There are so many fitness trackers in the market today. They come in different prices, shapes, sizes, wearability, design, and special functions.

All fitness trackers are meant to help you improve your overall health and monitor your stats. But not all fitness trackers are the same.

We all know fitness trackers count our steps. But did you know there are also some fitness trackers that can monitor your heart rate?

But one important thing needs to be noted. Experts and manufacturers advise that fitness trackers with a heart rate monitor can’t be considered as a medical device.

1 – Don’t Compare Their Accuracy with EKG Machines

You should understand they are not as accurate as EKG machines. But they can do a good job of giving you an idea of how your heart is doing.

2 – How Fitness Trackers Monitor Heart Rate

Fitness trackers monitor your heart rate through a technology called oximetry.

They use light to track your blood. Infrared light penetrates the skin and detects changes in the color of the blood.

They measure the frequency at which your blood pumps. This gives you the BPM (beats per minute) reading.

3 – Why It Can’t be Accurate

Experts explain it’s difficult for fitness trackers to give you an accurate reading.

For the optical sensors to sense activities in your heart, you need to be stationary and silent. Movement, your voice, muscle tension, or sweating can affect the reading.

This is why fitness trackers tell you to rest and be still while they do the reading.

However, this too alters the heart rate. When the blood reaches the capillaries in your arm, they’ve already slowed down. They no longer reflect your true heart rate.

Fitness trackers can do a better job of displaying your resting heart rate.

4 – Skin Color Plays a Part 

The light from your tracker has to penetrate through your skin.

The higher the pigmentation, the more difficult it is for light to bounce back. This is because light has to pass through more layers.

5 – What You Can Do to Get a More Accurate Reading

Stay Still and Adjust Your Fitness Tracker

To try to get a more accurate reading, stay still. And adjust the fitness tracker so it’s close to your veins.

Add Your Heart Rate Zones

Check if your fitness tracker allows you to add your own heart rate zones. The more personalized the data you enter, the more accurate information you’ll get.

Know Your BPM

Know your beats per minute (bpm) when you exercise.

Experts suggest finding your BPM for the level of exercise where you can still talk with ease. That should be your threshold BPM.

This ensures you don’t overtrain or exhaust yourself too much.

Fitness trackers are a great tool to help you reach your fitness goals. But the key is not in having the most feature-loaded gadget, but in your determination to follow through.