Hasta La Gadget!

Most of you know that my fitness routine is limited to quickly changing TV channels and carrying heavy bags of cakes, ice cream and donuts into the house from the grocery store. I know I have to treat myself better, and there are so many gadgets out there that could help motivate me. I think I may have finally found one of those fitness bands that has a few features for real beginners like me, and, one that could continue to grow with me, as my commitment to daily exercise increases…

Check out Vivofit, the newest entry into the fitness band market, Vivofit actually learns your current activity level, *sigh* and then, assigns an attainable daily goal for you. As you manage to push on and meet those milestones, your Vívofit will set the bar just a little higher for the next day, gradually stepping you up to attain your fitness goals. Vivofit also maintains a free online community where you can view and track your progress.

Sure, Vivofit tells the time, but it also has quite a few additional features to keep you motivated. Use the optional heart rate monitor with your Vívofit in order to record your heart rate and zone data, and to get more accurate calorie burn information. Garmin Connect, the free online community that the company offers, allows you to challenge other Vívofit users, and start your own competitions with friends and family, in order to compete for badges and some all important chest thumping.

Your Vívofit will be your constant companion, and it keeps on “ticking” for more than a year without ever having to change the battery. Setting the sleep mode when you go to bed, then allows your band to track the quality of your sleep. Just log on to see how long you snoozed, and your periods of thrashing about. The Vívofit band is also water-resistant, so YES, you can shower, or jog in the rain, without having to worry. Get yours for around 140 bucks at amazon.com, and me? I’m going to start getting off the couch, you know, right after the last of the cake is gone.
[ Garmin’s Vivofit – Get’s you Going, Keeps you Going! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The pace of our lives seems to keep going faster and faster. This is likely why we’re constantly seeking ways to make things easier or more streamlined. Eating a meal, which used to be a time of gathering for the family and consuming something made from scratch has now been whittled down to nabbing fast food and getting back to work. There are loads of power and energy bars out there that are trying to take over meals completely, but even that requires taking precious moments away to chew and swallow.

If you don’t have time for even the most basic of functions, then Aerolife will help you to cut out eating almost entirely. This is all you need to stay sharp and focused (as long as it’s paired with real food most likely), and it is literally as easy as breathing. All the vitamins and nutrients you could want have been turned into a powder that you inhale. This is meant to be a meal and energy boost alternative, and comes in a little capsule that can easily be put in your pocket.

There are a variety available, named AeroLife Energy, Sleep, Immunity, Sport, Coffee, and Travel. What they do is pretty much in line with their names, and using them is a matter of pulling the capsule open, breathing in, and pushing it closed. There are a bunch of flavors to choose from, and you can either get a pack or a subscription, ranging in price from around $8-80. While this might be great for those who are annoyed by eating, I am personally too much of a foodie fan to give up munching on amazing meals.

Available for purchase on aerolife, found via redferret
[ Aerolife could be the future of food copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We go to the gym to better ourselves. There are machines, pools, tracks and more that will help us scale down our weight, tone muscle, and keep our bodies in peak form. However, you oftentimes need many different machines to achieve this goal. You’ll have days where you work on your core, lower body, and upper body. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a one-stop shop to take care of all of these aspects at once?

The Varibike is not the first of its kind, but it will definitely aid you in getting a full body workout. Cycling is a tried and true method of exercise, but it doesn’t do much for your arms. This bike will allow you to choose whether to power the bike via arms, legs, or a combination of both. There are also different seated positions such as the power, aero, and upright which you can fluidly change between while on the go.

The handle bars are not nearly as long as what we normally see on most bicycles, but they act as an arm rest for those who choose to ride in the aero position. You’ll be able to change how you’re riding while you’re pedaling, which means you can put out more energy without over-exhausting one group of muscles. The site states that this will increase your maximum output by around 30% when you’re cycling, which will give you more of a workout from a familiar routine. Of course, this isn’t going to come cheap. It’ll cost you around $6,000 for one of these, and seems like it would take a little time to adjust to as you can’t really turn, more so than lean.

The Varibike is available from Varibike, found via Gizmag

[ Who needs a gym membership if you have the Varibike? copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

I’m not the most athletic person in the world, but I do realize that the time has come for me to step up the pace, or I’m going to pay the price someday. Everyone knows that exercise, quality sleep and a good diet are some of the keystones of a long and healthy life, but not everyone has the tools, or motivation they need in order to be successful.

Check out the brand new Fitbit Flex,  a slim, and stylish activity and sleep tracking monitor that’s with you all the time. The water resistant Fitbit Flex helps make fitness part of your everyday lifestyle. The new Fitbit Flex tracks steps taken, distance travelled, and calories burned, encouraging you to walk more and do more via bright LED indicator lights located on the wristband that give you immediate feedback on your progress. It can also track how long and how well you sleep, allowing you to learn how to sleep better, and it can help you keep track of the food you eat, leading to mindful munching.

The Fitbit Flex can be worn almost all the time, including in the shower, so it becomes a lifestyle, not a chore. With its Bluetooth capabilities, it connects wirelessly to both Apple and Android devices, updating your stats and notifying you of your goals and achievements. The Fitbit Flex also monitors your sleep times and hours, as well as being able to wake you gently each morning with a silent vibration of your wrist, so much better than that beeping box on your nightstand.

So, set some goals for yourself, monitor what you eat, sleep well, and keep track of it all with the Fitbit Flex, simply choose the color that fits your mood; Black, Slate, Teal, Tangerine, get your Fitbit app and get ready to get Fit, and share your progress with your friends. All for under 100 bucks at fitbit.com. Please be sure to visit the website to make sure Fitbit is compatible with your device.

 
[ The New Fitbit Flex – a Health Coach on your Wrist copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

In case you haven’t noticed, fitness gadgets are having something of a moment right now. The past year alone has seen the launch of Nike’s FuelBand, the ill-fated Jawbone Up and a refreshed line of Fitbit trackers. Now another product is arriving that promises to do basically the same thing — namely, track your activity, sleep patterns and food intake using a wearable gadget and mobile app. That thing you see up there is called Larklife and for now, at least, it works exclusively with iOS devices. It’s a splash-resistant (but not waterproof) band that has a pedometer inside, counting your steps throughout the day. It can also tell how long you sleep each night, as well as how long it takes you to nod off. There’s even a vibrating alarm built into the band — something we first saw on the Up earlier this year. (As it happens, Lark’s earlier products were sleep aids, so the inclusion of this feature actually makes a lot of sense.) As for monitoring your dietary habits, Larklife doesn’t automatically track your food intake, but the app does include a food diary where you can manually enter your meals.

Additionally, Larklife uses Bluetooth Smart to automatically sync with your iPhone so that you don’t have to plug the band into a PC just to update your fitness stats. (The new Fitbit trackers work this way this too.) Additionally, the band uses a proprietary technology that can discern when you’re running or walking, which means the app will log workouts even if you forget to enter them. The last intriguing bit is that the app dishes out smart, contextually aware advice. Didn’t get much sleep last night? Larklife will remind you to eat more protein than usual at breakfast, so that you have enough energy to get you through the day. The app also rewards good behavior in the form of iOS notifications and colorful on-screen badges, though competing products admittedly take a very similar approach when it comes to keeping users motivated.

Larklife is up for pre-order starting today, and is priced at $150 — a rather large premium over the new Fitbit One, which will sell for $100. As for precise availability, all we know is that retailers will start stocking Larklife “before the holidays.” Whether that means Halloween, Thanksgiving or some gift-giving celebration will be revealed some other day.

Continue reading Larklife fitness tracker syncs your data over Bluetooth, knows when you’re running instead of walking

Filed under: Wearables

Larklife fitness tracker syncs your data over Bluetooth, knows when you’re running instead of walking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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