Every year, millions of Americans attempt the journey to weight loss. They try dieting, exercising, hiring personal fitness trainers, and going to a variety of classes. Some will stick to it, and some will quit. This year, there is a new fitness fad appearing on the market to help Americans achieve their weight loss goals: fitness watches.
In any given year, 38 million Americans will buy fine jewelry or watches, many of which are made with silver or gold — the two precious metals most commonly used in jewelry. There are watches being launched by a variety of electronics makers, from Samsung to even Garmin. There is a lot of interest in getting people the tools they need to start their fitness journeys.
However, the most interesting fitness support tool to hit the market isn’t a watch; it’s an app that works with them. TomTom, known for their navigation products, is the company responsible for the smart phone app that tells the wearer their age in fitness years. The app is aptly named “Fitness Age.”
What is it?
As the name suggests, the app will tell the wearer how fit they are compared to others of their age group. It does this by reading the heart rate of its wearer over time to get a sense of the overall fitness level they are at. It then tells the wearer how they’re doing compared to people in their age group, using data from people in the U.S.
If the wearer is in good shape, the app might tell them that their fitness age is younger than their actual age. If they’re not in good shape, the opposite is true. They might be older than their actual age. It will keep track of the wearer’s progress as the exercise, awarding “Fitness Points” for gains and increases, playing to the reward center of the brain.
Other features
It will also track progress during workouts, monitoring the wearer’s heart rate, and alerting them when they need to either increase or decrease their activity. It sets an “ideal heart rate” for them to stay at or within for the duration of the activity. This makes it a useful tool to have to avoid underperforming or over-performing during a workout.
Given that less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of activity a day, and one in three get the recommended activity each week, this could be a great app to start getting into the groove with. It has a number of workout options for a variety of fitness levels and the heart rates that the wearer should maintain.
The gentle coaching coupled with the point reward system could ease many people into their weight loss journey much easier than they otherwise would.