Thanks to modern technology, getting motivated to meet common health goals, such as losing weight, eating healthier, getting more active, and reducing stress, can be as simple as wearing the right thing.
Wearable devices, like smartwatches and fitness trackers, have become helpful little sidekicks for monitoring and encouraging healthier habits while supporting long-term behavioural change.
The global wearable technology market is projected to grow from $88.4 billion in 2022 to over $245 billion by 2030. These devices are enormously popular because they work.
What Wearable Tech Can Help You Do
Get More Active and Sit Less
Research shows that fitness trackers help users take around 1,800 more steps daily, engage in 40 more minutes of walking per week, and increase moderate to vigorous physical activity by six minutes daily.
This is a big deal because adding as little as 2,337 steps to your day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, the risk of dying from any cause decreases significantly with every 500 to 1,000 extra steps you take.
These gains are largely due to increased awareness, explains Dr. Leigh Vanderloo, the Scientific Director at ParticipACTION. “Once you start tracking how many steps you’re taking in a day, you might find ways to sneak more in.” (Check out these eight easy ways to do exactly that.)
Dr. Nicholas Noiseux, Director of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Montreal Health Centre, echoes Dr. Vanderloo’s views. “These devices are fantastic because they have made people more aware of how much they move, how much exercise they get, the intensity of their exercise, and how many calories they have burned.”
The importance of reducing sedentary behaviour is also critical. “To be considered active, adults just need to meet the National Physical Activity Guidelines of 150 minutes of heart-pumping physical activity per week,” Dr. Vanderloo explains. “But even if you check that off, spending upwards of six hours a day sitting has negative health consequences. Wearables help address both activity and sedentary behaviour.”
Motivate You To Move More
Smartwatches are similarly useful for motivating you by setting and achieving fitness goals and receiving gentle reminders when sitting for too long. Game-based challenges, like ParticipACTION’s app-based events, turn staying active into a rewarding experience.
Dr. Noiseux appreciates how fitness apps can encourage healthy competition among family members. “It’s fun to see who’s meeting their targets or who’s done the most steps when you share your activities with your family members.”
Improve Sleep Quality
By tracking sleep patterns, wearables offer insights into sleep cycles and duration. This data helps you develop better sleep hygiene and improve the quality of your sleep. Many apps also recommend the ideal bedtime, promoting consistent, restorative sleep. Indeed, according to one 2020 study, “wearables can improve sleep quality and accurately measure sleep.”
Reduce Stress
Apps that monitor your heart rate can also flag when your body is experiencing stress based on Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures how flexible your heart responds to different situations. When your HRV is higher, your body is good at adapting to stress and staying balanced, which is a sign of good health.
On the other hand, if your HRV is consistently low, it could mean your body is struggling to adapt, and over time, this can increase the risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
When you actively monitor your HRV, you can test different ways to manage stress to see what works best for you. This can be done by doing things like deep breathing, exercising, and drinking less alcohol. When you reduce stress in the body, you build up your body’s resilience mentally and physically.
Prevent Chronic Diseases
Devices equipped with heart rate monitors and ECG capabilities can identify heart arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation that increase stroke risk.
Dr. Noiseux highlights the importance of these features: “Some smartwatches can help detect the occurrence of atrial fibrillation, which may help adjust treatment. This is a significant step in preventing strokes and managing heart health.”
Monitor Mental Health
Smartwatches and trackers support mental health with tools like guided breathing exercises and stress-level tracking. Research shows that these devices also have the potential to combat depression and anxiety by boosting physical activity, which is shown to have antidepressant effects.
Manage Body Weight
Fitness trackers promote weight management by monitoring activity levels, calories burned, and heart rate. This encourages you to stay consistent with healthy habits.
The flipside of this—physical inactivity—has been shown to increase the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, various cancers, and mental illness.
Choosing the Right Wearable for You
Not sure if wearables are for you? No problem: Using your smartphone to start living healthier is easy. Dr. Vanderloo points out, “Most smartphones nowadays have an accelerometer and a pedometer. You can use them to track your behaviour, set reminders, and make meaningful changes to your activity levels.”
If you’re ready to invest in a wearable, here are five popular fitness trackers ParticipACTION recommends.
Whether you use a smartphone or invest in a wearable, it’s never too late to start tracking your health by participating in fun challenges, connecting with family and friends, and discovering how small changes—and achievable New Year’s resolutions—can lead to big health improvements.
What are some of your health goals for 2025? Share for accountability in the comments below!
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