With everyone getting into the full swing of their resolutions, tracking your general health and progress is a handy way to stay motivated and on top of your fitness. Whether you’re working toward a goal, working off last night’s takeaway, or like to keep track of the way your body is working, here are a few great gadgets to help you monitor your general health and fitness.
With weight being the most common health and fitness concern, the number one essential for all healthy households is a set of bathroom scales. From traditional analogue scales to modern digital ones, stepping on a set of these in the morning before tucking into breakfast will help you keep track of your weight.
However, it’s important to note that muscle is denser than fat (1inch³ of muscle weighs approx. 15 - 20% more than 1inch³ of fat), so if you’re trying to slim down and tone up, it’s a good idea to take measurements of your waistline as well. Another way to prevent the numbers from getting you down is to take a picture every week and compare them as you go along - not only will this be motivational, but it’s a great way to document your progress.
A positive result of technological advances and people’s increased interest in staying fit, wearable tech is becoming more accessible and convenient. Smart watches allow users to monitor steps taken and calories burned, track their heart rate and sleep patterns, and stay connected via incoming messages and phone calls - among many other things. Perfect for wearing during active sessions and throughout the day, these handy gadgets enable us to effortlessly keep up with our fitness while going about our busy lives. More advanced designs allow you to sync collected data to your mobile phone for daily, weekly, and monthly reports.
You don’t have to splash out on a smartwatch if you’ve always got a personal trainer in your pocket. Modern mobiles are becoming more advanced with their health features and apps, with most including step counters and distance trackers and some even featuring built-in heartrate monitors.
There’s a never-ending choice of applications and add-ons that you can download and connect to your mobile device to stay on top of your health and get alerts or advice to help you along your journey. If you’re heading out on a run or trying out a new cycle route, there are plenty of armbands and phone holders designed to keep your phone accessible and by your side.
Most home gym equipment nowadays feature digital screens that track your current (and sometimes previous) workout information. Much like wearable tech and mobile apps, they follow calories burned, distance travelled, and heart rate. So, if you’re looking for an all-body workout in the comfort of your own home but still want to know if you’ve worked off that side of chips, then these machines are a great solution.
