Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Getting fit is no simple task. (With 60 million
Americans characterized as obese by the President’s Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports, that fact is clear.) But while the standby
prescription for shaping up—regular exercise and eating a healthy
diet—hasn’t changed, a new crop of high-tech tools has sprung up to help
you achieve your fitness goals.
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Thanks to specific advances in technology, these devices have become
increasingly user-friendly. First, the sensors that collect your
data—like skin temperature and heart rate—are now small enough to fit
inside a wristband or a pair of headphone earbuds. The Basis B1 Health
Tracker, for example, packs an accelerometer as well as temperature and
galvanic skin-response sensors into a wristwatch.
Another technological development that’s a boon for fitness gadgeteers
is GPS—and runners and bikers aren’t the only ones using it to map
workout routes and measure times and distances. Golfers increasingly
rely on devices with GPS range finders to navigate courses. The
WiFi-enabled SkyCaddie SGXw allows for smarter club selections so
players can hit fairway landing areas and greens more consistently
You don’t even need to break a sweat to get fitness feedback. The
hated bathroom scale has gotten smart, with some models, like the Fitbit
Aria Smart Scale, able to wirelessly relay each morning’s weigh-in to
your smartphone, iPad or computer. How’s that for accountability?
Here’s a closer look at some of the new fitness devices available now.
