News » Activity Tracker

Mio's new Personal Activity Intelligence score turns your heart rate into an activity score that tells you how much you should be doing to stay healthy.

Mio's revolutionary new PAI system was developed by Ulrik Wisløff, a health and exercise research scientist who used a study done on 45,000 people over 25 years to create an algorithm that uses heart rate data to show how much exercise each individual needs to stay healthy.

Your goal is to finish the week with a PAI score of over 100 which indicates that your level of activity will increase your lifespan.

In order to start using their Personal Activity Intelligence, users need to download the PAI app and then use their Mio wearable during a training session. PAI then uses this data to give the user instant feedback and a PAI score.

Pai is simple to use in every activity you do as long as it raises your heart rate. 

Garmin today announced the Forerunner 645 Music, a GPS running watch with integrated music that gives athletes the freedom to enjoy their favourite tunes on a run or during a workout without having to take a phone along. Additionally, when in need of a bottle of water or a quick bite to eat, it’s Garmin Pay Ready, the contactless payment solution which lets users pay for purchases with their watch and keep on moving.

Whether out for a run with friends or gearing up for race day, the Forerunner 645 Music makes it easier for runners to get the data they need. In addition to 24/7 heart rate monitoring, it includes advanced running dynamics, performance monitoring tools, connected features and thousands of ways to customise with free watch faces, widgets, data fields and apps through the Garmin Connect IQ store. With the introduction of the Forerunner 645 Music, the sporty style of the Forerunner line is getting a sophisticated makeover; the metal bezel, chemically strengthened glass and interchangeable bands make it easy to wear all day, every day.

“Listening to music helps most of us keep our momentum going during those long or particularly difficult runs,” said Andrew Silver, EMEA Fitness Product Manager. “Now, with the addition of integrated music and Garmin Pay, the Forerunner 645 Music will help give athletes the independence they’ve been looking for while still providing them with the quality and accuracy of our other running products that they have come to rely on.”

Featuring similar high-end fitness, wellness, and smart connectivity features as on previous Forerunner devices, the Forerunner 645 Music gives users an extra pep in their step with on-device music storage, up to 500 songs. Deezer Premium+ users can download offline playlists or transfer music from a computer directly to the watch. Once the playlist is loaded, pair the Forerunner 645 Music with a set of compatible Bluetooth headphones (sold separately) and go.

Garmin Pay Ready, a contactless payment solution, means athletes can leave their cash and credit cards at home and still stop for a bite to eat along their route. Utilising their Garmin Pay wallet, users have the same rewards and benefits of the physical cards, with the convenience of having them right on the wrist for contactless payment. 

Athletes can better prepare for a race or training cycle with the help of training features provided by Firstbeat. Training status automatically evaluates previous exercise and fitness levels to let athletes know if they are training productively, peaking or overreaching. Measuring exercise volume from the last seven days, training load helps users determine if they are training in the right zone and whether their sessions are too easy or hard. Additionally, the anaerobic training effect metric will tell athletes how their hard work and training is improving their ability to push the limits.

The Forerunner 645 Music allows athletes to go even further with their running data. Clipping the Running Dynamics Pod to the waistband allows users to see all six running dynamics, including cadence, ground contact time, stride length and more on their watch without the need for a chest strap. Built-in GPS and GLONASS let athletes track how far, how fast and where they run – no phone connection required. Go for a ride, swim, walk and more to take advantage of even more features available on the Forerunner 645 Music. Furthermore, users can view and follow downloaded courses on their wrist, race a previous activity and train with simple intervals or follow complex workouts. In the pool, the Forerunner 645 Music will track distance, pace, stroke, personal records and more.

With an array of connected features, the Forerunner 645 Music lets users stay in touch with the rest of the world, even while on the move. When paired with a compatible smartphone, it automatically uploads to Garmin Connect™, an online fitness community where users can track workouts, sleep patterns, join online challenges to compete against friends and earn virtual badges. Directly from the wrist, users will be able to receive and respond to text messages5, invite friends to follow their runs in real time with LiveTrack, and view social media updates, emails and more.

Easily customizable through the Connect IQ store, Forerunner 645 Music users can download free data fields, watch faces, widgets and apps including UBER ETA, SmartThings, AccuWeather MinuteCast and more.

The Forerunner 645 Music features up to 7 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and up to 5 hours in GPS mode with music. Weighing roughly 42 grams, this is the first Forerunner to feature a stainless-steel metal bezel and always-on Garmin Chroma Display™ that is easy to read — even in direct sunlight — and is housed under chemically strengthened glass. It is available with a black or cerise band and has a suggested retail price of £399.99. An option without integrated music capabilities – the Forerunner 645 – is available with a black or sandstone band with a suggested retail price of £349.99.

The Forerunner 645 and Forerunner 645 Music are the latest innovations from the ever-expanding Garmin fitness segment that develops technologies to enhance and promote healthy and active lifestyles. Whether users are runners, cyclists, swimmers, multi-sport athletes, or simply looking to stay active throughout the day, there is a product that can help them reach their health and fitness goals.

The Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Flex are getting a revamp with new designs and features.

The all new Fitbit Charge 2 and Flex 2 effortlessly track your most important health and fitness stats, with new sleek looks and an experience that is even more engaging, motivating and personal to help you reach your goals.

“Over the past nine years it has been our ability to innovate on both design and utility, and our deep understanding of what consumers want that has made us the leading global wearables company1,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “Flex quickly became the best-selling tracker2 on the market as one of the first wearables to successfully merge fitness and fashion; we’ve revolutionized Flex 2 by making it swim-proof and adding more features in a design than is 30% smaller than the original. We broke new ground with Charge HR by making wrist-based heart rate accessible to millions of users around the world, and we’ve done it again with Charge 2, giving users a snapshot of their cardio fitness based on estimated VO2 Max.”

The new Fitbit Charge two has an updated version of the brand's most popular watch with two new features powered by your personal heart rate, an estimated VO2 max and guidance on how to improve your fitness and guided breathing sessions called “Relax”. The beat-to-beat changes in your heart rate determine your personalised breathing rate for each experience. Two- and five-minute sessions display real-time heart rate visualisations, animations and vibrational cues to help you align each inhale and exhale with the guide, and find moments of calm throughout your day. Research has shown that developing a long-term guided breathing practice can have health benefits that include reducing stress and anxiety, and lowering blood pressure.

The new watch will also include more real-time, actionable exercise stats right on the display so you can make instant adjustments during your workouts and improve over time, with multi-sport modes for specific workouts like runs, bike rides, weights, yoga and more, plus post-exercise summaries and detailed reports of your activity in the Fitbit app.

Link your fitness wristband with the GPS in your smartphone to provide even more precise and actionable real-time stats, like pace and distance when you’re running, while recording a map of your route in the app.

The new Interval workout mode guides you in alternating periods of high-intensity exercise and recovery to maximise workouts like circuit training so you can stay focused on your workout.

Advanced sensors make tracking your whole day effortless by automatically capturing all-day activity and sleep. SmartTrack automatic exercise recognition records everyday activities like walking, running, elliptical, and more with ease, plus reminders to move motivate you to stay active throughout the day.

The modular design and easy-to-read tap-sensitive display is four times larger than the previous Charge HR, letting you personalise a look that fits your style with interchangeable bands and clock faces – while keeping you connected with the smart notifications you need most.

The watch retails at £129.99 and can be purchased via Fitbit’s website here.

Are you bored of swiping through Tinder and batting away bad matches on Plenty Of Fish? Well now there's a new dating app on the market and it takes things to the next level. Dating app 'Once' uses your heart rate to evaluate how much you like your potential match by testing how much your heart races when you see them. ‘Once’ aims to stay away from mindlessly swiping through endless profiles by only giving its users one match per day based on their heart rate reading. They then have 24 hours to decide if they want to go ahead with their match.

The USP of Once is that it focuses on quality, not quantity, by only providing you with one potential match each day. At noon, you and your partner will see each other on the app and have 24 hours to decide if you like each other. The really special feature is the heart rate monitor. Those with a Fitbit or Android can hook up their device and then let the fun begin. Once's founder Jean Meyer thinks this feature will help users distinguish real matches. If you look at your partner's photo and your heart rate spikes, it means you really like them!

Since its launch in October 2015, Once has gathered 3 million users and is available in 32 different countries. So, what're you waiting for? Time for your fitness tracker to really do some work!

 

Garmin has announced the Forerunner 30, a simple-to-use running watch with built-in Garmin Elevate™ wrist-based heart rate technology that delivers streamlined running, activity tracking and connected features. Whether out for a jog or training for a 10k, the Forerunner 30 tracks how far, how fast and where athletes are running without the need to carry a phone. In between runs, it doubles as an all-day activity tracker, keeping count of steps, calories and intensity minutes so users can record progress and activities even when they are not running. The Forerunner 30 will be available exclusively in Europe, Middle East and Africa but will work outside of these areas if you travel.

“The simplicity of the Forerunner 30 means athletes can easily take their running to the next level – all they have to do is put the watch on and go,” said Andrew Silver, Garmin EMEA Product Manager. “With a variety of built-in features, the Forerunner 30 is the perfect tool for runners who want to stay fit, stay connected and share their progress.”

Runners using the Forerunner 30 will get a better idea of their fitness level with the addition of VO2 max, a measurable indication of aerobic performance or fitness level, while training tools like Auto Pause^®, Auto Lap^® and pace/speed selection help provide athletes with an essential running experience. Garmin Move IQ™ technology will also detect and automatically categorise activities including running, walking, cycling and more.

Vibration alerts for incoming calls, voicemails and text messages help Forerunner 30 users stay connected without having to dig a phone out of their purse, pocket or bag. Throughout the day, the Forerunner 30 automatically uploads to Garmin Connect™ where users can share their workouts with friends and family in real time with Live Track, join fitness challenges, analyse training progress, set and track goals and much more.

The Forerunner 30 features up to eight hours of battery life in activity mode and up to five days in smartwatch mode. It is available exclusively in Europe in turquoise, amethyst and grey and has a suggested retail price of €149.99.

The ever-expanding Garmin fitness segment develops technologies to enhance and promote healthy and active lifestyles. Whether users are runners, cyclists, swimmers, multi-sport athletes, or simply looking to stay active throughout the day, there is a product that can help them reach their health and fitness goals.

For decades, Garmin has pioneered new GPS navigation and wireless devices and applications that are designed for people who live an active lifestyle. Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation.