HOUSTON – Wearable technology is the hottest trend for getting fit, but just how reliable is it?
Experts say wearable technology can be a great motivational tool, but whether it really work is another question.
The American Council On Exercise found the healthy gadgets are not very accurate when it comes to measuring calories burned.
Recently a BBC reporter chronicled her results when wearing two trackers, a Fitbit Charge and a Jawbone Up Move.
At their worst, she reported a variation between the two trackers of 23 percent in distance covered and 2,600 calories burned, on the same day.
The results were not surprising to detox and nutrition specialist Dr Delrae Messer.
"Yes it can get us motivated or hold us accountable, but it shouldn't be the be all end all. Accuracy is a huge issue with a lot of this tech and it'll just take time to perfect it when it comes to results," said Messer.
According to a study by Endeavor Partners, more than half of the people who bought an activity tracker don't use it any more, and a third of those ditched the gadget after only a few months.