How to Get New Life Out of Your Old Activity Tracker

Has your Fitbit lost its luster? Does your Nike FuelBand no longer give you butterflies? Do you find yourself checking out hotter, younger activity trackers and asking yourself where things went wrong?

You're not alone.

One in 10 American adults own an activity tracker, but about one-third abandon the device within the first six months of trying it, according to a survey of 1,700 consumers conducted by consulting firm Endeavor Partners in June 2014.

In tech terms, the phenomenon is called "device fatigue." In psychological terms, it's called hedonic adaptation, or the natural tendency to become accustomed to positive changes in our lives, whether it's a relationship, a job or a fitness tracker.

"You might continue wearing your Fitbit Flex or your Withings Pulse, but you're no longer looking at the information it collects because you're bored of it, or you just stop wearing it all together," says Jill Duffy, a writer and software analyst at PC Magazine who covers apps and gadgets for health and fitness.

But just because the honeymoon stage is over doesn't mean you and your gadget are headed for splitsville. Here are four ways to reignite the spark:

1. Get (h)appy.

One of the easiest ways to give your old tracker new life is by syncing it with cellphone apps like MyFitnessPal, which allows you to track how many calories you're putting in -- not just working out. "That information imports into your fitness tracker app so that you can see the balance," says Duffy, who considers the app one of her favorites.

The app is a cut above the rest, Duffy says, because it has a user-generated database of more than 4 million foods, including plenty of home-cooked and ethnic options. "If you're looking on the [Department of Agriculture's] site for bulgogi, you might not find it, but you'll probably find it on MyFitnessPal," she says.

Other apps worth considering include Microsoft Healthvault, which can import your device's data to a profile that stores a plethora of health information like your latest blood work; MapMyRun, which allows you to map, record and share your exercise routes in an online database; and Sleepio, which analyzes your sleep patterns and teaches you techniques to improve your rest.

2. Make it a family (or friends) affair.

Sarah Angelozzi, 29, hails from a competitive family. So when the health care technology company vice president in Red Bank, New Jersey, got a Fitbit about a year ago, it was only natural for her to take advantage of the tracker's social challenges -- and invite her family and friends to participate.

Now, she and her parents, brother, sisters-in-law and others regularly keep tabs on each other's progress through Fitbit's daily, weekend and workweek challenges. "It seriously makes me go to the gym if I know my brother's beating me," says Angelozzi, who credits the device -- and her competitive spirit -- with helping her lose about 15 pounds over the course of the year.

Michael Doustan, CEO of the social giving platform FitCause, has a similar tradition with about 10 of his friends, who live in different cities across the country. Four times a year, the group sets up a competition through a Nike running app synced to their devices. Whoever runs the most miles in the given month will enjoy dinner on the others the next time they're together. It encourages the friends to stay active -- and in touch.

3. Use it to do good.

If you're more motivated by the prospect of helping others than by weight loss or competition, consider syncing your activity tracker with a charity-minded platform. Doustan's FitCause, for example, allows organizations to host virtual charity walks. If, together, participants reach the group's activity goal, the organization donates a set amount of money to the charity of its choice. Individuals, too, can log on to join a "mission" and donate money to the cause.

"We're a social giving platform that enables either consumers or nonprofit corporations to convert everyday motion into charitable donations," Doustan says. "It's either powered by wearable technology or a health app on your smartphone."

The business management consulting firm KPMG uses FitCause to encourage its employees to run 26.2 miles -- the distance of a marathon -- over the course of each month. For each employee who does, the company donates a certain amount of money to a local nonprofit. Employees regularly raise about $2,000 to $3,000 each month, Douston says.

Charity Miles, an app that won the SXSW Interactive People's Choice Award in 2013, also allows users to turn their tracked activity into good. Using GPS technology either on a phone or fitness tracker, the app puts 25 cents per mile toward the charity of the user's choice for every mile run or walked, and 10 cents for every mile biked. Corporate sponsorships foot the bill.

4. Upgrade.

Sometimes, the relationship with an activity tracker just wasn't meant to be, or has simply run its course. If it's time to kiss yours goodbye, you may want to upgrade to a smartwatch that integrates the fitness tracker with the smartphone. Duffy says the new trend is making fitness trackers into smartwatches -- "that's the upsell for people to get rid of their old devices."

The Garmin vivosmart, for example, allows wearers to monitor their heart rate and track their caloric intake and output -- as well as receive notifications from their phones such as text messages, caller ID, emails and calendar reminders. "I find it really helpful in the airport when you can't pull out your cellphone," says Amy Nouri, a spokeswoman for Garmin. Two of her other favorite features? The "move bar," which tells you to get active after one hour of inactivity, and the watch's ability to ping your cellphone if you misplace it.

Other smartwatches include those made by Samsung, Sony, Motorola and others. Then, of course, there's the highly-anticipated Apple Watch, poised to launch early this year. Apple's "cult following," Doustan predicts, will help keep wearable technology hot -- and continuously improving. "The additional functionality that Apple will create in its new watch will sort of lend itself to a whole new following of wearable tech users and hopefully will spark a greater interest in getting people healthier," he says.