You've seen them—the colorful, wristwatch-like fitness trackers that seem to have taken the world by storm. (Maybe you're even wearing one right now.) They count your steps, give you stats on your sleeping habits, and more. Sounds like a great way to get healthier and maybe lose weight in the process, right? Well, maybe not. A recent study claims that the wearers of these popular pieces of wrist wear lost less weight than people who didn't wear them.

And, even more surprising, it turns out the problem might be the wearers themselves. The lead author of the study put it this way: "These technologies are focused on physical activity, like taking steps and getting your heart rate up. [But then the wearers of these devices] would say, 'Oh, I exercised a lot today, now I can eat more.' And they might eat more than they otherwise would have." As a result, the researcher concluded, "It doesn't look like assigning someone wearable technology will make that big of a difference." As an article on NPR noted, "Ultimately these devices are most effective when the people using them are already dedicated to tracking their fitness. People who are less motivated might not get the same results."

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Sin; Blame; Responsibility—Living in a fallen, sinful world—with fallen, sinful natures—means that we can only place so much blame on our circumstances. Oftentimes, we are the problem. (2) Spiritual disciplines; Motivation; Spiritual Growth—Just "wearing" spiritual disciplines (like participating in worship, listening to a sermon, or reading Scripture, etc.) won't make us more spiritually fit. It also requires our motivation and inner attitude.