Wearable Devices for Fitness Fun
Some times we just have to get up from our computer, away from the kitchen table, or up off the couch and stretch those legs. I am no exception. There are plenty of studies with findings that indicate how important it is to include exercise in our daily routines.
As we get older, we need to maintain some level of exercise everyday to remain healthy and sharp. There are many good articles on Health topics and exercise available from AARP.org. However, have you thought about adding wearable technology to your belt when you exercise to make the routine more fun and meaningful?
Whether you enjoy going to the gym, exercising at home or walking around the neighborhood, you can wear mobile devices that provide feedback like a personal trainer. These devices monitor our progress and can encourage us to do more.
Conventional wisdom says we should walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. To help you monitor your individual goal, whether it's 500 or 5000 steps, you could wear a pedometer. These are small and simple devices that can be clipped onto your belt or waistband to provide a count of the number of steps you take. You can purchase one at most sporting goods stores for as little as $5, or up to $40 for devices that offer more functionality, and use it to keep a log of your daily activity. This simple device can help you to challenge and encourage yourself to add more steps each day as a way of achieving your personal goal of fitness or weight management. Even AARP has a step counter program.
There are smarter pedometers that connect to the Web to upload the data from your device to a website. These pedometers come with a service that calculates your steps into calories burned and miles walked and gives you colorful graphs and figures about how you're doing each day, week and month. Some also offer a host other services on diet, exercise and wellness to enhance your entire fitness program. SportsBrain and FitBug are two examples of these smart pedometer services. These pedometers come with a USB cable. Once you register and download a small software module that syncs your device to the Internet, you will have your own private web space where you can view your personal data and manage your information. When you purchase the pedometer online, the cost includes a monthly fee for the level of services you select.
Nike and Apple have teamed up to offer a wireless transmitter you insert into your Nike running shoe. This transmitter syncs up with your iPod nano to announce your distance, pace and elapsed time based on the goal-oriented workout you select. You can also program music that will increase your pace. The transmitter can also sync up with the NikePlus website so you can see the results of your workout and monitor your progress.
For the competitive or adventurous runner or biker, Garmin offers a comprehensive system with its Forerunner family of devices. These devices combine a GPS system with monitoring your pace and speed, heart rate, distance, calories burned and more, depending on the type of sports. Having a GPS device is an important feature to give you latitude, longitude, and altitude data for exact location information in unfamiliar areas. This could be especially handy if you exercise in unfamiliar surroundings when you travel. You can also retrace your steps to a starting point or reverse your normal route for variation. This system comes with many accessories, including a heart strap and CD with software that enables you to sync up with your PC to graph, record and monitor your body, workout and progress.
Whatever your preference for exercise or level of physical fitness, you can upgrade your workout with a wearable device. It could be just the thing needed to provide feedback and encouragement to help you accomplish your fitness goals or give you the incentive to do more.
AARP Resources
Information about Walking and using the AARP Step Counter is available from the Health channel at AARP.org
Keep Active – Get Movin’ at 50 Plus
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
About the Author
Susan Ayers Walker is a leading-edge boomer with over 35 years experience in emerging technologies.
