Editorial: Tracking: healthy or harmful?

Do we need to track every step we take when exercising?

I swam 3.1km, jogged 4km and ate 1565 calories yesterday - all on six hours of sleep.

I also spent most of my working day sitting down, while sipping on 2.2 litres of water.

At first glance I may seem slightly obsessive compulsive but I am just one of many who log their exercise, consumption and habits online.

Downloading apps and wearing fitness devices to self-track or "life-log" is the latest trend.

I'll upload the data after a bike ride and study my stats. Occasionally, the graph shows the giant hill I thought I conquered to be more of a blip in the road.

Once the latest workout has been analysed, I review past stats to see if my average speed has risen.

I can also casually browse through my friends' times on the same course to see how their training is going.

They, too, can see my training stats.

Admittedly, I try a little harder, knowing other people can see my performance.

But when does a little friendly logging become unhealthy?

Authors Carl Cederstrom and Andre Spicer claim our obsession with wellness has crossed the line into becoming a moral demand.

"When health becomes an ideology, the failure to conform becomes a stigma," they wrote in an interview with The Times.

In fact, they claim these apps and devices could make you feel worse because you'll end up beating yourself up if that workout is not logged.

When it becomes a demand it undermines the "wellness" the device or app is trying to promote.

So, if I start berating myself about my sluggish pace it's time to put down the device and just run for the love of it.