We all know the appeal of going “old school” with our workouts.
But we can’t all be a Rocky Balboa running up and down the stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We all can’t start our day downing 12 whole raw eggs at 3 in the morning prior to going through yet another grueling workout of punching whole carcasses of meat at the local slaughterhouse.
It sure makes for an interesting story to tell your friends, or to imagine yourself starring in your own Rocky-esque training montage. Whatever floats your boat.
But the truth is, building fitness and staying fit has come a long way from the halcyon days of Rocky or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s diet and workout routine when he first got his big break when he won the 1975 Mr. Olympia competition that catapulted him into worldwide stardom.
We just can’t ignore the fact that today’s technology has made it much easier and more convenient to be fit and stay fit – so you can maximize your health’s potential, never mind whether you’re an athlete or otherwise.
Today’s advanced fitness technology allows us to methodically examine and optimize every aspect of our fitness in order to know our strengths and build on them, while understanding what aspects need improvement.
But in a saturated market such as fitness tech, it can be hard to distinguish which one works – which is why we’ve come up with a short list of the top three essential gadgets you can use to satisfy your innermost health freak – or the health freak in your life.
Heart Rate Monitor
We’ll say it. Many health geeks don’t pay enough attention to their heart rates, when they absolutely should. Cardiovascular health is, after all, one of the most important things every health nut has to look after. It’s YOUR ticker on the line. If you think wearables are too expensive, then at the very least, this is the gadget that you should invest in.
It is for this reason why every health freak (or anyone, for that matter) should own a heart rate monitor – and we’re not talking about your granddad’s unwieldy, oversized chest straps that are uncomfortable.
Today’s heart rate monitors can help you do the following things, fitness-wise:
- Set baseline fitness levels. It’s easier to know your limits when you know your baseline heart rate.
- Get over the plateau. A heart rate monitor can indicate if you need to rework your existing regimen if your heart rate drops when doing the same exercises, letting you know that you should start switching things around.
- Maximize your workouts. We each have our own limits that we need to push to get to the next fitness goal we have – and a heart rate monitor will help you achieve that in a controlled and safe manner.
Don’t know where to start? With this list on AllTheStuff.com it’s easy to figure out what heart rate monitor is appropriate for you, among oodles and oodles of other fitness gadgets that you can use to unlock your fullest health potential.
Smartwatch
Today’s wearable smartwatches track everything from heart rate, health statistics, and sleep. Some of the top-of-the-line smartwatches go beyond just these three aspects of your health to offer GPS services as well as help you develop tailor-made workouts for yourself. Who needs a trainer when your wearable smartwatch does everything for you?
The only knock we have on these wearables is that they can get really expensive (this is why we started our list with exclusive heart rate monitors, as they’re much more affordable). On the other hand, is there anything more valuable than your health? We thought so too.
Some of the best smartwatches for fitness include the Apple Watch and the smartwatch line from Fitbit; you could hardly do better than these two.
Smart Water Bottle
We tend to take our hydration lightly. In fact, we take it downright for granted. After all, when was the last time you monitored your water intake? Well, a smart water bottle allows you to track it – and it even lights up when it’s time for you to hydrate. Never miss out on the benefits of staying hydrated throughout the day, regardless of what activity you are doing (exercise or otherwise).
The best part? Today’s smart water bottles will sync with your wearables to keep you up-to-date with your hydration statistics.
