2013: The Year Technology
Makes Us Fitter
By Melinda Nicci, Senior Advisor in Health Technology, Ariadne Capital
W
hen I began my career in the fitness industry over two decades ago the pursuit of
health and wellbeing was a hard slog. First you had to find a health club, which usually meant a small room, a concrete floor with men pumping iron, and a makeshift area with classes consisting of high kicks and running on the spot. Anyone who was a ‘gym goer’ in those days will probably remember that there was no such thing as a qualified trainer, treadmills were self- powered and your membership card was a handwritten piece of paper with your name on it.
Fast forward twenty years and the experience is a little different. The industry is thankfully a lot more regulated and the equipment is not only easier to use, but can track everything as you exercise, giving you all kinds of metrics while keeping you entertained throughout.
But what happens outside of the health club environment? If the proliferation of wearable fitness devices that were on show at the recent CES show in Las Vegas is anything to go by, getting and staying fit is yet another digital experience. There were more devices on show than seen in any other year at CES, particularly ‘wearable tech’ or smart gadgets you can strap on like a piece of jewellery or wristwatch.
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CES, the
Here are a few examples, which make interesting reading for entrepreneurs in the health technology space looking at ways to integrate devices as part of a larger offering...
The Misfit Wearables’ Shine: An exercise tracker that
resembles
a bracelet, it can sync with your Smartphone by simply tapping it on your phone screen, allowing you to monitor how active you are every day and monitor what physical goals you need to set yourself;
My Basis Band: With a digital watch design, this monitors daily habits such as sleep quality or activity levels by analysing heart rate patterns, motion, perspiration and skin temperature. It then creates a dashboard, allowing you to monitor your overall health.
Depending on your progress, you
can unlock ‘credit’ on receipt of your accomplishments to allow you more access to the devices features.
Jawbone UP: A wrist band that allows you to see calories burned, charts of your sleeping patterns, your mood (should you choose to log it daily) and a summary of your eating habits. From the iPhone app, you can also set a silent alarm that vibrates to wake you up based on REM cycles.
BodyMedia: Worn as a wristband or clipped to your pocket, BodyMedia Armband’s promise to beat its competitors by getting straight to the core of the problem when it comes to your fitness and weight loss goals and giving you the tools to find the solution.
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