Fitness products were all over the Consumer Electronics Show this year.
Fitbit announced a fancier Fitness tracker called the Blaze. Unlike previous Fitbit products, it has a color touchscreen with swapable bands. And, like most smart watches, it can be used to answer or decline calls and check text messages and your calendar. It’s arguably more attractive than the company’s standard offering but, unlike the company’s high-end black and white Fitbit Surge, it doesn’t have GPS to track you movements.
Omrom, the leader in consumer blood pressure monitors, showed off a fitness watch called Project Zero that tells time and tracks movement just like other fitness watches, but also measures your blood pressure 24/7. A company spokeperson told me that it’s not for everyone but is geared at people who have been told by their doctor to monitor their blood pressure. But you will be able to buy it without a prescription at about $200 (the price isn’t yet final) when it comes out later this year. It’s bulkier than most fitness and smart watches but for those who need it, it offers potentially life-saving information.
The slew of exercise bands on the market are fine for runners, walkers and cyclists but what about those who want bulk up with weights? Gymwatch, a German company, was at CES with its Gymwatch Sensor that works with an Apple Watch or a smartphone via Bluetooth to measure your full range of motion in strength-training exercises. It not only tracks your motion but gives you pointers — kind of like a personal trainer. As someone who had a to hire a trainer to learn basic weightlifting (after suffering a minor injury trying it on my own), I can understand the value of this product.
Fitness band maker Mio showed off an app called Pai which doesn’t just measure your heart rate and steps but calculates a fitness score based on the intensity of your walking or running.
The score changes every seven days, and you should aim for a score of at least 100. Mio’s app does all the calculations for you, so you just have to make sure you’re getting exercise.
You don’t have to wear a fitness band but if you’re out in public you kind of do have to wear clothes so, as long as you’re wearing them, why not put on smart clothes that measure your heart rate and activities? Hexoskin was at the show with shirts and other clothing items that use Bluetooth to send data to your phone. Under Armor was another company showing off smart clothing and Wilson –the sports equipment maker showed off a smart basketball that tracks how often you get it through the hoop.
Staying fit also means getting a good night’s sleep. Many of the fitness watches have sleep monitors but the bedmaker, Sleep Number, has technology built into its mattresses that measure movement, heart beat and other indicators that help determine how you sleep.
Nox, from Sleepace is a strip that goes under your sheets to monitor, track and improve sleep quality. there is also “a smart sleep light,” that’s said to promote heathy sleep and an alarm system that gently wakes you up at just the right moment in your sleep cycle.
And if you are going to get fit, you’ll need the right nutrition, and what better way to nourish your body than via a smoothie from a Bluetooth-enabled blender accessory? Perfect Blender isn’t a blender but a Bluetooth-connected scale to measure ingredients. It connects to a mobile device, where the app tells you exactly what to put in your smoothie and lets you know when you’ve added the right amount of ingredients in the blender jar. It works with any blender.
There was even a fitness tracker for our four-legged friends. Tractive was at CES with its “Motion activity tracker for your beloved pet.”