Heading into the New Year is the perfect time to put technology to work to achieve fitness goals. Check out these healthy technology gift ideas for the fitness fan or tech guru on your shopping list.
• Portable speakers
Your health fan will never have an excuse not to work out alone or in a group, with battery-powered speakers that connect by Bluetooth to a phone or MP3 player. Great for use outdoors, a hotel room or anywhere that earbuds just don’t get it done.
Try the weather-resistant Puma Soundchuck speaker at apple.com ($130) or the Brookstone Mobile Mini Speaker from brookstone.com ($35)
For hikers, try the Eton Sound System that includes carabiner-ready loops and a solar panel at amazon.com ($70)
• Fitness tracker
Fitness trackers can record movement statistics on the go and can connect to your phone for full-range apps to help you keep up with your New Year’s fitness plans. Try the Fitbit at fitbit.com ($130) and add a hinged bracelet cover to make your Fitbit look like a piece of designer jewelry at fitbit.com/toryburch ($195)
Or try the Polar M400 that comes complete with GPS tracking so your buddy will never get lost on a run at shoppolar.com ($200)
• Fitness watch
Don’t stop at tracking the time. High-tech watches can also track a variety of stats including miles, pace, strides and calories burned for runners, or real-time info for cyclers or swimmers.
Try a TomTom Multi-Sport GPS Watch at tomtom.com ($170)
• High-tech goggles or sunglasses
The lenses in specialty goggles and sunglasses can block specific colors of light for clearer and more comfortable vision in extreme light, such as on a ski slope. Shop the Oakley gift guide for eyewear at oakley.com ($130)
Eyewear can be a very personal choice. Consider a gift certificate or make sure they can be exchanged if the fit isn’t just right.
• Scale plus
Bathroom scales are not just for dieters since they can do so much more than merely show weight. They can also analyze body fat, muscle mass and water weight. And they can send stats to a phone app to help track progress.
Check out the Runtastic Libra scale at runtastic.com ($130) or the iHealth Lite wireless scale at ihealthlabs.com ($80)
• Golf coach
Give your golfer’s game a boost with an electronic coach. The 3-D analyzer clips onto the club and provides real-time data on every swing. Use it for swing-by-swing improvement or analyze the game back at the clubhouse.
Check out the Swingbyte at swingbyte.com ($170)
• Touchscreen gloves
Cold weather won’t be an excuse for staying indoors with gloves designed to work on touchscreen phones. Get your family outdoors and moving in gloves with specially designed finger tips.
Available in knit, microfleece and leather at target.com ($10 and up)
• Diet aid at the dinner table
Give the gift of slower eating! Eating too fast can lead to eating too much before the brain can signal the stomach that it is full. The HAPIfork is an electronic fork that uses indicator lights and vibration to remind the eater to slow down.
Phone apps track fork data and help monitor workout objectives and track progress. Check it out at hapi.com ($100)
Sources:
Women’s Health. 11 gifts for Fitness Fanatics. Web. December 2, 2014.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/gifts-for-fitness-fanatics
Health. Holiday Tech Gifts Active Women Will Love. Web. December 2, 2014.
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20753065_2,00.html
Real Simple. Cool Gifts for Tech-Lovers. Web. December 2, 2014.
http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/gifts/tech-gifts
Reviewed December 3, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith