fitness

The latest update to Google Fit might make your old Android Wear device into a fitness tracker of the future. If you've been away from Google Fit for a year or two, the differences between the old version and what's out now may seem immense. The Google Fit system works with the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) to incorporate systems like Move Minutes* and Heart Points. The redesign released this week also emphasizes step count.

Continue Reading

It has been months since Google bought Fitbit and fans from both sides of the have hoped that the union would bear fruit sooner rather than later. Some expected that Google would integrate more health features into Wear OS or even release its own fitness trackers. Others have hoped Fitbit would also get more smart features and maybe even have a Wear OS smartwatch. Neither of those happened and, instead, we're getting a new Fitbit Charge 4 that adds just one new feature to the mix.

Continue Reading

The launch of the Apple Watch represented something of a health-focused shift for Apple. The watch allows people to track their activity, track their heart rate, and log work outs, but in iOS 14, we might see Apple take things one step further. Apparently, Apple is planning to launch a guided workout app with iOS 14 as a separate offering from its existing Activity app.

Continue Reading

While they may have more variety, smartwatches powered by Wear OS, formerly known as Android Wear, severely lag behind the Apple Watch in both sales and attention. Despite not having changed significantly in its design, Apple's smartwatch has the lion's share of the market and news coverage primarily thanks to its health features, especially those that end up saving lives. Google may finally be taking notice, at least based on a survey it sent out. Hopefully, it won't be too little too late for the tech giant that now owns Fitbit.

Continue Reading

Although it is a condition common to all humans (and even animals), stress is harder to objectively describe than you might think. It is partly subjective, which is why questionnaires rarely work, and the tests used to determine stress levels are not only slow but also stress-inducing themselves. A convenient and noninvasive way to detect and measure stress levels could go a long way in preventing it or giving immediate treatment and that's exactly what a new paper-thin sensor promises to deliver.

Continue Reading

Timex has revealed its latest GPS smartwatch, with the Ironman R300 GPS putting the focus mainly on fitness rather than just reminding you of all your unread messages and emails. While it may not look like much from the outside, with its tough rubber body, the wearable should deliver on battery life.

Continue Reading

Yet another smart home gym has been announced, this one called Tempo. With a schedule to start shipping later this summer, Tempo will offer buyers a large home weightlifting system that includes a 42-inch display and machine learning. Users can expect a variety of workouts, as well as mobility and strength training. All of this is combined with 3D motion sensors and more.

Continue Reading

One of the benefits of having a smartwatch these days is being able to track your activities, sometimes even without a paired smartphones in your pocket. Part of that is made possible because of how fitness-related apps sync between phone and wearable or even with the phone's default health app. Fitness app Strava, however, was an outlier in that regard until today. Now it finally allows users to get data from the Apple Health app on the Apple Watch or even send its own data to Apple's Health center.

Continue Reading

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a common health problem with no single standard treatment option. If allowed to progress unchecked, the condition may lead to liver damage, making it important to address whatever health issue resulted in the disease. Obesity is a major factor in the development of this condition, which may be reduced by combining exercise with commonly available green tea extracts.

Continue Reading

Regularly participating in an aerobic activity like cycling or briskly walking on a treadmill may have a noticeable effect on your brain's executive functions, according to a new study. The research was approached with a focus on slowing the progression of -- or potentially preventing -- Alzheimer's disease. The study involved around two dozen people who were healthy but lived a sedentary lifestyle.

Continue Reading

With the exception of certain niche activities, exercise is generally performed with music in the background. The audio does more than keep the mind entertained while the body gets its daily fitness routine in, according to a new study published in Frontiers of Psychology. Researchers found that a specific type of music has a profound effect on the way the mind perceives the exercise and how much of a benefit someone gets during the session.

Continue Reading

Exercise, whether low-intensity or high-intensity, is beneficial from a health standpoint. However, not all exercise has the same effect on the brain, according to a new study, with certain types offering benefits related to things like attention and other types offering benefits related to mood. The findings may help shape exercise routines designed specifically to help treat mood or attention disorders.

Continue Reading