Fitness Trackers That Count Steps 'Could Be Doing More Harm Than Good'

If you’re trying to improve your fitness counting the steps you do each day using a fitness tracker or health app could seem like a good place to start.

But a leading expert has warned obsessing about getting that golden ‘10,000 steps’ per day may not be improving your health.

In fact, Dr Greg Hager, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University, believes this monitoring technology could be doing “more harm than good”.

filadendron via Getty Images

Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Dr Hager said “very few” of the health apps available are based on scientific evidence.

“Some of you might wear Fitbits or something equivalent, and I bet every now and then it gives you that cool little message: ‘You did 10,000 steps today’. But why is 10,000 steps important? What’s big about 10,000?” he said, according to Sky News.

“Turns out in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day, burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume. So they picked 10,000 steps as a number.”

Dr Hager went on to condemn the one-size-fits-all fitness plans some apps promote, saying following the apps could “amplify issues” for some users.

For example, he pointed out that not everyone will be capable of completing 10,000 steps per day if they have an underlying health issue, but the apps won’t necessarily address this. In addition, we may be failing to complete exercises relevant to our personal needs while fixating on the 10,000 steps.

“I think apps could definitely be doing more harm than good. I am sure that these apps are causing problems. Without any scientific evidence base, how do you know that any of these apps are good for you? They may even be harmful,” he said.

Dr Hager is not the first to question the benefits of fitness trackers.

A 2016 study involving 800 participants found that wearing a fitness tracker or pedometer did not improve users’ health, even when they were given cash incentives to complete more steps.

“We found no evidence that the device promoted weight loss or improved blood pressure or cardiorespiratory fitness, either with or without financial incentives”, said lead author Professor Eric Finkelstein from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

“While there was some progress early on, once the incentives were stopped, volunteers did worse than if the incentives had never been offered, and most stopped wearing the trackers.”

Exercises That Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Presses Behind the Head (01 of05)

“Anything behind the neck puts your shoulder muscles in a vulnerable position. So don’t do presses, chins and pull-downs behind your head,” Pomahac said. “It's an unnatural and unsafe position and puts your shoulder joint into an extension, external rotation position which places a large and unnatural strain on your rotator cuff muscles. I recommend military (front) presses or dumbbell presses, both of which work front delts much more safely. I never lower the weight below chin level. You'll notice this is about as far as you can go without your shoulders dropping. I usually perform military presses on a Smith machine, or dumbbells which lets me roll my palms back and find a more natural position.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Seated Leg Machines (02 of05)

“I stay clear of the seated leg extension and seated hamstring curl machines,” said U.S. Track and Field Star and ACE Certified Personal Trainer Monica Hargrove. “When the leg is fully extended, that puts a lot of stress on the knee joints, ultimately risking injury. Squats and lunges are a safer and more effective way to work the quads.” She recommends trying front squats, back squats, split squats, walking lunges, stationary lunges, and reverse lunges.“When it comes to working my hamstrings, I'm more concerned with functional performance and the hamstring curl strengthens a motion not designed for running or sprinting. Straight leg dead lifts and good mornings are two exercises that train my hamstrings in better positions for running.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Crunches(03 of05)

“I rarely ever do crunches,” said ACE certified pre- and post-natal fitness trainer Sara Haley. “To me it’s a waste of time -- too much risk of doing them wrong... I’d rather be more efficient and work my entire core with exercises like dead bug and plank variations.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Single-Leg Plyo Box Jump(04 of05)

"One exercise that I see people attempt, but I would never do is a single-leg plyo box jump (using the high platform). This is a move that is unnecessary and extremely dangerous,” said Basheerah Ahmad, a celebrity trainer and lifestyle coach. Click Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never DoPhoto Credit: Shutterstock

The Tricep “Bench” Dip(05 of05)

“This exercise places extreme stress on the acromioclavicular joint as well as the labrum,” said Chief Clinical Officer of Orthology Dr. Josh Sandell. “[Which] can lead to all kinds of shoulder problems and perpetuates the problems on anyone who has forward head posture.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock