The fitness industry and the tech industry have become intrinsically intertwined and the combination is more fashionable than ever.
Since the beginning of time, we’ve been thinking up ways to stay healthier longer. We’ve created exercise equipment to work our muscles and biometric tools to track our progress.
In the 21st century, technology and internet access have literally changed our world - making us more productive even while we move less. According the American Heart Association, the number of sedentary jobs has risen 83% since 1950, and fewer and fewer Americans are getting their daily exercise. Because of this, fitness technology is more prevalent in our society than ever before. So, how is all this tech changing the way that we work out?
Sweating Has Gone Social
Smartphone apps and social media make it easy for you to share with your friends how you’re getting fit. Just finished a long run? Post your route to Facebook for your friends to see. Using your fitness tracker to log your daily steps? Add some friends on the tracker’s app and they can see your progress, too. This ingenuity feeds our competitive side, which motivates us to work out even harder. After all, everyone’s watching!
Wearables Keep Us On Our Toes
Fitness trackers - these little devices take everything we love about fitness tech and puts it in one sleek - and often chic - package. Trackers measure our heart rate during workouts. They tell us when we get our soundest sleep. Some even help women track their fertility. All this data is designed to help us be our healthiest selves.
Fitness trackers unravel the mystery of our bodies, making it easier to see how you can improve. For example, if you think running around your office all day is sufficient exercise, slap on a tracker and see. Too often, people are surprised by just how little they actually do for their bodies every day. With wearable tech, every person knows exactly how much (or how little) activity they’re getting.
Healthy Nutrition in a Byte-Sized Package
When it comes to fitness, good nutrition is just as important as regular exercise. Yet every day, people all over the world opt for drive-thru or take out menus instead of home-cooked healthy options. Their reasons are many: “I don’t know how to cook anything,” “I’m exhausted after my work day,” or “I’m not sure what’s healthy and what’s not” rank among the highest. But believe it or not, there is a whole realm of fitness technology dedicated to helping you eat right.
Certain smartphone apps help you keep a log of your food intake each day. The software analyzes your meals for nutritional content and calorie intake, making sure you eat healthy levels of carbs, protein, and fats throughout the day. Other apps provide access to healthy recipes, so you never run out of meals that are good and good for you. “Smart cups” even connect to your phone and alert you when you aren’t drinking enough water. With today’s fitness tech, getting healthy meals is easier than ever.
A Wellspring of Data
So by now, you might be wondering just where all this technology is taking us. Sure, learning more about our bodies, our activity and our diet can help us design a healthier routine. But what else can all this data do for us? If you’re asking these questions, you’re not alone.
According to William Haskell, a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine, scientists are using fitness technology to discover the best activities for the human body. “This technology,” Haskell says, “provides the potential to develop much more prescriptive guidelines” regarding health and physical fitness. One day, the changes we make thanks to fitness tech may take humanity to a new level of healthiness.
Written by Naomi Shaw
