We live in an amazing time. The Iron, Bronze, and Steam Ages all changed humanity, but today’s Age of Information and Technology is a milestone that has outperformed them all. As we spend more time sitting on our rumps absorbing information (and calories), it would seem there is a direct connection between the amount of weight we gain and the amount information we wish to gain. Add mostly preprocessed food to our lack of activity and you can sell fitness equipment to almost every American with an Internet connection.
For the last 40 years, the fitness craze has been measured by muscle and stamina. Now, technology offers fitness trackers in every physical measurement possible.
Tablets, laptops, and phones all have Bluetooth communications, and in five years we will see Near Field Communication (NFC), the next generation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). NOW NOW, don’t run for your tin foil hat. We have come so far with just Bluetooth.
Today you can buy shoes or a bracelet, or even a set of ear buds that pair with a phone or tablet (we’ll just call it a mobile from here on). These nosey nannies count your steps, calories, distance, sleep, heart rate, and pulse while measuring the duration and GPS locations of your workout. Talk about your overly attached boyfriend! These gadgets know everything, and more functions are being added all the time.
What makes all these fitness trackers popular is the software that personalizes them. After you plug in every detail you wouldn’t otherwise dare whisper out loud, the software is tuned to your individual needs. Once your tracker is paired with the mobile device and the data is sync’d, it tracks your fitness, graphs your data, and grades you (yes, just like in school) on where you stand on your personal goals. Most will even compare your progress to previous days, weeks, and other fitness buffs around the globe.
Back in the real world, you still have to do the work—set goals, sweat, and get on the dreaded treadmill or elliptical machine. A fitness tracker won’t melt pounds into a svelte six-pack, but measuring and tracking your progress is a pile of edge pieces in the jigsaw puzzle of a better you. Never give up. Use any tool available on your journey to a better you. You are a success story happening now! M! October/November 2014
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