Fitness Tech: Coolest Gadgets and Apps For Getting Back In Shape

Technology certainly has come a very long way. We have blown past the data from a simple pedometer that used to be pretty cool back in the 90s. With the use of new advances in various venues of technology like electronics and even health, getting in shape never meant so much technology. Every area of health and fitness has some kind of new gadget, app, or device that incorporates information from the latest health studies with the coolest gadgets. Here are just a few!

Gadgets On The Run
Going for a jog is totally different now than it was a few years ago. Yes, you can still go for a run just by putting on your shoes and a pair of shorts, but generally when you see a runner going down the road that isn’t the only thing they have with them. Usually a runner will have some sort of iPod or music device playing in their ears to help them stay on track with the rhythm of the music. But did you know they might have an app on their iPhone that tracks their runs for them? Or maybe they have a wrist bracelet that knows their heart rate, gps location, and their sleep patterns. What else more could they have?

The Total Package
Now, going for a jog means a lot more technology. For example: The Fitbit. They have wireless trackers like wristbands that track your sleep and your activity. This is then sent to the cloud wirelessly and it updates your progress online which you can see on your smartphone. Cool huh? It doesn’t stop there. These data points allow you to see trends in your quality of sleep, calories burned, steps taken and distance traveled. They also have an app to log your food intake to measure calories and keep up with your diet. Then you can weigh yourself via a wifi smart scale that updates your profile on your account. Overall you can monitor every aspect of your healthy lifestyle so you can get in shape easier with the Fitbit family of gadgets. You can track your runs, your diet, and your rest all with one set of devices.

Underwater Tech
Swimming has incredible benefits for getting a workout and staying in shape. There’s a lot of new technology for swimming pools, such as the endless lap pool. There are even some new fitness pools that have an underwater treadmill. But still, swimming is one of the hardest things to track and monitor. You can’t take a logbook to write things down on or keep track with some sort of device without the risk of getting it wet. Until now. Coming soon is the new Instabeat. This gadget has a really creative way of displaying data through your goggles while you swim. This wearable accessory monitors your calories, laps, and your breathing pattern as well. It then can sync with your computer to help you track and monitor your swimming workouts. It has been said that the Instabeat is like the Google Glass for underwater! In addition to the Instabeat, there are other accessories and gadgets that waterproof your current devices like mp3 players and such if you ever want to take your gadgets into the pool.

Fitness Apps
There are literally hundreds of apps for smartphones that are fitness related. Many of them have tracking tools that help you monitor calories or repetitions while others are a lot more dynamic and useful. RunKeeper is one of the better apps for keeping track of your runs. It can even track where you ran on a map using the GPS within your phone in addition to time based elements such as your mile time. Another fitness app that is changing the game by getting people to go to the gym is called GymPact. This app encourages you to get to the gym by paying you! If you don’t go that day, you have to pay them! It works by having the user make a pact to go to the gym on certain days the next week. If they go, they get paid. If they don’t go on a day, they are charged. The entire system operates by having users who didn’t go to the gym pay for those who do go to the gym. Interesting idea! There are also a lot of various training programs that have created a curriculum within a smartphone app with helpful images and videos such as apps like GAIN Fitness and PocketYoga.

Whether it is a gadget that helps you monitor your workouts or it’s an app that helps you get to the gym, technology in fitness is becoming a large factor in today’s age. Many look to the use of these gadgets for encouragement and self improvement. Without them, many people may not be exercising as much and getting in shape. Who knows, maybe giving one of these apps a try will help you get into the best shape of your life!