The Future of Fitness

Recently, the International Consumer Electronics (CES) Show was held in Las Vegas and unveiled the world’s most cutting-edge health and fitness technology.
 
Parents and reporters alike have asked me which innovations I’m most excited about introducing at Fitness for Health.  Personally, I am looking forward to the increased use of heart monitors in personal conditioning.  New Zypher monitors also act like bio markers which can record and track your physical health. This allows the wearer to know exactly how his/her body is reacting to his/her workout routines and helps fitness trainers better create personal exercise programs to meet that individual’s unique goals.
 
The fitness industry is growing by leaps and bounds each day. It is a very exciting time in fitness technology.

Here are a few ideas concerning how to incorporate the latest technology into your fitness routine:

·    Have you outgrown an old fashioned pedometer? The Wellograph – a CES Innovations Award honoree – is a wristwatch-like device that helps you create a complete picture of your health by displaying instagraphics of your pulse, workout, steps and wellness information.  Its integrated heart rate sensor tells, not just how much you have moved, but more importantly, how hard you have exercised.  Wellograph even reminds you how long you have sat still and, when you start walking again, it acts as a pedometer.  Because it is smartphone compatible, you can share your workout details on social media with your friends.

·    Do you have an Android phone? Try Google’s “My Tracks.”  My Tracks activates location data from GPS, cellular tower data and Wi-Fi to record your speed, distance and path when you walk, run, bike or do any outdoor activity. You can view your data live and hear “periodic voice announcements of your progress.”  It then aggregates this data to local storage as an XML file which it sends to Google Drive - Google’s personal cloud storage product – and can be shared with friends. (And, it can sync with the Zephyr HxM Bluetooth heart rate monitor that I mentioned above.)

·    Do you love basketball? Try the 94Fifty® Smart Sensor Basketball  - another CES Innovations Award honoree.  It is a blue-tooth enabled, fitness product that measures and diagnoses both the frequency and quality of key skills critical to build confidence, versatility and success on the basketball court.

·     Exergaming (the use of technology in exercise) is continuing to become more mainstream for adults and for children. Are you and your kids caught up in the zombie craze? Try Zombies, Run! It is one part audio book, one part video game, and one party sneaky personal trainer.  This app blends audio clips with a user’s iPhone music to take you through a four-week story (and exercise routine) that revolves around post-zombie apocalypse missions. When a zombie is approaching, for instance, the runner has to pick up his/her pace by 20% for up to a minute (tracked through the phone’s GPS or accelerometer) or risk being eaten by the undead.

There are many ways that you can use technology to help you to chart, improve upon and plan your fitness routine. Whether you're an amateur athlete or a professional, technological advances can tremendously help to customize workout plans, track wellness and communicate your workouts to your friends.

To learn how Fitness for Health utilizes cutting-edge technology in our exercise facility, visit www.FitnessForHealth.org.