The Rise of Smart Fitness: How AI and Fitness Trackers Are Changing Exercise for People with Chronic Health Conditions
In recent years, wearable fitness trackers, smartwatches, and artificial intelligence (AI) have evolved from step counters and calorie trackers into powerful health companions—especially for people living with chronic diseases and disabilities. At the Online Exercise Clinic, we’re seeing firsthand how these tools, when paired with expert guidance from a Clinical Exercise Physiologist, can help people exercise safely, confidently, and consistently.
Smarter Tech for a Smarter You
Today’s wearables—like Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, and WHOOP—go far beyond counting steps. They track heart rate variability, oxygen saturation, stress levels, sleep quality, and even detect irregular heart rhythms. AI-powered platforms can now use this data to predict trends, identify potential red flags, and personalize fitness feedback.
For someone living with a chronic health condition such as heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or cancer, this technology can be game-changing. These devices empower users with real-time insight into how their body responds to activity and there is evidence that these devices may increase adherence while enabling your health team to track your progress in real time. But data alone isn’t enough—knowing what to do with it is where the real magic happens.
A Clinician's perspective
Most patients entering clinical rehabilitation programs begin with an initial assessment—often a stress test—to evaluate how their body responds to exercise and to help set safe and effective activity guidelines. While this is an essential baseline, it only provides a snapshot of the individual’s cardiovascular response at one point in time. While not as reliable or sophisticated as an ECG, wearable technology does offers some continuous monitoring that can complement this initial evaluation by tracking heart rate patterns, detecting arrhythmias, and flagging abnormal responses during daily activities. For individuals with chronic conditions, this ongoing data can be especially valuable, helping to identify trends or warning signs that might otherwise go unnoticed. When shared with healthcare providers, this information can support earlier interventions, more precise medical management, and better-informed adjustments to the exercise plan—enhancing both safety and long-term outcomes.
Historically, exercise professionals have relied heavily on time-consuming follow-up calls or in-person check-ins to monitor patient progress, often without objective data to guide those conversations. This approach depends largely on patient recall, which can be inaccurate or incomplete, making it difficult to get a clear picture of actual exercise behaviour. Now, with smartwatches, clinicians can access real-time, objective data that tells the full story—how often someone is exercising, the intensity of their activity, heart rate trends, and more. Rather than spending valuable time asking patients to recall what they’ve been doing, exercise physiologists can interpret this data directly and provide personalized, evidence-based advice. This allows for targeted follow-up—focusing on those who aren’t meeting goals, appear to need extra support, or may be due for reassessment—ultimately maximizing resources and improving patient outcomes.
When the Data Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
While smartwatches offer powerful tools for tracking physical activity and health metrics, their built-in algorithms and targets are often designed for the general population and may not reflect the needs or limitations of individuals with chronic diseases or disabilities. For these patients, factors such as medications, medical diagnoses, and mobility issues can impact heart rate response, exercise tolerance, and activity levels—making it difficult or even unsafe to meet the default goals set by the device. As a result, the data can sometimes appear misleading, suggesting non-compliance or poor performance when, in fact, the individual may be doing exactly what is appropriate for their condition. A common example of this issues is in individuals prescribed beta-blockers which blunt the heart rate response to exercise. For these individuals the heart rate guidance generated by their smartwatch is often unattainable.
The Missing Link: Clinical Exercise Physiologists
This is where the skill set of an Exercise Physiologist is essential: Interpreting smartwatch data through a clinical lens, adjusting expectations based on medical context, and setting realistic, individualized goals that reflect both safety and progress. While wearables provide the “what,” a Clinical Exercise Physiologist provides the “how” and “why.”
Here’s how we make your data work for you:
Interpretation: We help clients understand what heart rate, recovery time, and movement metrics actually mean in the context of their specific condition.
Personalized Exercise Prescription: Based on your wearable data and medical history, we develop a safe, effective exercise plan tailored to your condition and goals.
Progress Monitoring: As your wearable collects more data, we adjust your plan in real-time—just like having a personal coach and medical consultant rolled into one.
Safety First: If your device flags anything concerning—like elevated resting heart rate or abnormal rhythms—we help you determine next steps and whether to consult a healthcare provider.
Why AI Needs a Human Touch
AI can identify trends, but it can’t understand the emotional, physical, and medical complexity of living with a chronic condition. That’s where the human connection matters. We take your data and translate it into meaningful, compassionate care.
At the Online Exercise Clinic, we specialize in guiding individuals with chronic diseases and disabilities through the maze of digital health tools. Whether you’re new to exercise or looking to optimize your current routine, we’re here to bridge the gap between high-tech and high-touch.
Final Thoughts: Let’s Get Moving—Intelligently
Smartwatches and fitness apps are no longer just trendy gadgets—they’re tools for transformation. But the best results happen when these tools are combined with expert advice.
At the Online Exercise Clinic, we help interpret wearable data in the context of your unique medical profile, ensuring that your exercise plan is not only data-informed, but also medically appropriate and safe.
Ready to turn your wearable data into meaningful action?
Let the Online Exercise Clinic help you move better, feel better, and live better—safely and smartly.
The information in the blog is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For questions please follow up with your healthcare professional.
