Fitness Tech. By: Lisa Ritchie
The holidays are around the corner, so let’s look at some gifts for the fitness fanatic in your life.
Most of us are familiar with Fit Bit, which seemed to overtake traditional heart rate monitors when it comes to fitness technology. But there’s a host of new tech gadgets to get you going on the road to fitness.
Apple Watch Series 9 – has features like automatic workout tracking, walkie-talkie communications between watches, raise to talk and better support for music and podcasts, plus Double Tap which lets you tap the thumb and forefinger of your watch hand together to control various operations so you don’t need both hands free for things like starting and stopping playback. Deals run around $399 and up. It even has an electrocardiogram app that can do more medically accurate on-the-spot heart rate checks.
Samsung Galaxy Watch Active for $200 is an Android alternative. With a very slim design, it features onboard GPS, better integration for Android phones, and Spotify support, but not the best battery life. You can track active minutes, calories burned and stand time at a glance. It comes loaded with just about every physical activity you can think of (39 total), auto pause and the ability to detect some workouts (like running and cycling) automatically plus it’s waterproof.
Fit Bit Versa – for about $150 it’s compact, water-resistant to 50 meters, and works with iOS and Android. However, there’s no onboard GPS. It has a multi day battery life, and tracks heart rate, distance, even your sleep.
There’s the Garmin Unisex Vívomove HR Sport Silicone Strap Hybrid Touchscreen Smart Watch. A touchscreen display is located within a traditional analog dial for this discreet smart watch from Garmin. It Tracks distance, steps, sleep, heart rate and GPS location at around $179. Controls music and receives smart notifications. Offers wellness monitoring tools, such as all-day stress tracking and a relaxation timer. Sync your fitness data though the free Garmin Connect™ app and take part in a thriving online fitness community.
Amazfit Bip 5 – A complete fitness smartwatch thats a remarkable bargain. It has an always-on display, weeks-long battery life, plus extras like heart rate, GPS and water resistance. It comes in 4 vibrant color options and allows you to receive emails, text messages, calls and app notifications on the watch display which pairs with your Bluetooth. The Amazfit Bip 5 is affordable, has fantastic battery life, and is the best low-key casual smartwatch around at just $89.99
The Oura ring – a fitness tracker in a ring made of titanium. It tracks over 20 biometrics like heart rate, body temperature, blood oxygen, sleep and more. From cycling to basketball to housework, Oura automatically detects over 30 activities and gives you credit for every move you make. It works with a $5.99 monthly membership and an app for your smartphone. $269-$379 depending on model.
Bose Frames –They’re sunglasses that are enhanced with Bose technology to play music and take calls. Available in two styles for $200. They deliver surprisingly decent sound using embedded micro speakers. While the arms are slightly bulky, the sunglasses don’t feel heavy on your head and are comfortable to wear. Using the sunglasses to make calls works well. Even though the audio sounds loud to you, people won’t hear it unless they’re standing right next to you. The Battery life isn’t great and there’s no prescription lens option available from Bose, and beware, adding a third-party prescription lens voids the warranty.
The traditional heart rate monitor by Polar. Ranging from $49 to $270 Polar offers a wide variety of fitness trackers. Some require a chest strap and transmitter, which some find uncomfortable but offer extremely accurate results. Other models are watch styles. There’s even one that looks like a FitBit the A370. It monitors heart rate, has GPS, sleep monitoring, and notifications for incoming calls, messages, social media and calendar appointments.
Naturally there’s also MP3 players or iPods, and remember Google glass? However you choose to track your fitness, the most important thing is to exercise safely, consistently and enjoyably. I’m ACE Certified personal trainer Lisa Ritchie, and that’s your Fit In a minute!