It’s 2019 and there’s an app for almost everything now, from tracking your period to booking a lunch in your favorite restaurant. Technology is changing almost every aspect of our life and makes things easier.
Now, everything you need is just a few clicks away. Technology is also changing the way we exercise. Today, every component of your workout routine can be tracked and analyzed to help you boost your performance.
Here are the top 8 ways you can use technology to improve your fitness.
#1 Heart-Rate Monitors
A heart-rate monitor is a small device worn on a strap around your chest. It’s ideal for sports where you aren’t allowed to wear visible straps or smartwatches, such as netball. Wrist varieties are also available but are usually less accurate.
To start monitoring your performance, just sync the monitor with the corresponding app. The heart-rate monitor will allow you to measure whether your workout is intense enough by tracking your heart rate.
#2 Fitness Watches
The quintessential wearable fitness gadgets, fitness watches are getting smarter by the day. Flexible, durable, and lightweight, you will barely notice that it’s there. Most models have interchangeable straps so you can switch it to match your activewear or after-workout clothes.
Fitness watches measure your speed and count your steps, but they also track your sleep to ensure you get enough rest. These watches also keep you informed with emails and texts that appear as notifications so that you can stay on top of your game. Sites like Cardio Critic provide in-depth reviews on the latest fitness watches to help you make an educated choice and help you boost your workouts.
#3 Food Trackers
Apps like MyFitnessPal and LoseIt! allow you to enter nutritional information about the foods you consume, enabling you to count the calories and control your daily intake. Most of these apps allow you to enter recipes, scan product barcodes, create meal entries, and join the forums. The calorie tracking strategy is very simple so you don’t have to re-enter info multiple times. Some apps also offer fitness and nutrition-related advice and allow you to adjust your nutrition goals as your needs and routines change.
#4 Smart Shoes
Cutting-edge fitness tech is even getting into your shoes! IQ smart trainers function as pedometers and measure how many steps you take in a minute. They also provide audio coaching in real-time to help you improve energy efficiency and minimize the risk of injury. And they do all this without compromising the good looks and comfort! All you need to do is connect your new high-tech shoes to your data-collecting app and get going.
#5 Wireless Headphones
There’s no better fitness motivator than a great playlist. But how can you listen to your favorite songs if the earbuds are falling out all the time or the wires are flying all around you during the training session?
The newest cable-free headphones allow you to listen to your favorite tunes without frustration. When fully charged, the battery can last for up to 6 hours. Some models have great features like open-ear which gives you an idea of what’s going on around you at all times and improves safety for late-night and early-morning runners. In addition, they’re very light and completely resistant to sweat.
#6 Workout Apps
Most workout apps work similarly to food trackers but for physical activity. Some allow you to create custom workout programs tailored to your needs, while others come with already installed exercise routines. Some are meant to input your fitness achievements and goals and monitor your progress, while others are meant to help you have fun while exercising. Many fitness apps also work as social networks, allowing you to connect with people and compare each other’s results.
#7 Electric Foam Roller
Foam rolling is a popular method for breaking down knots, relieving soreness, and keeping your muscles flexible in order to avoid injuries. But now, you can bring your recovery game to a whole new (tech) level. Electric foam rollers vibrate to help increase blood flow, offer more effective relief, and get you back to top performance faster.
#8 Health Sites and Review Sites
Besides website-delivered trackers and physical-activity inventions which have been shown to be a great solution for people who lack the time and money to workout, the Internet also offers a huge volume of fitness and health-related info.
Sites like WebMD and Verywell are a great place to find information about general health issues, nutrition, specific exercises (like swimming, walking, or running).
But the volume of information available online can also be a problem. When you type ‘health and fitness’ into Google, you’ll get more than 160 million results. This makes it hard to tell fact from fiction. For your safety, you need to make sure the content you’re reading is evidence-based and founded on current scientific research. Check the author’s credentials and/or whether the content is reviewed by experts before being published. If this is not the case, consider looking elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
Technology often gets blamed for increasing inactivity and preventing people from getting out and being active. But technology doesn’t have to be an obstacle when it comes to physical activity. With the increasing development of fitness gadgets and smartphone apps, technology can be used to promote physical activity and boost your workout routine.
