When the new year rolls around, a lot of us have New Year’s resolutions to become a healthier person and plan to exercise more. Last year I set my New Year’s resolution to do just that. However, last year was the first year I really used technology and wearables to help me with my journey, and I successfully lost sixty pounds. These gadgets helped me with my weight loss journey. They can keep you focused, inspire you, motivate you, and carry your gear.
iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6/6 Plus contains a dual core A8 processor and M8 motion coprocessor. The M8 motion coprocessor tracks and measures movement from the accelerometer, barometer, compass and gyroscope, which allows for the phone to analyze your steps, movement, distance and change in elevation. With a new two year contract, the iPhone 6/6 Plus starts at $199/$299, and without a two year contract the iPhone 6/6 Plus starts at $649/$749.
SpiBelt
JayBird BlueBuds X Sport Bluetooth Headphones
Fitness Trackers
A health gadget gift guide would not be complete without Fitness Trackers. There are many of them available on the market. We have reviewed many of them including the Fitbit Flex, LifeTrak Move C300, LifeTrak Zone C410, Nike FuelBand SE and most recently the Jawbone UP 24. Most fitness trackers can track how many steps you take throughout the course of the day, how far you walked, how fast you walked, active calories burned, and total calories burned. Fitness trackers differ depending on whether or not it is compatible with HealthKit, how much it functions as a smart watch, if it is waterproof to go swimming with, if it can track your sleep and wake you up, measures heart rate or any other bodily measurement and battery life.
HealthKit Compatible
- Jawbone UP Move, Jawbone UP, Jawbone UP 24: The Jawbones are able to input sleep data and steps data into the Health app. The Jawbone UP Move is $49.99, Jawbone UP is normally $79.99 on sale for $61.49 and Jawbone UP 24 is normally $129.99 on sale for $99.95.
- Withings Pulse Ox: This fitness tracker is able to put in a lot of data into the Health app. You are able to sync active calories, heart rate, oxygen saturation, resting calories, sleep analysis, steps, and walking and running distance. Normally it is $119.95, currently on sale for $99.99.
- Garmin Vivofit, Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin Forerunner 920 XT: The Garmins currently send steps, calorie, and distance information to the Health app. They are currently working on adding distance and calories from running and cycling in a future update. The Garmin Vivofit is normally $129.99 and on sale for $70.99, the Garmin Vivosmart is $169.99 and the Garmin Forerunner 920 XT is $499.99.
- Fitbits: Fitbit shared that they do not plan on integrating their data with the Health app anytime soon. However, a third party app Sync Solver for Fitbit fixes this problem for $0.99. It is able sync active calories, flights climbed, resting calories, sleep analysis and steps. The Fitbit lineup ranges in price from $59.95 to $129.95.
Smart Watch Functionality
- Microsoft Band: The Microsoft Band works with an iPhone, Android phone or Windows phone. Fitness wise, on the band’s display you are able to view your daily physical activity and stats. While working out it can display different workout exercises for you. You can even pay for your Starbucks drink with the Starbucks card. On the band’s display you can see incoming calls, text messages, voicemail notifications, social updates from Twitter and Facebook, weather, finance reports, email previews, and calendar alerts. If you have a Windows phone you can use Cortana to take notes or create reminders with your voice. The Microsoft Band is $199.99.
- Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin Forerunner 920XT: When you receive a text, email or call, the bracelet vibrates on your wrist and displays the information. The Garmin Vivosmart is $169.99 and the Garmin Forerunner 920 XT is $499.99.
Swimming Compatible
- TomTom Multisport GPS Watch: This watch helped me swim 1 mile as part of my triathlon. The display is easy to read while swimming and displays distance, stroke count, speed and how many laps completed. It is $199.99.
- Garmin Vivofit, Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin Forerunner 920 XT: The Garmins are able to track distance, stroke count, speed and how many laps completed. The Garmin Vivofit is normally $129.99 and is on sale for $70.99, the Garmin Vivosmart is $169.99 and the Garmin Forerunner 920 XT is $499.99.
- Jaybird Reign: This bracelet will automatically detect if you are swimming after ten minutes of swimming. It tracks duration, distance and calorie burn. It is $199.99.
Sleep Tracking
- Jawbone UP, Jawbone UP 24: The Jawbone UPs are able to show you how long it took you to fall asleep, how much light vs deep sleep you got, how long you were in bed, and how many times you woke up during the night. Using a Smart Alarm, the bracelet vibrates on your wrist to wake you up at the most optimal point in your sleep cycle so you feel alert and ready to start the day. Jawbone UP is normally $79.99 on sale for $61.49 and Jawbone UP 24 is normally $129.99 on sale for $99.95.
- Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Charge: The Fitbits display how long you were asleep, how many times you woke up during the night, and how many times you were restless. You are able to set a Silent Alarm to a specific time so that way the bracelet will vibrate to wake you up. The Fitbit Flex is normally $99.99 on sale for $94.99 and the Fitbit Charge is $129.99.
- Microsoft Band: It measures sleep quality and tracks the length and quality of your sleep and how often you wake up. It does also have a silent alarm so it will vibrate on your wrist to wake you up. The Microsoft Band is $199.99.
- Withings Pulse Ox: It tells you how long you were in bed, how many hours of light and deep sleep you had as well as how long you were awake. Normally it is $119.95 it is on sale for $99.99.
- Garmin Vivofit, Garmin Vivosmart: They track how many hours you were asleep as well as periods of movement and restful sleep. The Garmin Vivofit is normally $129.99 and is on sale for $70.99 and the Garmin Vivosmart is $169.99.
- Jaybird Reign: This bracelet automatically detects when you go to sleep and will display periods of movement on a graph. It is $199.99.
- Misfit Shine, Misfit Flash: These bracelets automatically detect when you go to sleep and measures sleep quality and duration. The Misfit Shine is $99.99 and is on sale for $76.73 and the Misfit Flash is normally $49.99 and is on sale for $24.99.
Bio-measurements
- Withings Pulse Ox: It measures heart rate and blood oxygen respiration levels when you place the device on top of your finger. Normally it is $119.95, and currently it is on sale for $99.99.
- Microsoft Band: It monitors heart rate 24 hours. It is $199.99.
- Jaybird Reign: This bracelet measures heart rate variability, which analyzes the milliseconds between consecutive heart beats and how they vary. The heart rate variability will be impacted based off of sleep, physical activity, work, study, stress, travel and illness. Based off this measurement it will let you know if your body wants to be really active or needs a rest day. It is $199.99.
- Jawbone UP 3: It measures skin temperature, respiration, Galvanic Skin Response, resting heart rate, and active heart rate. It is available for preorder for $179.99.
Battery Life
- Garmin Vivofit: This bracelet has the best battery life of over one year without needing to charge the battery. It is normally $129.99 and is on sale for $70.99
- Misfit Shine, Misfit Flash: These bracelets have a 6 month battery life due to the replaceable CR 2032 coin cell battery, which is a type of watch battery. The Misfit Shine is $99.99 and is on sale for $76.73 and the Misfit Flash is normally $49.99 and is on sale for $24.99.
Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer
While working out, it is always encouraging to make sure your hard work is paying off on the scale. I weigh myself first thing every morning and it measures my weight, body fat percentage, BMI and heart rate. It also can keep track of up to seven other users. It even measures air quality. It is normally $149.95 and is currently on sale for $143.38.
Women’s Under Armour Gotta Have It Tote
This stylish light weight tote bag is the perfect size bag for carrying all of my gym and work gear. It contains a padded laptop divider, which fits my 13″ MacBook Air and iPad mini. It has tons of room to carry an extra outfit and contains a removable laundry bag to stash your stinky clothes in or even your shoes in. It also contains an insulated pouch to store a water bottle and keeps it cold all day long. Normally $99.99, the tote bag is on sale for $69.99.
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For more gift ideas this year, check our 9to5Mac‘s 2014 holiday gift guide collection including guides for making music with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, using your iPhone and iPad in the car, gifts for students, as well as home automation with smart home products.
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Blood Pressure monitors are missing, and with respect, are a more important as a category/subject than everything in the list combined, some of which is just gimmicky.
There is a difference between tools and gadgets.
Your list a carrying bag as a health tool and you want to be taken seriously? That makes me wonder if this is all fiction.
In your list of devices your missing the Basis Peak. The Basis devices are currently the only smart bands that can track R.E.M. sleep and one of the few that does HR. Soon with a firmware update they’ll have smart features too.
something else to try: PortaPocket. Sort of like spibelt, but more versatile as you can swap out pocket sizes to fit many things (including iphone6 Plus), and you can wear it almost anywhere on the body (not just at waist), and either under or over your outfit. It’s also neoprene (not spandex) so it’s water and sweat resistant, too. Goes from a workout, to the office, to a black tie affair. Can your fitness belt do that? ;)
The list is missing the Hexoskin wearable biometrics shirt (www.hexoskin.com)