Sales of fitness trackers have gone through the roof in the last year or so – everyone now wants to see exactly what they’re doing, and how well they’re doing it. Apparently, the sales of some have risen by around 700 per cent. Which is, um, huge.
Back in the pre-app-and-fitness-tracker days, I used to monitor my runs in a notepad. I’d jot down how many kilometres I ran, how long it took, and how many calories I’d burned. Every so often, I’d flick back through the notepad and see how much I’d improved.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with the notepad system. But these days, there are dozens of technological options available to you for tracking your fitness and making your life instantly easier.
Consumer demand has meant that a whole lot of companies out there are developing and releasing clever gadgets that will monitor your heart rate, your fitness, your sleeping habits, and much more. Which really takes the guesswork out of everything and leaves you with distinct numbers for seeing how amazing you are.
Here are some of my favourites…
1. The Adidas miCoach Smart Run, $500
This is, hands down, one of the cleverest bits of technology I’ve ever laid my paws on. It’s essentially a watch that is so much more than just a watch; it’s also a heart-rate monitor (that doesn’t require any other crazy bits of equipment), a music player, a personal trainer and a GPS.
You can set the Smart Run up to monitor your runs (or any other kind of exercise you’re doing – the settings can be changed to recognise a whole lot of other sports, too) and it’ll tell you your heart rate, how far you went, and how long it took you.
Top Comments
I had three garmin and they all broke.... Garmin cannot withstand sweat or being rinsed under water. Garmin were quick to blame me, and never there technology.
I now have a Sunnto and it can be worn in the water. It is fantastic! It maps my runs and open water swims, counts pool laps and maps my rides. It also does pace, laps, etc All of my running and triathlon friends have all swapped from the garmin to the Sunnto. Save your money and do not purchase a garmin.
Also, the Adidas watch is not water resistant. Beware..
Note, I am not a Sunnto rep, I was extremely disappointed with the garmin and there lack of customer service.
I like my Garmin ($300 on special down from $500) because it is user-friendly and also comes with a fantastic, friendly, inclusive running community and lots of online help & suggestions. Having a record on my own downloads page is very useful.