How Fitness Tracking Devices Can Help You Form New Healthy Habits

KYW's Medical Reports Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It is becoming a major trend—people wearing fitness devices to measure the number of steps they take or stairs they climb or laps they run. The concept is a great one: exercise tracking devices make it easy to log daily physical activity and behavior and see your performance over a period of time.

Wear a tracker for a week to see how many steps you typically take per day.

If you have a device you can use it to your advantage and build: if you currently walk about 4000 steps a day, use your tracker to add 500 steps each day. You can do this by making adjustments to your daily routine; for instance, you can park further away from work or stores. Take a short walk after dinner. Pace when you're on the phone. By making you more aware of your current habits, exercise trackers can be very effective in helping you form new healthy habits.

They also help you to challenge yourself as you strive toward long-term heart health.

If you really want to have fun, challenge others to a competition. The results are plain to see.