Australians turn to tech to go the distance with their fitness goals

In the remote western region of New South Wales, as the sun barely peeks over the horizon, Jo Ker rises to run on her outback property. Her home is near the mining town of White Cliffs, an eight-hour drive from Adelaide. To avoid the intense heat, and to better prepare for events she might participate in under hot conditions, she must train very early.

Now is the best time of year for running. In winter, the sun rises later, and she often needs to run with a headlamp. As a mother of four and a teacher, Jo runs for the same reason many Australians go to the gym: to have some "personal time." Here, Jo's treadmill is the unpaved surface of her property's long driveway or the black asphalt of Opal Miners Way, and her coach is her smartwatch.

She also has an online personal trainer who tracks her progress through data uploaded from her watch to a fitness app. Jo says that despite the chaos of daily life on the property, needing to work full-time, and raising children, this technology enables her to achieve her fitness goals. Since starting marathon running in 2016, Jo says she has never felt so strong and plans to compete in the Bondi to Manly Ultra marathon later this year. Last year she finished 30th, and she is determined to surpass herself.

The former national rower started running when looking for a new challenge. "A friend told me that a half marathon is 21.1 kilometers, and I thought, 'Well, that's how far I live from town,'" she said. Later that year, she ran her first half marathon; two years later, she placed third in her first full marathon.

A three-hour drive away in the city of Broken Hill, Nate Hodges also wakes up early to train for his first half marathon in Newcastle this April. He said the pandemic hit him hard, and once lockdowns became a distant memory, he wanted to return to an active lifestyle. "I've always loved sports, going to the gym, playing rugby, playing cricket, but I'd never really run before, or even considered it a hobby," he said. For both of these runners, a fitness watch has guided them toward success.

After doing some research on different fitness watch options, Nate said he found a brand he liked, as well as a plan he felt he could easily follow. "It sets up a plan for you based on your age and weight. It means I can literally shut my front door and start running, which is awesome," he said. Since then, he has consistently run three times a week, each time covering 10 to 12 kilometers. This has not only helped his physical health, but also his mental well-being.

"It has an immediate effect on mental health, and having a structured plan and clear goals has also helped me use better habits outside of running," he said. Jo says that having a fitness watch and an online coach is key to her training plan. Every time she runs, data from her watch is uploaded to an app, which sends her tips and tricks. When she is training for a specific marathon, a coach contacts her weekly to discuss her progress. "It makes everything so much easier; I don't have to think about it too much, and it helps me achieve my goals, which is fantastic," she said.

"No one just wakes up and runs a marathon, you have to start somewhere, but definitely buy a watch." Nate agreed, saying that without his watch, it would be hard for him to get up when the sun rises. "I wouldn't have the motivation, but I have a reminder on my wrist that tells me, 'Hey, you have to run today, you have to complete it,'" he said.

Australians using apps and wearable technology is nothing new. This has been ongoing for nearly a decade. Data from the Australian Sports Commission's annual AusPlay survey shows that wearable technology is on the rise nationwide. Mandy Hagstrom, a senior lecturer and exercise physiologist at the University of New South Wales, says the ease of use of apps and fitness watches is unmatched. "When people wear a lot of smartwatches, they do some running or cycling, and it often uses data based on your exercise intensity, your heart rate, and predicts what it thinks your health is like," Dr. Hagstrom said.

"Years ago, you would never get numbers like that unless you went to see an exercise scientist." Despite these advances, Dr. Hagstrom believes that fitness technology will never replace traditional face-to-face training. "[Physical gyms and coaches] are teaching them lifestyle, maintenance...and about the overall content surrounding exercise," she said. "And you build a connection; they like to come and see you." Dr. Hagstrom says that fitness technology has limitations. "If you don't understand your body, you might not necessarily listen to signs that you're feeling a bit fatigued, might need to slow down, or conversely, need to push further," she said. "Sometimes these numbers can actually become a hindrance, and people become obsessed with them."