Smart and savvy health innovations can help you get in top shape, feel great, stay inspired, and save time this year!
So hop on the bandwagon and upgrade your health, habits and sleep quality with these five little gadgets that will keep you going year-long:
1) A Smart Scale that Does It All
Weighing yourself regularly keeps you on track. If you overindulge one day and actually see it in numbers the next morning, you’ll be more motivated to make healthier food options for the day.
The newest smart scales do much more than give you four digits though. They can measure your body fat, your body mass index (BMI) and your heart rate, syncing it all with an app so that you can keep monitor your health and progress.
You can pick your body type so that the measurements are more accurate, and even keep track of multiple users. Great way to keep the family in shape!
Some scales can even measure the temperature and air quality in your room, letting you know when the carbon dioxide levels are high, and when to clear the air. This can help optimize your sleep environment and prevent air pollution-related diseases, such as headaches and respiratory problems.
2) Yoga Therapy Balls
Enjoy a session of self-massage rolling your back, hips and feet on these rubber balls to get rid of that extra tension in your muscles. Yoga therapy balls grab hold of your skin through your clothing, digging and loosening up the connective tissue that covers your muscles.
This deep tissue massage stimulates specific nerve endings causing a soothing, sedating effect on your body, and can also improve flexibility. You can include this massage in your morning routine to jumpstart your day, and to relax your aching feet after kicking off your high heels at night. Tennis balls work well too!
Ninety seconds to two minutes is recommended for each move. Look up a routine and find your own timing. You should be doing each move until tension disappears and you feel a relaxing change in your targeted muscle group.
3) A Health Tracker — with a little Bling!
More and more companies are partnering up with fashion houses to bring a little glitz and glam to your mini health tracker. If you haven’t joined this fitness craze yet, now is the time pick a piece that you like and start wearing it with pride!
With these fashionable gadgets you can monitor the calories you burn, steps you walk, stairs you climb. You can even track your sleep cycles.
Your information gets synced up to the tracker’s app so you can see your progress on your smartphone. Some trackers also let you create family or friend groups where you can set up challenges and keep each other motivated.
Give it a try to stay on top of your health!
4) Underwater MP3 Players
Here is a way to turn that silent pool into a dance floor! If music really gets you going during a workout, why not feel the same way while doing your laps? Get yourself an underwater MP3 player to spice things up underwater, and make sure to buy one that comes with goggle clips.
There are many products in the market, but reviewers find the best ones to be those that don’t come with earbuds — you heard it right! The new generation of underwater mp3 players come with two pieces that clip on your goggles, sit over your jawbones, and vibrate when music plays through them so that you can hear them in any condition. No ear-contact necessary!
5) Amber Lens Glasses:
Screentime before bedtime can really take a toll on your sleep. The blue light emitted by your TV, laptop or smartphone screen slows down the production of your sleep hormone, melatonin, making it harder for you to fall asleep after watching an episode of Downton Abbey.
But there is a way to catch up on sleep and your Netflix lineup — amber lens glasses that block blue light.
Research has shown that those who wore amber lens glasses while staring at a screen before going to bed experienced significant improvements in their sleep quality — and mood! — compared to those who didn’t.
So buy yourself a pair of these cool glasses this year to enjoy showtime before bedtime!
Sources:
CES 2015: Jumpstart Your Health and Fitness With These Gadgets. PC Mag. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/330967/ces-2015-jumpstart-your-health-and-fitness-with-these-gadget
Burkhart, K et al. Amber lenses to block blue light and improve sleep: a randomized trial. Chronobiol Int. 2009 Dec;26(8):1602-12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030543
Ease lower back pain with a roll on yoga therapy balls. LA Times. Retrieved January 23, 2015. http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/14/health/la-he-try-this-miller-length-20140215
Well + Good. 10 health rules you should swear by in 2015—and forever. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
http://wellandgood.com/2015/01/06/10-health-rules-you-should-swear-by-in-2015-and-forever/#10-health-rules-you-should-swear-by-in-2015-and-forever-11
Soften Your Hard Body. Equinox Q. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
https://q.equinox.com/articles/2013/06/yoga-tune-up-balls
The Best Waterproof MP3 Player. The Wire Cutter. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-waterproof-mp3-player
Retrieved January 26, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith