Fitness Technology: Apps and Devices

 Fitness Technology: Apps and Devices

The use of any fitness device or app is optional for this PE course.

Fitness device and App usage has gained in popularity.  We encourage their use for specific types of activities like walking/running/cycling outside.  The benefits of using these types of devices are:

• ability to track time spent engaged in activity, distance traveled and route (For this PE course, this may replace supervisors in activities listed in the section below titled Approved PE Activities For Fitness Devices/Apps)
• ability to set a personal, challenging pace and be coached to meet that pace
  
• ability to set weekly/monthly goals, and to be reminded of such goals through push notifications to your device
• ability to choose different types of workouts that meet your goals
  
• ability to join communities of like-minded individuals and join in on challenges (examples: Walk 100 km in a month, train for a 1/2 marathon)
  

Using Fitness Devices For PE Activity hours in lieu of expert supervision

1. Check the list of approved activities, contact your teacher for approval of any other activities not listed
   
2. Your parent may be the person to sign the monthly log for the tracking device hours, verifying that it is your tracking data that is submitted with the log
   
3. A maximum of 15 total hours may be tracked through devices.
4. You need to set a goal for improvement which can be your monthly log goal or separate from your monthly log goal ( Examples: going a further distance, lowering the time it takes to travel a distance)  Please do not use 'step counts' or 'calories burned' as a goal, as devices are often inaccurate with these measures.

Fitness Device/App Data which MUST be provided with Monthly logs

The following is a list of what must be tracked and sent in as data that is provided with your Monthly log if you are using an App instead of an expert supervisor. All tracking data time can be added up by activity and entered as the last entries on your monthly log. For example, add up all walking time and enter on a single line of your monthly log and have your parent sign on the monthly log that the data you are submitting is yours.

You will create a single document of all your tracking data for the month which needs to have:

• Each day/Each activity must be provided as separate entries
  
• The date must be present
• Total distance traveled
  
• Total time it took to cover that distance
• A map of the route traveled
  

Options to compiling your data when using a Fitness App:

1. Take screen shots of each individual day's 'workout' and compile the pictures into a word document or PowerPoint. Save as a PDF to submit with your Monthly log
2. Login to your account online and investigate whether the online version of the App will allow you to print off a weekly or monthly report (keep in mind that your data must contain activity/date/distance/time/route for each individual workout).

Approved PE Activities For Fitness Devices/Apps

• Walking/Hiking outside
• Running/Jogging outside
• Walking/Running inside on a track
  
• Cycling/Mountain biking outside (helmet must be worn)
• Inline skating/Rollerblading outside (not done at skate park, helmet must be worn)
  
• Skiing if done for more than 5 hours without expert supervision

Suggested Fitness Devices/Apps

Smartphones/tablets:

MapMyFitness

Fitness Devices

Fitbit (be sure the version of Fitbit allows you to track the route you travel as not all Fitbits allow for tracking a route)

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