your activity level correlate with changes in your physical condition and weight, and you'll start thinking about things you never would have thought of when you first started. For example, I had never thought about running, but suddenly I started. It wasn't something I did out of obligation, but rather, I felt my body change, and when I started out of curiosity, thinking, "Let's give it a try," I found that I could run more than I expected, and I felt refreshed after running.

　If you used to dread even the thought of climbing a flight of stairs, but now you feel just a little bit more comfortable, that's the gateway to the "next step." The device will give you an awareness, but it's up to your imagination to turn that awareness into something that brings you joy. The success of your diet depends on how well you can turn the "physical changes you experience after losing weight" into something that brings you joy.

Information collected from around the world will change medical care

　But Fitbit's self-awareness features can sometimes bring even greater insights. Recent Fitbit products include a feature to measure wrist surface temperature. This is primarily intended to predict sleep quality, but it naturally correlates with body temperature. Higher body temperature also increases the surface temperature of your wrist.

　Fitbit has been tracking how long users have been inactive since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with their body temperature and blood oxygen saturation levels. Using this data, the researchers found that blood oxygen saturation levels drop before COVID-19 symptoms appear.

　Although only a limited number of Fitbit devices have these built-in sensors, clinical research is underway to detect signs of COVID-19 infection from changes in general data such as resting heart rate.

　NASA has provided Fitbit devices to 1000 employees, including 150 astronauts. Employees will use the wearable devices and a daily check-in app to record their health status before entering work. The Fitbit devices will also collect data on relative body temperature and other vital signs.

　Of course, NASA has implemented strict infection control measures and has put in place a remote work system wherever possible, but by collecting vital signs such as changes in body temperature while sleeping, blood oxygen saturation, resting heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate, it is possible to proactively detect infection with the new coronavirus. Of course, it is not 100% accurate, but it can serve as a guideline for whether you should go to work or stay home that day.

　Are you saying this is unrelated to dieting?

　No, that's not the case. Dieting should be for the sake of your health, but this isn't an exaggerated idea; it's a very simple matter of having a standard of judgment.

　Fitbit specializes in extracting health metrics, and to that end, it has a long battery life and many built-in sensors to continuously collect data as much as possible. What sets it apart from other smartwatches isn't its functionality or design, but its goal setting and the accompanying development policy.

Masakazu Honda
Technology journalist, audio-visual critic, and product planning and development consultant. Since the early 1990s, he has written reviews and columns on personal computers, IT, network services, and other topics. He currently serves as an advisor to manufacturers and other organizations, and also works as an audio-visual critic. His main publications include Toyo Keizai Online.