Embrace year-round wellness: The best fitness wearable tech and apps to keep you thriving

Embrace year-round wellness: The best fitness wearable tech and apps to keep you thriving

January is often the time of year when people make resolutions to get fitter and become healthier. However, wellness isn’t a seasonal trend; it’s a year-round commitment. And while willpower plays a crucial role, the right technology can significantly boost your efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, no matter the weather outside.

From smartwatches that track your every move, to apps that guide your mindfulness practice, the market is flooded with options. But which ones truly deliver on their promise of year-round wellness?

This post explores the best fitness wearable tech gadgets and apps to help you stay on track throughout the year, offering insights into features to look for and recommendations for different needs and budgets.

Wearable tech: Beyond the step count

While basic step trackers have their place, today’s fitness wearables offer a far more comprehensive picture of your health. Look for devices that go beyond simple step counting and incorporate:

  • Advanced heart rate monitoring: Accurate heart rate tracking is crucial for optimising workouts and understanding your cardiovascular health. Look for features like continuous heart rate monitoring and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, which can provide insights into your stress levels and recovery. Examples include the Apple Watch, Garmin Smartwatch and Google Pixel Watch.
  • Sleep tracking: Sleep is fundamental to overall well-being. Wearables with advanced sleep tracking capabilities can analyse your sleep stages (light, deep, REM), identify sleep disturbances and offer personalised recommendations for better sleep hygiene. The Oura Ring 4 is known for its detailed sleep analysis.
  • SpO2 monitoring: Measuring blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) can be a valuable indicator of respiratory health. Many wearables now include this feature, providing an additional layer of health monitoring – the O2Ring Oximeter Continuous Oxygen Monitor is one of the top devices for tracking blood oxygen saturation.
  • GPS tracking: For outdoor enthusiasts, GPS tracking is essential for accurately monitoring distance, pace and route during runs, hikes and bike rides. Many GPS watches, including the Fitbit Charge 6, also offer features like map navigation and trail tracking.
  • Stress management: Beyond fitness, wearables such as Nurosym can also lower your stress levels, reduce fatigue, stabilise your mood and improve the quality of your sleep.

Apps: your digital wellness coach

Wearable tech is only half the equation. Complementary apps can enhance your wellness journey by providing:

  • Personalised workout plans: Apps like Peloton, Nike Training Club and Adidas Running by Runtastic offer structured workout programs tailored to your fitness level and goals.
  • Mindfulness and meditation: Apps like Headspace and Calm guide you through meditation and mindfulness exercises, helping to manage stress and improve mental well-being.
  • Nutrition tracking: Apps like MyFitnessPal and Lose It! help you track your calorie intake and macronutrient ratios, supporting healthy eating habits.
  • Sleep improvement tools: Beyond wearable sleep tracking, apps like Sleep Cycle can analyse your sleep patterns and wake you up during a light sleep phase for a more refreshed morning start.

Choosing the right tech for you

The best wearable and app combination depends on your individual needs and preferences. Consider:

  • Budget: Prices range from affordable fitness trackers to high-end smartwatches.
  • Features: Prioritise features that align with your wellness goals.
  • Ease of use: Choose a device and app that are intuitive and easy to navigate.
  • Integration: Ensure your wearable and apps seamlessly integrate for a holistic view of your health data.

Embracing year-round wellness requires a multifaceted approach. By combining the power of advanced fitness wearable tech with supportive apps, you can gain valuable insights into your health, track your progress and stay motivated throughout the year, ultimately leading to a healthier and happier you.

4 ways to create a sleep-friendly home

4 ways to create a sleep-friendly home

It doesn’t matter what else you do: if you’re not consistently sleeping well, then you won’t be at your best. Most people are grouchier when they’re tired, which makes all aspects of life less enjoyable, and plus, not getting enough hours of sleep each night can lead to a whole host of health-related issues. Obesity, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease are just a few of the serious health risks of sleep deficiency.

You can’t guarantee that you’ll get a good night’s sleep every night. You can, however, maximise your chances of getting 6-8 hours of sleep by creating a sleep-friendly home. Below, we’ll run through a few handy tips that, when you put them all together, should ensure that you can easily reach the land of nod when you get into bed.

1. Switch off the internet

OK, maybe turning off the internet completely isn’t a realistic ambition. However, could you think about turning it off after a certain hour (say, 8pm)? There’s been a huge rise in the number of people struggling with sleep in the last decade or so, and it’s thought that heavy screen time is a major contributing factor. You’ll be much less likely to look at your devices if the internet is off; instead, look at reading a book, journaling and other activities that will prepare your body and mind for sleep.

2. Make it relaxing

There are times when you’ll get back from work late, full of stress thanks to the day you’ve had. While you may want to fall asleep in those moments, the reality is that you may be too stressed to do so. You’ll need to get yourself into a relaxing position before you get into bed, so why not look at adding some calming elements to your home? You could add a steam shower like the ones available at https://vidalux.co.uk/steam-showers/, and enjoy your very own spa-like experience. Or what about adding a hammock to your garden, which will allow you to spend your summer evenings resting your body and elevating your spirit?

3. Eliminate external light and noise

It can be challenging to fall asleep. Once you have, you’ll hope that you stay in that position until morning. If you’re a light sleeper, then you may find that you’re waking up due to noise and light pollution from the street. You can increase the chances of staying asleep through the night by blocking out external light and noise. This is easily achieved by adding blackout curtains and wearing earplugs and a sleep mask. With nothing to distract you in the land of nod, you’ll be likely to wake up feeling completely refreshed.

4. Upgrade your bedding

Finally, consider upgrading your bedding. Given the amount of time you spend in bed, you should feel comfortable with the idea of splurging a little – no one ever regrets spending a little extra cash to get bedding that they genuinely love. A great mattress and soft cotton sheets can make all the difference to your sleep quality.

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Do you feel stressed out in your own home?

Do you feel stressed out in your own home?

Do you feel stressed out in your own home? A lot of people do, so it’s not that uncommon an occurrence. What you need to be asking yourself, though, is whether it’s the home itself that’s causing the stress. A lot of the time people find that it is, and then they can make the right changes before they move on with their life, a hundred times happier than they were before. In this post, we’ll be having a look at some of the things that you need to think about if your home is causing you stress, so read on if you’re interested.

Work out what’s wrong

First up, you’re going to need to work out what’s wrong with your house. What issues are causing you stress, and why? For example, it may be the fact that there are little holes in the wall that were made for hanging artwork, but they’ve now been taken down, but the holes have not been filled. That’s okay, because you can easily get this sorted within a matter of minutes if you know what you’re doing.

Walk around your house and try to identify what’s causing you these feelings of stress. Write a list if there are quite a few things, and then at least you know where the problems lie. It’s absolutely fine to admit that there are concerns because this is the first step to changing them.

Make some changes

Once you’ve identified the changes that need to be implemented, you need to actually get started making them. Get your tools and materials out to ensure that you’re able to carry out the necessary repairs that you’re able to, and call in a professional for the ones that you can’t. Get some new paint for the rooms if this is another problem that’s on your list, and generally gather all the things that you’re going to need to eliminate the stress from your home. It may take a while, but it will be worth it when it’s all done.

Is it you?

The last thing that we want to mention is that the issue may, in fact, be you. It’s worth having a look at yourself instead of the house, and trying to work out if maybe you’re stressed out over other, unrelated aspects of your life rather than just your house. If it is you, or it’s you as well as the house, then work on lowering your stress levels that are unrelated to the house project that you’ve embarked upon. Perhaps try out some products from somewhere like CBDistillery, or take a relaxing scented bath, breathe deeply, meditate – whatever helps.

So, if you feel stressed out in your own home, then it’s time to do something about it. The more that you try to avoid it, the worse it’s going to get, and you’ll no longer want to spend time in your own surroundings. Make the positive changes that will make you feel calm and settled in your personal space.

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On our radar: Briiv Air Filter

Briiv air filter

We’ve had a couple of lovely sunny days over the Easter period. With all this recent sunshine, I’ve noticed the huge number of particles in the air when beams of light shine through the bedroom Velux window in the morning. Dust, dog fur, dander, wood-burner emissions, mould spores and goodness knows what else. I dread to think what we’re breathing in as we sleep!

I looked online into gadgets that clean the air and discovered the Briiv Air Filter; what a beauty. The company describes it as, “The most sustainable, recyclable air purifier on Earth”. The unit is fitted with two filters which last for a year; one is made of moss and the other coconut fibre. It looks like a mini terrarium – more of a houseplant than a household appliance!

Of course, like any 21st century smart home device worth its salt, the Briiv Air Filter connects to your wi-fi and can be controlled using an app on your smartphone.

It currently retails at £329 which is a huge outlay, but they claim that it only costs £3.64 per year to run (based on the device being switched on for 6 hours per day).