DEAR Jasminda,

After buying a fitness tracking device, I’m now really disappointed that my intense workout is only worth about 350 calories, which is less than one chocolate sundae. It hardly seems worth it.

Bruce L.

Dear Bruce,

WHAT did we do before devices that are so clever? They track our calories, let us take an ECG with our morning coffee, show us our erratic sleep patterns (which leads to insomnia) and tell us when to move and drink water.

We’ve become slaves to the machine with people now unable to stop and talk on their morning walk or else they’ll slip into non-zone exercise minutes.

My friend sometimes walks around her coffee table just to make up her 250 steps in the hour (hard to achieve during a Zoom meeting).

Another friend’s watch was faulty and so she thought her oxygen saturation was dangerously low, except it wasn’t. Between fitness trackers and Dr Google, people self-diagnose with the confidence of neurosurgeons when their highest qualification is a Certificate IV in real estate.

There are many positives to your intense workout and the calorie count is just one of them. You’re strengthening your bones and muscles, lowering your risk of disease, socialising with others, and improving your memory, among other benefits.

Try not to be obsessive about the statistics. Your neck position from studying your watch and other devices is of more concern than a sneaky sundae now and then. Everything in moderation, Bruce.

Carpe diem, Jasminda.