Health And fitness Industry Biography
Source Google.com.pk
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day it is estimated that, on average, individuals gain 3 to 7 pounds. Given that staggering statistic, is there a way for the average American to not gain weight during the holiday? I think there is, and it just might be by purchasing one of the many fitness gadgets that seem to find extra promotion on Black Friday. But how do you know which products are worth the investment and which ones don’t live up to the hype because they don’t have the science behind it to back it up? Which ones are easy to set up and which take a Ph.D. in engineering to figure out?
The good news is I’ve done some of the research for you. I’ve spent the last month testing out and wearing devices, putting each through my own grueling test by using them on a daily basis—from my lazy Sundays and daily walks to my high-intensity workouts. I’ve kicked the tires, so to speak, on four fitness devices so you don’t have to. But why me? I’ve spent the last three years working on my Ph.D. in physical activity and technology, studying and trying hundreds of mobile fitness apps and gadgets with the goal of finding tools that we all can use to be more active on a daily basis. Our fitness journey starts with just one step forward.
Product: Mio Active
Mio ActiveCost: $100
Overview: A watch that can also take your heart rate—no uncomfortable chest strap required.
My experience: I’ll admit—I’ve been a fan of the Mio company for a number of years and was excited to try their Mio Active. (And yes, I know the Mio Active is geared toward females, but I am a strong enough man to wear a ladies watch for a few days to try out the features.)
I strongly support target heart-rate training during moderate-to-intense workouts, and I’ve never been one to trust the heart-rate sensors that come with typical gym equipment. I’ve found the Mio Active watch does just that. One of my favorite features is the ability to set lower and upper heart-rate settings, so if I’m outside of my training zone I receive an alert. However, if you’re looking for continuous heart-rate measurement, the Mio Active isn’t your answer, because you need to be wearing the watch, then touch two sensors on each side of it to get a reading. I found it difficult to do this during more intense workouts. If you’re simply looking to check in on your heart rate when you want—much like the gym equipment sensors—then the Mio will work just fine.
I did have some questions when setting up my Mio. There are so many interesting features, yet I found the manual to be a bit small for my aging eyes. To my pleasant surprise, Mio has a 15-minute YouTube video that goes over all the settings, something I’d love to see other companies do.
Words of advice: If you’re like me and prefer to train within your target heart-rate zone, using a device like the Mio Active will not only provide additional insights into your workouts, but it will also add to your fitness motivation. The only drawback is the need to touch the sides of the watch to display the information you’re after, but rumor has it that their soon-to-be-released model will change all that. When that happens, you will likely be able to find the Mio Active at a cheaper price.
Product: Basis Watch
Basis WatchCost: $199.99
Overview: A fitness watch with innovative tracking options that would make Mr. Spock weak in the knees.
My experience: I first learned of the Basis watch a few years ago at a conference in Silicon Valley, but it only recently became ready for public release. The company has brought in a number of influential individuals in the tech space, as the trend of wearable technology sensors continues to increase in popularity.
The watch isn’t the slimmest watch on the market, but it definitely offers a number of new and innovative tracking measurements. A real-time heart-rate monitor, perspiration sensor and a skin temperature sensor join the standard step counter on the Basis. I see immediate value in knowing steps and heart rate, but have yet to see a value to the sweat and temperature measurements.
The Basis watch appears to have only one button, but their clever use of the four corners of the watch face actually allow for a total of five buttons. Want to check your heart rate? Just click the bottom right button. Want to know your steps for the day? Click the upper right button. I was also impressed with the automatic back light feature on the watch, which is activated by a simple turn of the wrist so you can see your numbers without having to fumble with another button.
I am also a fan of the app and website, as their use of gameification and goal setting is very motivational to me. I will admit that I am skeptical about the heart rate-monitoring feature. How could a watch accurately measure heart rate from your wrist? The Basis watch has a small light senor on the back of the watch that monitors blood flow through your wrist (think of the device hospitals use to check your blood levels by putting a small sensor on your finger—the Basis uses the same sort of technology). I like that the Basis will track your heart rate and report back an average-per-minute reading over the course of your day. Information geeks like me will love this kind of stuff.
Of course, a watch with all these features needs power. Charging the Basis is easy using their docking station, and my first charge lasted a few days. Wearing the watch felt uncomfortable at first, but once the newness wore off it became much more comfortable. It does have a large watch face, though, so if have a small wrist it may take time to get accustomed to wearing it.
Words of advice: The Basis watch has made an immediate splash in the wearable technology space. Early adopters and those who aspire to measure things are going to love this device. The real question is whether or not the average person needs the extra motivation offered by this device. The Basis isn’t priced for an impulse purchase, so do your homework before spending close to $200. If you do purchase it and use it daily, I think you’ll be impressed and satisfied with your investment. If you aren’t, send me an email and I will find someone who is in the market for a used device.
In part one of the this two-part series, I reviewed two watch-based devices—the Basis and the Mio Active—both of which offer innovative monitoring options to help you get more out of your workouts. Today I’m back to share my experience using two new on-body monitoring devices.
Product: LumoBack
LumoBackCost: $149.99
Overview: A device that serves as a posture reminder and features a physical-activity monitor and sleep sensor.
My experience: I was first drawn to the LumoBack after seeing an online ad. I’ve been struggling for years to work on improving my posture. I’d get motivated for a day or two to “sit up straight,” then fall back to slouching when I stand and hunching over when I work on my computer. With many health benefits credited to simply standing more during the work day, I wanted to try a device that would help me not only improve my posture, but also perhaps motivate me to stand more and sit less throughout the day.
The LumoBack was easy to set up out of the box. The device itself is small—about the size of four golf pencils—lightweight and easy to wear and adjust thanks to the Velcro belt that snugly situates the device in the small of your back. Putting it on was a snap, but getting the sensor to connect to my smartphone proved to be a bigger challenge. The device learns your posture by taking a reading while you are standing versus when you are sitting. That was the easy part. You wear the device during the day under your clothing, and when it senses you are out of proper posture, the device vibrates. I ran into a challenge when I knew I was in proper posture, but the LumoBack vibrated. I changed positions, but it kept vibrating. I stood up, and it kept vibrating. A quick Internet search confirmed my suspicions, with other people reporting false sensor vibrations when exhibiting good posture. I tried to recalibrate the LumoBack a few times, all to no avail. I even took the device off and put it in my desk and it still vibrated. I also tried to wear the device to bed one night, but found it to be a little too uncomfortable to keep on.
I did enjoy the smartphone interface to my iPhone. When I was seated, the icon on my phone was seated. When I stood, the icon stood. When I walked, the icon started to walk. I just wish they had put as much time into the device itself as they did into the smartphone app. The LumoBack also has a built-in physical-activity monitor that tracks the number of steps taken during the day, but to me this device served more as a posture reminder and less as a step counter—I currently wear a different device on my wrist for daily step count, so this feature didn’t interest me.
Words of advice: While I love the concept and would be one to wear the LumoBack to remind me of proper posture during the day, I found the constant vibration reminders, even when I was exhibiting good posture, to be annoying, so much that I just took off the device and never wore it again. I wouldn’t be comfortable wearing it during work—I could see myself being sidetracked during an important meeting or presentation with the device vibrating. There is a way to turn off the vibration, but then again what’s the point in that? If you want real-time feedback, then you’d want it to be on at all times. A neat little gadget, though a little on the expensive side; if it worked as advertised, however, I’d be willing to try again. The sleep and physical activity functions were nice to have, but were not overly impressive.
Product: Spark Activity Tracker
Cost: $59.99
Overview: A physical-activity tracker connected to the popular SparkPeople website
My experience: From the creators of the popular and free website called SparkPeople comes a new physical activity tracker called the Spark. After using the SparkPeople website, it became clear why they designed the Spark. One of the most common complaints with the website is the difficulty in recording your daily activity and your food log. The Spark attempts to remedy one of those concerns.
I like the small, sleek design of the Spark, which is about the size of a quarter. One of the major challenges with other physical-activity trackers is battery life. I liked that the Spark uses a regular watch battery and they even provide you with a second battery with your initial purchase. Once set up on my laptop using a small USB plug-in device, syncing data from device to computer and then to the Spark People website was simple. Whenever I was within 50 feet of my computer the data exchange took place. While I didn’t like that I needed to always keep the USB plug-in inserted at all times, thus taking up one of the two USB ports on my computer, I tried putting the USB plug-in into my USB multi-port hub and it seemed to work just fine.
My biggest challenge with the device was the display feature on the Spark. I am a numbers kind of guy so I want to see the actual numbers to motivate me rather than a graphical representation on the device, which is what the Spark provides. There are 12 lights around the outside of the device, each light equaling 1/12 of your daily physical activity goal, which is set from your SparkPeople account. If you are the type of person that is fine with a light display, then this shouldn’t be an issue, but if you’re like me and want real numbers this may drive you nuts. There is a smartphone app that connects with the Spark, but for me that is just one more step to take to check my daily progress.
I also had a bit of trouble navigating around the SparkPeople website. For me, it was too cluttered, which made it a challenge to find what I was looking for. I tested the “forgot my password feature,” but for some reason resetting my password was a challenge.
Words of advice: If you currently use SparkPeople and like their offerings, then the Spark might be the fitness tracker for you. Their website is a nice resource for health, fitness and nutrition articles, and if you enjoy sharing your health journey with others their online community tends to be active. If you are like me and already use other websites for your physical-activity tracking, and are not prone to sharing questions online with fellow health journey members, having to switch everything to the SparkPeople website to use the Spark (which doesn’t show actual numbers) might mean this device is not the right one for you.
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
Health And fitness Industry Quotes Inspiration Picture Clipart Logo Magazine Images Tumblr Motivation Tips
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