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

The sun is just peaking over the horizon when Jo Ker gets up to go for a run on her outback station in far west New South Wales.

Her home is near the mining town of White Cliffs, an eight-hour drive from Adelaide.

"I have to get up really early to get out of the heat, but also if I'm preparing for an event that is in warmer climates, I'm well prepared for it," Jo said.

This time of the year is perfect: in the winter when the sun rises later, although she often has to run with a head torch.

Jo often rises before the sun to train, to avoid White Cliffs' 40 degree Celsius temperatures. (ABC Broken Hill: Noa Thornton)

The mother-of-four and teacher hits the red dust for the same reason many Australians go to the gym, to have "me time". 

Out here, Jo's treadmill is the unsealed track of her station's long driveway or the black bitumen of Opal Miners Way, and her coach is her smartwatch. 

She also has an online personal trainer who tracks her progress through the data uploaded to a fitness app via her watch.

Wearable technology has been on the rise in Australia for many years. (ABC Broken Hill: Noa Thornton)

Jo says the technology enables her to meet her fitness goals despit the chaos of day-to-day life on a station, full-time work and raising children.

Since taking up marathon running in 2016, Jo says she's never felt stronger and is planning to compete in the Bondi to Manly ultra marathon later this year. 

Last year she placed 30th and she's determined to outdo herself. 

Jo manages to run five days a week while raising four children and working full-time. (ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde)

The former national rower took up running when she was looking for a new challenge.

"A friend told me that a half marathon is 21.1 kilometres, and I was like, 'Well, that's how far I am from town,'"

she said.

Later that year she ran her first half marathon; two years later, she placed third in her first marathon.

Jo started running the road into White Cliffs after a friend mentioned it was half a marathon. (ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde)

Using tech to score fitness goals

Three hours away in the city of Broken Hill, Nate Hodges is also up early training for his debut half marathon in Newcastle this April.

He says the pandemic hit him hard and once quarantines were a distant memory he was looking to get back into his sporty lifestyle.

"I'd always been quite sporty, so going to the gym, playing rugby, playing cricket, I'd never really run before this exercise or even a hobby," he said.

Nate Hodges says running has helped his mental health and made "a better me". (Supplied: Nate Hodges)

For both runners, a fitness watch has guided the way to their success.

After doing some research into different options for fitness watches, Nate says he landed on a brand he liked, and a program he felt comfortable following.

"It takes your age and weight and sets you up with a program. It means I can literally close my front door and just begin running, which is fantastic,"

he said.

Since then, he's built up to run 10 to 12 kilometres three times a week.

Not only has it helped his physical fitness but his mental health too.

"It's fantastic immediately for the mental health, but also having a structured program and having that goal in mind has helped me use better practices outside of running," he said.

Jo placed third in her first marathon. (ABC News: Bill Ormonde)

Jo says getting a fitness watch and an online coach has been key to her training program.

Every time she runs, data from her watch is uploaded to an app that messages her tips and tricks. 

When she's training for a specific marathon, a coach will contact her every week to talk through her progress.

"It makes it so much easier; I don't have to think about it, it gets me over the line which is great," she said.

"No-one just wakes up and runs a marathon, you have to start somewhere, but definitely get a watch."

Nate agrees, saying without his watch he'd struggle to get up with the sun.

"I wouldn't have the motivation, but I've got a reminder on my wrist that says, 'Hey you've got to run today, like you have to get that done,'" he said.

Jo says her tech is a key part of her training. (ABC News: Bill Ormonde)

Going the distance

The use of apps and wearable technology by Australians isn't new.

It's something that's been on the rise for almost a decade.

Data from the Australian Sports Commission's annual AusPlay survey shows wearable technology is on the rise across the country.

Exercise physiologist Mandy Hagstrom, a senior university lecturer at the University of New South Wales, says the accessibility of apps and fitness watches is tough to beat.

"When people wear a lot of smartwatches, they do some running or some cycling [and] it often uses the data based on how hard you're exercising, your heart rate and gives you a prediction of how fit it thinks you are," Dr Hagstrom said.

"A few years ago you would never have got a number like that unless you went to a exercise scientist."

Mandy Hagstrom says apps and wearable tech make fitness more accessible. (Supplied: Mandy Hagstrom)

For its advances though, Dr Hagstrom doesn't think fitness technology will ever replace traditional face-to-face training.

"[Physical gyms and coaches are] teaching them lifestyle, maintenance … [and] about the holistic stuff that comes around exercise," she said.

"And you build a bond; they enjoy coming to see you."

Dr Hagstrom says there are limits to fitness tech.

"If you don't know your body you may not necessarily listen to the signs that you're getting a bit fatigued and maybe need to dial it back or conversely need to push further," she said.

"Sometimes these numbers can actually become a bit of a hindrance and people get stuck on them."

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