A glance at the people around you on the train, walking down a busy street, or in the grocery store will tell you that the gym isn’t the only place people are wearing fitness trackers these days.

Devices like the Apple Watch Series 12, Oura Ring 4, or Whoop 5.0 have become more of a fashion accessory than strictly for tracking workouts. They’re a great way of tracking your training and seeing tangible evidence of your progress, but does everyone need one? I’m not so sure.

There’s a dark side to the tracking. Viewing burned calories so easily in an app can be an extremely triggering experience for some users, and it may even begin unhealthy habits like calorie counting and overexercising. So, let's go over the perks of these devices and discuss the science behind why they can also become harmful.

The majority of these smartwatches and smart rings track your health using metrics including sleep and activity. I’ve used these devices myself, and having a consistent way to make sure I’m getting enough rest as well as hitting my activity goals has been very helpful in my own fitness journey.

Recently, while testing these devices, I’ve noticed the introduction of calorie counting and ways to monitor food intake. This raises alarm bells for me, as while it’s important to track protein and nutrient intake for intense training, it’s not a feature every individual will need.

So now, with more people focusing on their food consumption alongside their training, could this lead to unhealthy eating habits taking hold?

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