Track your path to better health
Thinking of gifting yourself or a loved one a fitness tracker for Christmas? The team put six of the best…
We may have found the perfect Christmas gift.
Not just do today fitnessTrackers look like a fancy new watch, but they’re also scientifically proven to keep us moving more.
In fact, those who wear a wrist tracker can take an additional 1,800 steps and 40 more minutes of walking per day than those who don’t, according to scientists at the University of South Australia.
But with so many to choose from, where do you start?
We put some of the latest models to the test in time for Christmas…
THE BEST FOR PHYSICAL CONDITION
Apple Watch series 8, from £419
7
Boss Health Lizzie Parry says: “I have always resisted the need for more technology in my life, and have never forensically traced my steps.
“I walk to work and my goal is to go to the gym four or five times a week, which is my exercise quota covered.
“So when I tried the Apple Look, I didn’t expect it to make much of a difference, but I was wrong.
“It does everything: monitors heart rate, counts steps, helps you set—and stick to—every day exercise and movement goals and calculates calories burned.
“It can even perform an ECG to monitor your heart rhythm.
“Daily stats help me tailor my workouts and push me to exercise more. They even remind me to get up every hour, very helpful if like me you sit at a desk all day.
“And as a big fan of breathing to help relieve stress, the breathing guide is a great way to wind down before bed.
“It’s also easy to sync with an iPhone and starts tracking automatically. That being said, it can get addictive.
“I panic when I don’t reach my goals. So, like most things in life, moderation is key.
“Don’t make yourself a slave to it and it will kick your butt, we all need to move a little more and feel better.”
BEST FOR STRESS
Garmin Venu 2 Plus, £399.99
7
Health Features editor Ella Walker says: “The garmin It’s high-tech and stylish, and I found the sleep feature very interesting.
“It breaks down Zzzs into deeper and lighter REMs, even reflecting the restlessness caused by bad dreams in the accompanying app’s sleep chart.
“It is also very complete in stresstelling me to “calm down” and “take a breath” when my heart rate races.
“The clock is not always intuitive. I forgot to tell him that I finished yoga, so he logs 13 hours of stretching, not logging that I stopped doing downward dog.
“The calorie tracker is confusing: it doesn’t input diet data, so it appears to be pure guesswork.
“Neither do you consider gardening or doing housework, but both make me sweat! And the motion alerts are frustrating, going off every day at 10am telling me to get up and walk around or get some exercise, even if i’ve been cycling to it works, but it’s a good screen break reminder.
“Best of all, it congratulates you with fun, animated graphics when you reach a fitness goal, which encourages me to take the stairs and take more steps.”
BETTER FOR SLEEPING
Oura Ring, £227 with six months of app access, then £5.30 per month
7
Health writer Ellie Cambridge says: “I thought seven kip hours and a reasonable bedtime hit the spot.
“But there’s more sleepaccording to Oura.
“Bulky but lightweight (a relief when you’re wearing it 24/7), each morning applying the ring gives you a ‘readiness score’ out of 100, reflecting how well you slept, how active your day before and your recovery.
“I started longing for my daily note, hoping it would promise an energized body. I’d get mad if it said the opposite of what I expected, but this little device is smart.
“If you’ve had a drunken night or a nap, it shows, plus it was recorded when I arrived COVID-19 – mark my high heart rate, temperature and respiratory rate.
“The thought of my daily grade also encouraged me to go to bed on time, rather than have another G&T with friends.
“It showed me that sleep and what I do each day are two sides of the same coin. It’s been a real insight into recharging my body.”
BETTER FOR GUT HEALTH
FoodMarble Aire 2, £189
7
Health and fitness writer Lucy Gornall says, “I’ve had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for a decade, so I was excited to try the world’s most advanced digestive respiration tracking device.
“The small, square breathalyzer connects to an easy-to-navigate app, and for two weeks, I tracked my foodsleep, stress, and bowel habits (telling an app when I went for a number two was interesting!).
“Several times a day, I was also alerted to test my breath. This is where the magic happens.
“Your levels of hydrogen and methanol, the gases released when bacteria in your large intestine begin to ferment the food you’ve eaten, are tested.
“The problem arises when gas builds up too quickly, leading to cramps, bloating and other digestive problems.
“When I ate anything dairy-based or with sweeteners, my levels would skyrocket and I would find myself bloated and gassy.
“I also knew when to ‘go’: My breath gas levels were significantly lower after a trip to the bathroom, but higher before.
“It’s expensive, but it seems to work. I’m much more aware of the foods that cause problems now.”
THE BEST FOR CALORIE CONTROL
Huawei GT 3 watch, from €159.99
7
Senior health reporter Terri-Ann Williams says: “The multipurpose huawei The GT 3 is amazing: it’s not too sporty and the digital interface is simple.
“But the app isn’t that easy to use and takes a while to navigate. However, when it comes to tracking calories and exercise, I can’t complain.
“It will tell you calories burned and how much rest time you need before exercising again, which is great for injury prevention.
“That said, I’m skeptical of its accuracy. There are generic settings for running, walking, and cycling, but not for weights.
“You also have to physically start an exercise program on the watch as it doesn’t automatically recognize them, which is annoying – you don’t want to mess around with it when you’re about to cycle home from work.
“For running, it was great. You don’t need to activate phone data for it to show you a map of your run.
“Personalized training plans help you power through everything from a 5K to a marathon. Unfortunately, I didn’t rate the sleep feature.
“Very often I would register myself in bed as if I were asleep, which is not always the case!”
THE BEST FOR SIMPLICITY
Fitbit Charge 5, £129 with free Premium app subscription for six months, then £7.99 per month
7
Health writer Vanessa Chalmers says: “This no-fuss tracker monitors steps and heart rate, has 20 exercise modes, and measures stress using sweat responses.
“Reminds you to stop sitting for too long, but I found the notifications irritating and turned them off (ignorance is bliss).
“You can also set alarms to wake you up, but it’s not very loud.”technology – for example, it will notify you of a text message, but not of a WhatsApp.
“However, it collects a lot of data and stores it in the app, which is what impressed me the most.
“It offers menstrual cycle and calorie tracking, plus activity, stress and heart rate logs. There are also sleep guides to help you relax, fall asleep, set and meet sleep goals.
“Plus, there are exercise videos to try, as well as recipes and nutritional tips. The watch can feel clunky.
“Going through different exercise modes, I struggled to get back to the home screen.
“And the screen is small, tricky for people with big hands, but it has great battery life.
“It’s ideal if you want to get a little healthier, but you’re not a total gym bunny.
“For a compact watch, you get what you pay for and more if you pay more for the app.”
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