Do I really need an app-enabled water bottle? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself since Judie and I each received a Thermos Connected Hydration Bottle with Smart Lid at CES. This looks like a regular water bottle, but it’s Bluetooth-enabled and monitors your water intake over the course of a day. Is this something worth purchasing? You decide.
CES is now over and activity trackers and other wearables were all the rage at the show this year. With Under Armour, Casio, and others releasing devices, it looks like almost everyone has a tracker now. Avia, who I know more for sneakers than electronics even has one, and they sent me an Avia Stride; I am underwhelmed.
Polar has been expanding their fitness portfolio beyond just heart rate monitoring, with a slew of activity trackers and GPS watches. Now they’re making the whole ecosystem even more holistic by adding weight management with the new Polar Balance scale! The Polar Balance scale is a wifi connected scale that hooks into the Polar Flow app. At only $99 it falls on the cheaper end of the connected scale options, but obviously it works best if you already have an investment in Polar via their activity tracking devices. Also, it can accommodate up to 10 profiles, so your entire rugby…
This intro is a bit different from most reviews because I’m guessing we’re mostly going to attract a female audience. Anyone who doesn’t want to read a review of a bra, note that the Travel Bra people are working on male briefs and other similar concept clothes. Check them out, and read on for our review of the Travel Bra!
Adidas debuted their FIT SMART Band in 2014; at the time it was just designed to be worn when you worked out, tracking your heart rate and acting as an extension of the Adidas Train and Run app. They’ve made the already useful and well-received band even better with new all-day fitness tracking features too!
We all have someone in our life who likes to work out, or who needs a little extra push to keep their fitness momentum going. We’ve put together a few ideas for every budget for the fitness lover in your life!
It’s hard out there for a fitness tracking company. Apple Watch dominates the conversation, and anyone looking for a fitness-first solution seems to gravitate towards Fitbit. I realized tonight the secret to their success: ubiquity.
While some people can simply include exercise as part of their healthy lifestyle, most people need more incentive: they need goals, motivation, and a PLAN. Simply tracking isn’t enough, something that Runtastic gets and has implemented in their new Results app. Results delivers focused training plans to help you reach your goals! Online training programs are becoming more and more popular and effective, replacing DVD and old VHS ‘Sweatin’ to the Oldies’ routines by focusing on shorter, more rigorous workouts that deliver visible results more quickly and effectively. It does this by maximizing the effectiveness of your workout time. “Runtastic…
I never finished my review of the Garmin VivoSmart, partly because the VivoActive arrived and I ran to that, but partly because it took a few firmware updates for everything to stabilize with the Bluetooth functionality. But I really loved the VivoSmart, and if I didn’t prefer GPS to smartwatch capabilities, I’d probably still use it today. So when I got a message about the new VivoSmart HR I was intrigued. At first glance you might think this is something new in the VivoFit line, as the appearance is much different than the original VivoSmart and closer to the VivoFit…
Doesn’t it feel like I was just writing about the Garmin Forerunner 225 announcement? While it has actually been 5 months since the FR 225 reveal, since then they also added the FR 25 entry level GPS watch and each slowly trickled into availability. This year has been all about big new launches and slow product roll-outs that have left me scratching my head wondering what is happening with Garmin. Today Garmin announced three new watches that should have me excited, but instead resulted in a cynical eye-roll and vague interest in when they might hit stores – but why…
Back in April I reviewed the Garmin VivoActive GPS Smartwatch, listing five reasons I loved it and three concerns. After a couple of months I started drafting a follow-up about how I STILL loved the VivoActive – but stopped when an update caused issues. The next update resolved the issues, but by early July I was done. Why? Read on!
The Jabra Sport Coach Bluetooth Headset are great for athletes but you don’t have to be one to appreciate all these sub-$150 wireless headphones have to offer. I can’t run without music and these Bluetooth headphones are, by far, the best way yet to cut the cord and go for a run. They are comfortable, stay put and sound great. The Jabra Sport Coach Bluetooth Headset are, “wireless sports earbuds with intelligent audio coaching optimized for cross training and indoor workouts. With integrated cross training app.” In this review I’m going to focus most on the headset simply as a…
Everyone wants a piece of the quantified fitness universe. Fitbit may be the leader, but there’s room for several companies in the space looking to help you track your data, from how often you move to how much you eat and sleep. Runtastic has built up quite the portfolio of apps and devices, and now they belong to Adidas!
I remember the one and only time I had a running store fit me for shoes. The clerk had me run on a treadmill barefoot,visibly recoiled at how flat my feet were, and told me I needed hardcore stability-style running shoes. I believed him, until I ran a few miles and my knee screamed in pain.
Running shoes can be a controversial subject. Ask ten runners, and you’re likely to get twenty opinions on what constitutes a good shoe. I’ve gravitated towards very minimal shoes the last few years, so I was unsure how running in the Brooks Glycerin 13 shoes would feel by comparison. Surprisingly, the shoe itself proved less controversial than the colors!
Polar is well-known for being the gold standard in athletic heart rate monitors, and in the last few years they’ve expanded into activity trackers as well. Their first pure activity tracker, the Polar Loop, was well received, and now they’re building on that with the Polar Loop 2, adding new colors and smart notifications to the mix.
Misfit is an interesting tracker company. They started as an IndieGoGo project with the Misfit Shine, then they rolled out a cheaper version, the Misfit Flash, along with a smart home bulb called The Bolt. Now they’re bringing more smart home and automation features to their lineup, with new tricks for the Flash and a cheaper sibling, Flash Link!
I tell every athlete I know to buy a RoadID. It’s a cheap, durable tag that could save your life. EMTs are trained NOT to go through your pockets and personal effects, but they are trained to look for jewelry with medical information. RoadID lets you wear your important details easily, and now you can piggyback it on your Fitbit!
Let’s be brutally honest, you will never catch me with a fanny pack on. Ever. But an issue that always presents itself when I’m running outside comes up, that is the jingling keys in my shorts pockets.
I was relaxing after going to the store today, when I came across this video via Mashable that was produced by Nature Valley. Yes the Granola Bar people. It explores the differences between generations with what they do/did when they were kids, and paints a dreadful picture of our kids who never go outside; thing is, it’s NOT the truth. My son, Luke, who is 16 has an iPhone. He LOVES his iPhone and uses it all the time. However, it’s just one of many things that he does. In fact, there’s one singular thing that over rules anything else…
Great news for fans of the Pebble smartwatch who are Android users-Misfit, one of the big fitness tracking apps available for the Pebble, now syncs with their companion app! This means you can easily export and sync your data to MyFitnessPal, and enjoy all the social features of sharing your activity with other Misfit users.