As technology advances, it is becoming more and more beneficial to integrate this into your workouts.
Keeping track of your fitness and performing the best workouts for you are all made much easier with the aid of these new products.
So, with that in mind, we thought we’d pick our favourites, starting with fitness trackers.
Fitness Trackers
Since 1965 and the release of the Manpo-Kei, fitness trackers have been used to monitor a person’s activity throughout the day.
While the originals may have only counted steps (the Manpo-Kei counted up to 10,000 steps and is looked at by many as the reason this number is so highly coveted in many a fitness regime) the fitness trackers of today can do so much more.
Measuring sleep, heart rate, calories burned and stress levels are all common now among these fitness watches and bands, and this is why a whopping 82% of athletic people in the UK use some form of tracker.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of our three favourite fitness trackers, as well as adding in three wildcards at the end.
Let’s take a look.
Our Top 3 Fitness Trackers
1. Fitbit Versa 2
When a lot of people think of fitness trackers, the term Fitbit comes to mind.
The brand has almost come synonymous with the industry, and since the release of their self-titled ‘Fitbit’ band in 2009, the products have grown in features and style.
Which brings us to the Fitbit Versa 3.
What Fitbit always do well, is the basics. They don’t fall for added gimmicks and features that are rarely used and focus on what really makes a great fitness watch.
Good battery life? You bet, with up to 6 days from one charge.
A great look? Of course, with a changeable strap and stunning display.
While not coming with all the bells and whistles of some of the other fitness watches on offer, this is a simple yet effective choice.
With an in-built GPS to track all of your exercises and at an affordable price of just over £150, you really can’t go wrong.
2. Garmin Vivoactive 4
A company that has been at the forefront of exercise tracking for decades is Garmin, and their Vivoactive 4 watch is another fine addition to their range of products.
This watch touches every base. From tracking menstrual cycles and blood oxygen saturation to energy levels and fluid intake, there’s no limit to the information this watch can provide.
This is more than a fitness tracker and can become as essential as your mobile phone in many ways.
Sync your social media notifications, calendar, as well as all messages from your phone and you can feel comfortable heading out for a long walk without taking any other devices with you.
One stunning feature is the pre-made workout section, which can guide you in stretching and flexibility workouts with helpful images and animations, detailed here in this review by DCrainmaker.
So, is it a good watch to exercise with?
Absolutely. You can download songs, podcasts, or audiobooks onto the watch to keep you entertained on them long runs, and with 8 days battery life, you’re sure to never run out of power in the middle of a workout.
Coming in at around £200, you certainly get your money’s worth with this stylish and feature-filled offering from Garmin.
3. Apple Watch SE
Around 20 million people in the UK have an Iphone, and if you’re one of these, then the Apple watch SE is a great choice of fitness tracker for you.
As always with Apple, this watch is sleek and stylish, with a range of colourful bands and displays available to really make this watch your own.
It looks great, but is it worth the £250 it costs?
While it does come packed with helpful features, it isn’t as fitness-focused as the Garmin. What it does have are the essentials.
Heart-rate monitor, step counter, GPS, all of these are featured in the Apple Watch SE. Add to this the handy functions of Apple pay, and the ability to answer calls through your watch, and this becomes a handy proposition.
Whether walking, cycling or even swimming, this watch is a great way of monitoring your exercise and health, and certainly looks the best of our three favourites.
As expected with Apple, the price is slightly higher, but if you have an Iphone, it is worth the extra money simply for the compatibility.
3 Different Options for Fitness Trackers
So now you have our three top choices for fitness trackers, how about something a bit different.
Here are our three wildcards to throw into the mix.
Budget option – Xiaomi Mi Smart Band
The price of a fitness tracker is often three figures, which some people may find steep.
If you fall into this bracket, fear not, as there are some great budget options out there, including the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 6.
Mi describes themselves as ‘the no.1 wearable band brand in the world’, and it’s clear to see why.
The bands look cool, with a brightly coloured band and crystal-clear display that despite not having the width of a watch face, still seems to carry plenty of information.
At around £30, you seriously can’t go wrong.
It has a huge 14 day battery life, as well as being water resistant to 50m and offering 30 different workout modes.
The nature of a band is that you don’t get the sheer number of features as the more expensive watches, but for that cheap price, this is a great entry-level product for someone who wants to keep an eye on their exercise.
There’s no wonder many fitness reviewers are labelling it as the best budget watch this year, such as the guys at Garage Gym Reviews.
Something a Bit More Technical – Apex Athlete Series
If you’re a fan of watching professional sport, you may have noticed athletes wearing short, tight vests under their kit.
This is more often than not the Apex Athlete Series technology.
Now, while this may seem like some serious high-tech equipment, you can get your very own for around £200, which puts it at a lower price than the Apple Watch SE and a similar bracket to the Garmin Vivoactive 4.
While this may be something a bit too advanced for your average person looking to get fitter, if you’re serious about your sport, it is a good option.
What this boils down to, is what do you want to track.
If you want to keep an eye on your daily steps and monitor how many calories are burned on a casual jog, this isn’t for you.
If you’re looking for a watch that acts as a second smartphone, this isn’t for you.
This is for you if you exercise regularly and want to really get into the nitty-gritty of your workouts.
There are 16 metrics from which your workout is analysed, and even a GPS powered heat map which is ideal if you’re playing a sport such as rugby or football.
For a runner, this maybe isn’t the one, but for someone playing a team sport this can be ideal and will provide tons of information on how to improve your game-playing and fitness levels.
Don’t like the watch? Fitness Ring
Not everyone wants to wear a watch, and if you fall into this camp, then may I introduce you to the fitness ring.
These are small, sleek, and can be a really stylish addition to any outfit.
The leading brand in this field is Oura, and their Ring Generation 3 offering is a popular choice.
All you have to do is link the ring to an app such as Google Fit or Apple Health and you are on your way, with step counter, calorie tracker, guided audio session, heart rate tracker and much more all included.
While not having a screen for this information so needing to check your phone is a downside, it is a handy way of tracking your fitness without having to wear a watch or band.
Coming in at a hefty £210, it isn’t a budget option, and there are many fitness watches out there that are cheaper and have more functionality.
If you really can’t stand the idea of wearing one of these though, the Oura ring could be the ideal solution for you.
Alternative Fitness Technology to Help Your Body Transformation
So, there you have it, six great choices to get tracking your fitness and to make sure you’re on the right track for your body transformation.
Before you leave though, here are five more different bits of technology that can be a huge boost in your fitness journey, starting with something to help you relax your muscles.
1. Massage Gun
We start with the HoMedics Pro Physio Massage Gun, which is often heralded as the best on the market in terms of functionality and features.
So, what makes this gun so great? And does it justify its £250 price tag?
Well, it comes with several different heads, one of which you can freeze for an effective cool massage. It also has heating capabilities, climbing to 47degrees in only two minutes of run time.
With five massage programmes and three different intensity levels, there’s a wide range of options to loosen and treat your muscles after a tough day at the gym.
From bodybuilders to long-distance runners, every fitness enthusiast will benefit from this user-friendly technology, and despite it being a large outlay, it could be a great investment to boost your post-workout muscle recovery.
Smart Kettlebells
If you’re trying to fit some home workouts into your muscle-building journey, then the Jaxjox Kettlebell Connect is a great piece of technology that won’t take it much space, but will always provide a great workout to suit your needs.
While this will set you back around £200, this price isn’t too bad when compared to the price of six individual kettlebells, which is basically what this offers.
Ranging from 5.5kg to 19kg, you can suit the weight of the kettlebells to suit your exercise. Whether lifting heavy, or needing something light, it takes seconds to adjust the kettlebells to the perfect weight.
With the offer of a monthly subscription that can track your workouts, this could be an ideal choice for anyone looking to build muscle at home but with limited space.
Flexispot Sit 2 go
A recent study found over a third of people now claim to work from home.
Due to the pandemic and the lockdowns that were a result of this, working remotely was something many businesses were forced into. It was also something many businesses decided to carry on after the lockdown was over.
With the increase in working from home came an issue with staying fit.
Lots of steps were being missed out on if the journey to walk was simply across the hallway into the office.
One piece of technology that is tackling this issue head on is the Flexispot Sit 2 Go.
Flexispot have been long-term ambassadors of keeping office-workers fit, and this latest offering is another string to their ever-growing bow.
The idea is that your office chair is transformed into an exercise bike. With no handles, and a comfy seat, this can function as an everyday chair, but comes with the added bonus of pedals.
No more sitting around with no movement, as you can pedal your way through video calls and more without ever looking out of place.
At around £300, it is expensive, but not a bad investment if your job is permanently remote as it can see you burn lots of calories every day.
Tangram Smartrope
Skipping is a perfect exercise to perform at home as a way of burning calories and staying fit.
While an average rope can be picked up for a few pounds and is sure to do the trick, the Tangram Smartrope brings a whole new dimension to this form of workout.
High intensity skipping burns through more calories than similar intensity running, so this is a great way of burning off excess calories and staying on track in your body transformation journey.
What the Tangram Smartrope does is make skipping easy.
Your skipping count is displayed on the rope as you skip, meaning you don’t have to keep count as you go.
It also links to most of your fitness apps. Skipping has always been tricky to keep track of, but no longer with this handy piece of technology.
Available in a range of colours and sizes for a price of around £80 (a rookie version is available for beginners at half the price) this is a great choice to get you into skipping and make sure every rotation is being added to your workout diary.
Bose Sport Earbuds
Our final choice is an important one.
When our legs are aching, or we are struggling to push out one final rep, an up-lifting, energising song can provide the added push to get us there.
Headphones are an essential piece of exercise kit to many people, and with so many great options available, it was hard to pick just one.
In the end, we chose Bose Sport Earbuds.
Available for just over £100, they aren’t the cheapest pair of headphones on the market, but they certainly pay for the high cost with brilliant quality.
They’re everything you need for the perfect workout companion.
With the superior sound quality that Bose is famous for, combined with a durable and comfortable casing, these headphones will provide great sound while you exercise without rubbing or breaking.
They are sweat and weather resistant, as well as providing some great features, such as the ability to tap the earphones to skip songs and pick new playlist from your Spotify accounts.
This reputable brand knows what they’re doing, and they’ve created another great product with the Sport Earbuds.
Final Thoughts
Keeping track of your exercise has never been easier. Through smart watches and all of the other technology available on the market, there are some great opportunities to transform your body today.
If you’re interested in getting underway on your very own fitness journey, get in touch with the trainers at Trojan Fitness, who can provide detailed workout plans tailored for you.
For more information, visit our contact us page here.
