Tracking your activity

What does the data from a smartphone’s fitness tracker tell your child about their life?

Things you need

Fitness tracker (most phones come with one as an app)
Notebook to record the data.

The challenge

The Australian Department of Health recommendsExternal link children and young people do 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.

Ask your teen to record their physical activity or daily step count over a month and then look at the data together. If they're counting their steps, they'll need a pedometer.

The conversation

During the month, talk to your teenager about the data they're collecting:

"Are there particular days of the week that you are more or less active?”
“Have you noticed any trends or patterns in your data over the month?”
“Is your activity data different on week days versus weekends? If so, why?”
“Were there any days in the month where your activity was unusually high or low? Why?”

Road safety tips:

Talk to your teenager about the importance of being a safe road user:

Always choose the safest place to cross the road
Walk on the right-hand side of the road facing oncoming traffic when there is no footpath
Be aware of your environment and surroundings by not being distracted by devices and headphones.

The career

The analysis of health, fitness and performance data is the key role of a personal trainer, coach or exercise physiologist.

Beyond sport, analysing patterns in data is essential across a variety of careers. Economists, investors, forensic scientists, fashion buyers, statisticians and business owners all use data trends to make informed predictions and decisions.

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