It’s easier than ever to get fitter – with a wealth of wearable tech on your side. Smart clothing, top heart rate monitors and even better sports watches are all available so, if you’re looking to get in shape and shed a few, there’s never been more help at hand. We’re not saying tech will make it easier but it can be more fun, motivational and rewarding.
Get started
Make your fitness band more accurate
Calibrating your fitness band is optional, but it’s recommended for improving the accuracy when it comes to measuring the distances you’ve travelled. Most fitness trackers will have their own method of calibration, requiring you to log a set distance, but it’s worth checking the set-up and taking the time to do it.
It’s impossible for us to list all methods for every device, but here are instructions for calibrating Fitbit, Jawbone and Garmin trackers.
Connect your stats
If you’re already a bit of a fitness fanatic by the time you’ve bought your new running watch of fitness band, the chances are you’ll have tried other fitness platforms such as MyFitnessPal, Strava or Endomondo. It’s a great idea to link it to your existing accounts on these other platforms to help create a more complete picture of your overall wellbeing. Jawbone’s app is one
of the most connectable, but Misfit, Fitbit and Polar devices also have a host of added extras. What’s more, Apple Health and Google Fit are great ways to get multiple sources of data in one easy place.
Make sure your wearable is wearable
That wearable fitness gadget you’re about to fork out for is going to have to live on your wrist or about your general person 24/7 to really make it a useful fitness aid. This may sound obvious but make sure you’re investing in something you’re happy to wear everyday. If it gets irritating that’ll be the beginning of the end.
Get personal
As with the heart rate zones, it’s important to make sure you’ve put in accurate personal info for height, weight, age and gender. These will all be used by your fitness tracker to estimate things like calorie burn and recovery time. This is likely to be found in the profile section of the partnering web tools or smartphone app for most trackers.
Test your fitness
Before you set off on your training programme it’s a great idea to assess your current fitness levels. Apps like Endomondo and multi-sport watches such as the Polar M400 have pre-programmed tests you can do using your watch or smartphone and a heart rate monitor. These will give you benchmark stats you can use to see how your fitness compares against the average. You can then do one of these tests weekly or monthly to monitor you’re improvement.
Get fitter
Be goal orientated
As we’re often pointing out in our heart rate training diary, you must have a goal for when you work out. Every session should have a goal, which feeds into weekly goals, which feeds into larger goals. For example, the big goal might be running a 10K in three months, but along the way you should have smaller ones built in, such as a 5K Park Run or a long run with a friend. Plenty of wearables have goal tracking built-in, and you can build schedules in apps like Garmin Connect or Strava. Remember, keep those goals achievable and regular or you’ll simply get demoralised.
Turn up the treadmill
If you’re using a treadmill in your training but you want to mimic road running, stick the incline on 1.5%. While it’s still not exactly the same as being out on the asphalt, it does compensate for some of the extra help you’re getting from a bouncy belt.
Listen to your heart
Knowing you beats per minute (bpm) during exercise is the best way to ensure you’re getting the training effect you want whether you’re fat burning for example. It’s also brilliant to see when you’re perhaps over reaching yourself and can help you be more objective about how tired you are. Take some time out to find your bpm for a level of exercise where you can just about hold a conversation. That’s your threshold bpm, and long steady runs should stay at that level, rather than pushing for a particular pace. It’s easier and just as beneficial.
Put your heart into it
Check your tracker’s user guide to see if you can add your own heart rate zones instead of settling for the default zones. The more personalised data you can add the more accurate your results will be and that means you can make each training session more effective.
Be more dynamic
There are some great new wearables out there that can give you lots of hidden insights into your running form. From the Bluetooth Smart Polar Stride Sensor and the Wahoo Tickr Run, to the Garmin Forerunner 630 and the Sensoria Socks, all of these fitness gadgets provide running dynamics data to help you improve your running cadence, stride length and overall running form. The Moov Now fitness tracker is one of the few devices to deliver those insights in real time if you want to make changes during your training session.
Get some gym smarts
Technogym has introduced smart gym equipment that works with the MyWellness Key activity tracker to log your sets and reps on each machine. It’ll also tell you which machine to move to next once you’re done with your current set. All of this data is fired directly to the
MyWellness Cloud so you and your trainer can review, tweak and improve your training with ease.
Invest in a chest strap for strength Workouts
Heart rate monitoring isn’t just for runners, cyclists and
aerobic fitness fans, strapping on a Polar H7 or a Wahoo Tickr X for strength sessions is just as useful. While long distance runners can get away with wrist-based HR, the flexing of arms during a weights workout renders them next to useless. Gym bunnies can invest in a chest strap, so you’ll be able to monitor recovery times in between sets of weights and get a far greater idea of how hard you’re working when you hit the squat rack.
Burn fat
Beware the calorie count
Unless you’ve had lab tests to ascertain how much energy your body gets, at different heart rates and that information is all plugged into your fitness tracker, the calories burned number you see on your wrist isn’t going to be more than a guess. Wearables that pair with heart rate
monitors can make it more precise but you’d need to be heart rate tracking all day. So treat that calories burned figure with caution.
Set reminders and move more
If you’re just starting out on a fitness plan, one easy tip is simply to move
more often. Lots of fitness bands like the Garmin Vivosmart Jawbone UP2 and the Polar Loop 2 offer gentle reminders that let you know if you’ve been sitting still for too long. Research has shown that moving regularly is essential to your overall health and getting up for a short walk every hour will add to you overall fitness.
LIT up your life
There’s been a lot of publicity for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as a great way to get fit and burn fat fast, but using your heart rate monitor out for some long, slow, low-heart rate running is a surefire way to burn more fat. Yes, this Low Intensity Training (LIT) might take longer but you’ll be working in the fat burn zone the whole time.
Stay in the zone
Watches like the Adidas SmartRun and the Polar V800 and many others have options for audio of vibrating alerts. Setting these to give you a nudge when your bpm or pace rises or falls outside of the training zone you’ve set for your session will ensure that you stick the plan and achieve
the right training effect, in this case fat burn.
Keep tracking after you stop
If you’re using a heart rate monitor, instead of ending your session the moment you stop running or moving, keep tracking for two or three minutes after your last effort. The stats you capture reveal a lot, like how long it takes for your heart rate to return to normal levels. This is a great sign of not only how hard you’ve worked out, but also how your
fitness levels are progressing over a time.
Stay motivated
Get support from the community
Community is a powerful motivator for fitness. Tap into your fitness tech’s social side, by following other users who are all trying to do what you’re doing. Research shows that people who share their fitness data are more likely to stick to a fitness plan, so receiving support with likes and comments can really help. Seen someone run 5km in the time you’re chasing and want to find out how they got there? Drop them a comment next to their activity and ask for advice to help make improvements.
Sync your data daily
Some of the smarter wearables sync your workout stats over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth without you having to do a thing but there’s value in doing it yourself. By regularly reviewing your most recent workouts, you’ll start to own your progress. The happy feeling as you see another hour session added to your month can get pretty addictive and will become a real motivator to keep working hard.
Do more with your data
Pretty much all fitness wearables come with their own smartphone app or web-based tools to help you track your steps, sleep, exercise and other vital statistics. But there are an increasing number of third-party services like Exist.io and Fluxtream that can help you get more out of your stats, from comparing data feeds from different devices to digging deeper into patterns as they emerge over days, weeks or months.
Create a training plan
Although most running watches have their own apps and web tools for monitoring your progress, they’re often not shareable or synced to your daily diary. Try using a Google Calendar to create a simple training calendar. Record a few simple bits of information like: resting heart rate, today’s planned workout, what you actually did and how you felt. It’ll build into a good overview of what training works best for you, plus these can be easily shared with a personal trainer, coach or running partner.
Avoid injury
Know when to rest
During any training schedule it’s tough to spot when it’s time to ease off and rest. Wearable technology is changing this. Products like the FAM Sports CheckMyLevel, the Polar V800 and the Garmin Forerunner 630 are able to use your latest workout stats to monitor your training load and recommend the optimal rest time and recovery period.
Warm up well
Warming up and cooling down are essential parts of any training session but they’re all too easily fudged, cut short, or worse, ignored all together.Your wearable can improve your approach to this vital part of your workouts. The TomTom Spark, Adidas MiCoach Smart Run and the Polar V800 all allow you to build warm up and cool down segments into your pre-planned sessions. These can be time, distance or heart rate based.
Quick fitness tech fixes
Get a quick fix
We’ve all been there standing outside the front door for five minutes while
our GPS running watch searches for a satellite. Cut out the awkward waiting time by popping your watch on the window sill a few minutes before you plan to leave. More often than not it’ll find a satellite and you can run straight from your front door.
Alternative travel charger
Travelling and arrive at your hotel to find you’ve left you
fitness gadget’s USB plug or your international adapter at home? Don’t panic, you can simply stick the cable direct into the USB port on most new televisions and you’ll get some vital battery life to power your workout.
- 18 Free Online Video Converters and Internet Video Downloaders - April 7, 2024
- iOrgSoft DVD Ripper - March 21, 2024
- Best 10 Apps to Clean your iPhone - March 16, 2024
