Brooklyn startup Ergatta has unveiled Digital Rower, a rowing machine that includes a large display and competitive gaming element to incentivize workouts. The Digital Rower's electronic system replaces in-person instructors, instead offering a game-based platform with personalized challenges and the ability to race against other Ergatta customers.
New research from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases has linked specific exercises with brain health and cognitive performance. Specifically, these types of activities may help protect the brain's gray matter and preserve total brain volume, slowing down the rate of cognitive decline over one's lifespan and, potentially, offering a protective effect against age-related dementia.
In addition to its other potential health benefits, intermittent fasting may cause hormone changes that boost one's motivation to exercise. The findings were detailed in a study recently published in the Journal of Endocrinology, where researchers explain that intermittent fasting -- as well as general meal restriction -- boosts the 'hunger hormone' ghrelin and its ability to boost exercise motivation.
A new study from researchers at the University of Bath and the University of Birmingham shed light on which is better: eating breakfast before or after a morning workout? Though there isn't a solid rule about which is preferable, the study found that working out before eating breakfast may drastically reduce one's odds of developing two common and serious health conditions.
When talking about the convergence of consumer electronics and health, most will probably think of wearables like fitness trackers and smartwatches. These do often have a variety of sensors used to track vitals like heart rate or, in the case of the Apple Watch 4, ECG. But while these devices do give wearers an idea of their activity and heart health, they lack data on one important factor in fitness. That is why Kyocera has made a new system that can monitor your carbohydrate intake but is also small enough to slip into your pocket.
Exercising while eating a low-calorie diet may have a negative effect on bone health, according to a new study out of the University of North Carolina Health Care. Unlike in cases of exercise without calorie restriction, eating fewer calories while exercising was found to cause a substantial increase in the amount of fat in bone marrow, something associated with lowered bone health. The effect was observed in cases of only mild calorie restriction.
A large study out of Europe has linked physical fitness with healthy brains and better cognitive performance. The research was recently presented at the ECNP Congress in Copenhagen, where German scientists detailed the results of analyzing more than 1200 MRI brain scans collected under the Human Connectome Project, a very large database compared to many studies that involve MRI scans.
Exercise is known to trigger a blood pressure-lowering effect in the hours after getting physical activity, but that benefit may be greatly reduced by the use of commonly available antibacterial mouthwash. The findings come from a study out of the University of Plymouth, where researchers studied two groups of people who exercised, one given antibacterial mouthwash and the other given ordinary mint-flavored water.
There's only so much your smartwatch can tell you, so Fitbit has launched a new - and, maybe more importantly, cheaper - smart scale to add weight and BMI information to your overall health picture. The Fitbit Aria Air joins its more expensive siblings with a sub-$50 price tag, promising Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone and the ability to measure and track multiple fitness metrics.
Fitbit isn't just something you strap to your wrist to count your steps and log your workouts any more, with the launch of the Fitbit Premium subscription service to help guide users through getting healthier. Launching alongside the new Fitbit Versa 2, Fitbit Premium promises personalized coaching and thousands of workouts, which the company says were developed both from its experience in health tracking and by consulting experts.
Smartwatches are a dime a dozen but the majority of them seem to be targeted as a specific class of users that prefer casual or classy looking timepieces. Even those designed for active users wouldn't really look out of place in a board meeting or gala. Athletes and fitness buffs, however, need more than just a handsome smartwatch. They need one that caters to their specific lifestyle and uses cases as well. Navigation expert Garmin might deliver exactly that in the upcoming Fenix 6 series of smartwatches headed to IFA next month.
Fitbit, the company best known for its fitness trackers, offers its own version of a smartwatch called the Versa. Unlike pure activity trackers, the Fitbit Versa comes with a few extra features, including (depending on model) support for making contactless payments and streaming music. According to a new leak, the company may be planning to update this watch with a new model that includes a personal assistant and improved display.