Keeping you on track: Wearable Devices
Over the past five or so years, the market for wearables - fitness trackers and smartwatches - has expanded rapidly. There are so many variations, features and price points that the market is often overwhelming to search through when you don’t know where to start. Here we’ve highlighted a few of the different options available depending on what you’re looking for.
Best for Kids:
FitBit Ace 2, £69.99
The children’s wearable market is relatively new but is based on the same principle as fitness trackers for adults – to get you watching TV (or playing Fortnite) less and moving more. While some wearables for kids include GPS tracking, if you want less of a Big Brother option, the FitBit Ace 2 is a great way to get kids engaged in their wellbeing and track their active minutes. The device is swim proof, durable, and has fun characters on the screen to encourage them to keep moving. The watch can also be added to a FitBit family account so parents can stay on top of their child’s activity.
Best all-rounder: Apple Watch Series 6, from £379
The Apple Watch, first launched in 2015, saw the explosion of the wearables market. Previously reserved for the stalwarts of fitness, the Apple device brought fitness tracking into the mainstream. The latest iteration of the Apple Watch includes ECG monitoring and blood oxygen level measuring, as well as all the other features you’d expect including taking calls, activity and sleep tracking, and Apple Pay. With Apple Fitness+ launching at the end of the year, the watch will also help you track your stats through the range of workouts on the new platform.
Best for people who are serious about sport: Garmin Fenix 6X Pro, from £599
With such a hefty price tag, you’d expect some real clout with this watch, but if you want to track your performance across multiple sports, then this Garmin will certainly not disappoint. Just some of the features of the watch are ski maps, golf courses from around the world, climbing ascent planners, and PacePro to keep you on track as you run. Alongside the sport specific features, the watch also tracks health stats like heart rate, respiration, hydration and sleep.
Best value wearable: FitBit Inspire HR, £89.99
A great tracker for people who are new to fitness, or for older people who are looking to maintain their health, FitBit have developed a simple device to give people a gentle nudge to building healthy habits. The tracker records activity, sleep, calories burned and heart rate, and pairs with the FitBit app that helps you further engage with your health through food logging tools, hydration tracking and weight goals. The battery also lasts up to 5 days, making it really easy to maintain.
Best smartwatch that doesn't look like a smartwatch: Withings ScanWatch,
from £249.95
People are often put off from smartwatches and trackers by the fact that they look too sporty and aren’t always appropriate to wear for work or more formal occasions. Though some watch brands such as Michael Kors and Fossil have developed their own hybrid smartwatches, Withings is founded in scientific technology but has designed a smartwatch with all the features you’d expect, in a subtle wristwatch style. The ScanWatch is their most advanced model yet, boasting up to a 30 day battery life with a built in ECG, sleep breathing disturbance detection, a heart rate monitor and activity tracking, amongst other measurables.