Fitness trackers

Sliced Bread

BBC

Health & Fitness

4.6 • 634 Ratings

🗓️ 29 February 2024

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Millions of us use fitness tracker watches to count how many steps we take each day - they also claim to tell us how we're sleeping and how stressed we are, as well as a host of other metrics. But how accurate are they - and are they the best thing since Sliced Bread? We've had loads of requests from you to look into fitness trackers. So with multiple watches on each arm, Greg's being put through his paces at Loughborough University under the watchful eye of Dr James Sanders, senior research associate in digital health for lifestyle.

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, podcast fan.
0:03.0	Consider this your invite to the UK's biggest podcasting party.
0:06.7	We're heading to Sheffield from the 4th to the 6th of July
0:09.0	for the BBC Sounds Fringe at the Crossed Wires Festival.
0:12.8	We'll be joined by some of the biggest names in podcasting,
0:15.3	including Sarah Cox, Charlie Hedges, Russell Kane,
0:18.4	and some bloke called Greg James doing his Radio 4 show called Rewinder.
0:23.2	You can watch live shows of your favourite podcasts, and the best part is free.
0:28.0	To book your free tickets, go to crossedwires.org slash fringe.
0:34.2	BBC Sounds, music, Radio, podcasts.
0:40.2	Hello, I'm Greg Foote and welcome to the show that runs your suggested wonder products through the evidence mill
0:46.2	to find out if they are indeed the best thing since sliced bread or marketing BS.
0:51.6	This week, it's time to tackle something that loads of you have requested
0:54.9	I investigate, including Mina Bansel in Buckinghamshire.
1:01.6	Hi Greg, I would love if you could look into fitness tracker watchers. We're led to believe
1:07.1	that they're able to do things like count your daily steps, measure your heart rate,
1:11.9	calculate calories burn and even track your sleep. I'm curious to know how accurate are these readings
1:20.5	and would purchasing a more high-end watch provide more accurate results? I look forward to hearing
1:26.5	what you find. Thanks, Greg.
1:28.7	Cheers, Mina. And thank you to everyone else who sent this suggestion over to slice.
1:32.3	Dotbread at BBC.co.com. I'm going to come back to sleep later because first, I'm off to the
1:38.0	National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine at Loughborough University. I'm meeting up with
	...

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