#selftracking

Die Health-App hilft beim ungesunden Leben

Ich bin bei meinem Bruder in der fremden Stadt. Am nächsten Tag hole ich das erste Auto meines Lebens ab. Wir treffen uns nachmittags und setzen uns direkt in die Sonne, um zwei Alster zu trinken; Abend soll ja früh enden, schließlich muss morgen ein Auto abgeholt werden. Nach dem Alster ein Bier, dann ein Bier für den Weg, dann erstmal Pizza. Zwei Stunden später sage ich der Bedienung locker “50” als sie mir den Rechnungsbetrag nennt, brauche aber eine Gedankenstütze, dass die Nennung eines Betrages üblicherweise mit dem Transfer von Geld einhergeht. Irgendwann dann endet der Abend. Zumindest endet die detaillierte Erinnerung da irgendwo. Am nächsten Morgen sind mein Bruder und ich recht verwundert, a) wie das alles so ausufern konnte und b) wann der Abend eigentlich tatsächlich geendet hat. Zumindest Frage b) können wir mit Hilfe des Entfernungstrackers der (ironischerweise) Health-App auf dem iPhone ziemlich genau beantworten (nach dem Pizzaende gab es offenbar noch ca. 4 Stunden totzuschlagen). a) können wir nicht mehr so richtig rekapitulieren – erstmalig verstehe ich aber, welchen Nutzen Google Glass haben könnte.

Das Auto hole ich dann auch noch. Gottseidank springt es nicht an, so dass ich erst mal kräftig ausnüchtern kann, bevor ich in die Verlegenheit komme, mein erstes Auto mit Restalkohol fahren zu müssen.

Ohne diesen Beitrag von Anne Schüßler wäre mir nicht aufgefallen, dass das noch gar nicht so lange wie selbstverständlich geht.

Personal analytics is a double-edged sword: you get the truth, but the truth usually sucks.

The Problem: We all claim to value "health," but we treat our bodies like legacy hardware running on 10% battery. Tracking sleep via an app is one thing; actually visualizing the long-term trends in Power BI is a reality check most aren't ready for.

The Solution: Move your biometric exports out of the walled gardens of health apps and into a real BI tool. By correlating sleep stages with daily output, you stop guessing why your productivity tanked on Wednesday.

The Process: ⚠️ Export raw JSON/CSV from your wearable. 🛡️ Use Power Query to normalize "Time in Bed" vs "Actual Sleep." 🚫 Build a Heat Map to identify the exact hour your routine falls apart.

The data doesn't care about your "hustle culture" excuses.

https://youtube.com/shorts/9lgqRa71lmo👇 ASSETS: 📃 https://scriptdatainsights.blogspot.com/2026/04/power-bi-sleep-analysis-biometric-trends.html 🎞️ https://youtube.com/shorts/9lgqRa71lmo 🛒 https://scriptdatainsights.gumroad.com/l/april-skills-2026

I never considered myself a "competitive" person.

I just wanted to feel stronger. Healthier. More in control of my body. And CrossFit helped me do that — for a while.

But then I plateaued.

Same WODs. Same weights. And that little spark of fire that got me into this lifestyle? It started to fade.

Until someone at my box said: “Are you tracking your scores?” I said no. They said: “Then how do you know you’re growing?”

That same day, I downloaded the CrossFit App. And it was like opening a door to a whole new dimension of training.

🧩 It gave structure to my chaos.

📊 My numbers had a home. 🏋️‍♂️ My PRs weren’t just memories — they were milestones. 📈 My journey became measurable, visual, and real.

And the craziest part? Seeing my name on the leaderboard, even buried on page 12 of my division — it ignited something in me. 🔥

Suddenly, I wanted to climb. Not for ego. Not to “win.” But because I realized... ✨ There’s power in competing with yourself — and others who are chasing the same fire.

If you’re training, but not tracking — If you’re working, but not growing — If you’re lifting, but feeling lost —

💡 This app might be your answer.

It’s free. It’s simple. And it belongs on the phone of every CrossFitter — beginner or beast.

📲 Download it here → https://www.aiting.com/crossfit/com.crossfit.games.android/?utm_source=social_Tumblr&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=aiting_social

In the reading by Lupton, D. (2020), the topics of data mattering and self-tracking which are closely related to mobile media was discussed. The study mainly concluded that people who were self-tracking their own data acknowledge the positive and negative impacts of making sense of such data. As self-tracking depends largely on the individual to do so, the choice of consistent and constant self tracking is fully on the user. In the reading, participants mainly echoed a similar consensus of how self-tracking data allows users to feel empowered and well aware of what is happening in their life be it their health or lifestyle.

In relation to the claims made in the reading, I agree with them as in today’s society mobile media is so integral in our lives that we take part in self-tracking voluntarily and we happily do so. From having applications that track our finances in an organised manner to even calorie tracking applications that help us keep track of the food we are consuming, they help us organise our lives in an extremely easy and convenient way. With self tracking, people are now more sensitive and aware of what is happening to themselves are they are able to take note more of both their mental and physical health. Nowadays, we can easily find someone with a smart watch such as Fitbits or Apple watches, tracking their progress as they complete their runs, monitoring their heart rate and many other functions of self tracking. Self-tracking with mobile media has advanced from just mobile phones to devices like smart watches. Self-tracking really allows people to keep track of their progress and allow them to monitor themselves without much effort. However, it is important that what people do with the data next is the most crucial step as to whether or not self-tracking really is effective. Data that come from self-tracking are dynamic as they interact with graphs or different types of visuals to present themselves to users. Personally, I do find myself tracking unconventional(maybe not so unconventional these days) parts of my life such as a period tracker. There are multiple apps that help one track their period and can even predict one’s next cycle based on information provided. Information that one can provide varies from period cycles to even mood swings. These help the app make better predictions as to when one’s next cycle is most likely to happen and can even estimate fertile periods. It really does make it a lot more convenient as there is no need to manually count days to the next period and it may even be more accurate as it takes into account many aspects such as exercise and lifestyle.

As mentioned in the reading, data can also come off as overwhelming as things that we may not have been cautious of have been carefully recorded and it can be overwhelming when we review them. It also brings up the issue of privacy as such tracking apps have access to personal information that users provide. It appears to be a choice made by users whether they are willing to trade privacy for convenience. One could be alarmed by their spending habits when they review their data and it can be overwhelming for individuals. However, I find that to be a positive aspect of self-tracking and the data it provides users an opportunity to reflect on their habits and make necessary changes. Without that data, people would be living in denial where they are not even made aware of certain bad habits or lifestyles and therefore don’t even have the capacity to fix them. Such data allows people to keep themselves in check and with mobile media, it's convenience has made it much easier for people to do so. People thus develop a certain sense of responsibility where they work together with non human entities(mobile media devices that allow tracking) to make better sense of their lifestyle.

Are we becoming too reliant on technology? The latest phenomenon of wearable fitness trackers shows that we are becoming too obsessed with the data we store about our bodies, in our watches and phones, thus disregarding what our bodies really desire. Are we the experts of our body or have we lost control?

Wearables are lightweight gadgets, such as the Fitbit, that can be worn to self-monitor health, fitness and lifestyle data, for greater self-awareness and thus control over the body. In 2016, 526 million people owned and wore a wearable device worldwide. Nowadays, it is estimated that 1.1 billion people have surrendered to the wearable craze and are beginning to view this luxury, as more of a necessity. 

Don’t get me wrong, to an extent, data tracking is effective, when used for the desired fitness purpose. Wearables such as the Fitbit allow self-tracking of steps, tailor physical activity goals, record workouts, be a part of a community, track food intake, whilst also monitoring sleep patterns. These gadgets also allow us to track biometric data, such as heart rate, blood oxygen and skin temperature. This can help improve fitness levels when training to ensure we are working optimally, and in the correct training zones, for the desired goals. They enable us to compare data throughout a training programme and notice improvements, increasing motivation levels, allowing the person to continue to push themselves. Fitbits offer so much more than just being an effective, affordable fitness tool that they are now becoming an accessory to life.

“There is a big emphasis on data and numbers today,” says Clark. “A sense that if we can quantify ourselves, we can really know ourselves. But the numbers are never contextual. There is a danger of becoming preoccupied by a number that doesn’t consider the whole picture of what is going on in your day.” 

If you go for a run, does it count if you aren’t wearing your Fitbit? We are beginning to believe that if we are unable to track our exercise and daily steps then it never happened. We are converting our behaviours to numbers, reducing the inaccuracies and uncertainties of the human embodiment. Many owners of wearables wear their watch 24/7 due to the functionality of them, because of their ability to record from the first step of the day, right the way through the night, as you sleep. This obsession has caused individuals to feel frustrated and “naked” when they aren’t wearing their watches or recording their data. Without the evidence and ability to quantify are behaviours, it’s normalising the objectification of the individual, preventing us from exercising purely because of the kinaesthetic experience. People before us were able to improve fitness without this new technology so why are we so over-obsessed now?  

Nudge Theory

Nudge Theory is where a relatively indirect, subtle action encourages people to adapt their behaviours, based on their broad self-interest and goals. It is believed that without this ‘nudge’ then society is incapable of making the ‘right’ decision. Nudges can be perceived as neo-libertarian, as people are able to act freely in response to them, therefore they seem consensual rather than obligatory. Examples of this include gadgets such as Smart Meters or internet purchases that we make. Smart meters track utility bills and present how much energy and money a household is using. By owning this technology, it may adapt our behaviours by prompting us to control how much heat or water we use, to save money. Another example could be that data is stored within the internet and knows that we may have purchased items at a certain time during the month so will trigger pop-up’s advertising the same product a month later. This could be items such as sanitary products, therefore will prompt you to buy more for the following month. We may be completely unaware that this personal data is being stored and it could be considered invasive.

In the situation of Fitbits, a vibration is sent to the wrist, at 10 minutes to the hour, to encourage the owner to walk the remainder of their steps f they have not yet met their standardised goal. Without this vibration would we get up and move around? This isn’t the worst idea to keep us moving and generally, a very achievable goal to the average individual, however, when looking at the ontological principles underlying these ‘nudges’, it can be seen that this external motivation has such control over our behaviours that we change the way we act due to increased pressure. 

This ‘nudge’ may have the potential to discourage individuals because it doesn’t take into account the context or situation of daily lives. The watch may vibrate to say there are still 250 steps to complete, meaning you’ve been sitting down at your desk for too long, although you had already completed 4,000 steps on your morning dog walk. The Fitbit doesn’t consider your daily routine therefore, we may feel ashamed for not reaching our goals. Although, wearing a Fitbit may encourage us to take the stairs that day, rather than the lift, would this behaviour become habitual if you stopped wearing it and nothing was dictating your normal routine or implementing guilt? This shows that we are so consumed by quantifying ourselves that we are dehumanising ourselves and not doing anything voluntarily, just like cyborgs. Contradicting this, what happens if these altered behaviours become embodied and there is no need to monitor activity anymore? Fitbits would become a short-lived piece of technology and a thing of the past.

Big Data

It is becoming increasingly popular in places such as the USA, the UK and South Africa for insurance companies and employers to use the small data we store in our wearables on a larger scale. Insurance companies are offering life insurance based on habits recorded in their Fitbits. However, how can we be certain that the data being sent to these companies that is now determining our financial outgoings is accurate and reliable? Wearables are not considered as medical devices, measurements such as heart rate fluctuations are not considered to be as accurate as an electrocardiography trace and many owners say that their steps will increase, despite them not moving at all. Insufficient investigations have been conducted on the accuracy of wearables and a more disciplined testing approach is required before we can rely on this data for insurance. There is also the danger of security breaches with sensitive data such as this, by getting multiple companies involved with the storage of health data.

Wearables are disruptive

It has been reported that the use of wearables causes owners to feel disrupted from their activity. This is because of the environment they were exercising in due to distracting notifications and vibrations from their device, pushing them to exercise at a higher intensity, for longer. They found it demotivating and increased their perception of effort and tiredness, if their bodies weren’t up to the task. In the age where we critique, particularly the younger generation, for large amounts of ‘screen-time’, it appears slightly hypocritical that we are justifying allowing ourselves to be consumed by our wearables, purely because of the perspective that they are enabling greater self-awareness and control over our bodies.

10,000 steps

Are we physically benefiting from our Fitbits? It could be considered that we all have this perception that if we all buy some form of wearable, we will magically change our habits and become healthier. However, the extent that we respond to this purchase will vary and what may benefit one person, may not be the same for everyone. As a society, we appear to have a large amount of trust in popular technology. This could be due to a positive recommendation from a reliable friend or just a general awareness of the product’s popularity, feeding an impulse to be on trend and benefiting also. The default goal of the number of steps a person should do to improve fitness is 10,000 steps, however there is no research to support that this is an adequate amount steps because every individual is different and may require more or less than this. This number stemmed from a marketing campaign by a Japanese company selling a pedometer called the Manpo-kei, “man” meaning 10,000, “po” meaning steps and kei meaning “meter”. 

The number of sales of this pedometer was successful therefore, the number seemed to stick, as the universal goal for fitness, however there is no scientific evidence that this is correct, and every individual will vary. Although individuals may not be physically benefiting from this goal, there are potential psychological benefits because individuals will be striving for a goal and will gain positive reinforcement, once rewarded from achieving this. Contradicting this, if people are unable to reach this goal due to lifestyle reasons, they can feel demotivated and are more likely to stop using their device. The default step target on a Fitbit is 10,000, however this doesn’t account for factors such as age or fitness level, therefore steps will vary from person to person. 

Wearables and motivation levels

As little as 50% of young people engage in enough physical activity, therefore substantial action and innovation of ideas are required to promote exercise to increase engagement of young people in sport. The younger generation have shown an increased reliance on mobile devices and other technology. This highlights the potential to combine the use of fitness tools such as Fitbits, with a healthy physical lifestyle that promotes exercise and increases motivation. This theory was investigated with the purpose being to analyse whether Fitbits impacted adolescent’s motivation levels to physical activity. Each participant was given a Fitbit to wear for 8 weeks, then they were asked to complete a questionnaire, assessing motivation levels and need satisfaction of the gadget. Results showed that there was a decrease in need satisfaction of the Fitbit and in autonomous motivation, an increase in amotivation due to increased comparisons between participants, creating competition due to increased levels of guilt and internal pressure.

Self-determination Theory Self-determination theory provides an understanding of the initiation and maintenance of physical activity. Individuals show greater signs of self-determination when they are internally motivated to adapt their behaviour, due to their own interest. This is also known as autonomous behaviour. However, the investigation, as mentioned previously, presents a reduction in participants autonomous behaviour and an increase in amotivation. This is because individuals are becoming so invested in competing with one another to record the best data that if they don’t reach their daily step count or make it on the Fitbit leader board that they feel less motivated and more incompetent. The reduction in autonomous behaviours may be caused by the inability to relate to previous experience on how to formulate the correct habitual demand during exercise. This is because they have eliminated their innate involuntary response by delegating the responsibility and knowledge to an external piece of technology.

In conclusion, technology is becoming a large determinant of the way we behave, and we are beginning to quantify our bodies because of the gadgets we own. We need to begin listening to what our bodies really need again and learning from experience, rather than depending on a record of numbers on our watches and phones.