Maintaining fitness and health is a constant struggle, with a lazy morning in bed often much more alluring than a sweaty gym session. As such, anything which might help encourage you and keep you on track can make a significant difference.
Here are four fitness gadgets that may help set you up for success in reaching your health goals.
Withings Body Scan smart scale
One of the keys to good health is consistency. Even so, it's easy to give up when the mirror doesn't seem to be reflecting any impact from your regular workouts.
Withings' Body Scan smart scale helps address this challenge by measuring your body composition as well as your weight, showing you the progress that may otherwise be hard to see. Using handheld electrodes, the Body Scan utilises bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to determine your percentage of fat and muscle. This means that even if your weight seems stagnant, you can take heart in knowing that your heart work is still paying off in fat loss and muscle gains.
According to Withings, the Body Scan's handheld electrodes make it more accurate than the Body Comp smart scales, which measure body composition using the user's feet. Even so, either set of scales is suitable if you want to track trends in your muscle and fat percentage, which will be the most important data for many users. After all, fitness is a journey, not a destination.
R.A.D One V2 gym shoe
Specialised gym shoes aren't technically a workout necessity. Countless people work out in ratty old trainers every day. Even so, thoughtfully selected footwear can make exercise more comfortable, as well as lower your risk of injury. As such, the R.A.D One V2 shoe is worth your consideration if you're looking to upgrade your gym gear.
Designed specifically for the gym, the R.A.D One V2 has a wide toe box for stability when lifting yet still fits snugly around the heel, offering a secure fit even for those with broader feet. It also has a noticeably grippy sole, ensuring your feet aren’t shifting as you strain yourself under your weights. Such grip makes the R.A.D One V2 particularly suited for activities such as CrossFit, though it's also a decent gym all-rounder.
The R.A.D One V2's aesthetics may not be for everyone, with a contrasting coloured wave pattern along the sides of the shoe. However, choosing a colourway in which the wave is the same colour as the shoe makes this much less ostentatious.
Samsung Galaxy Watch8
Fitness trackers have become ubiquitous gadgets for anyone interested in monitoring their health. Most measure data such as your heart rate and the number of steps you take per day, as well as track your exercise and sleep.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch8 does all this, but takes it a step further (no pun intended) by introducing an antioxidant index. This intriguing new feature measures users' carotenoids, which are pigments found in plants. Simply press your thumb to the back of the Watch8, and its light-activated sensor will detect carotenoids in your skin, offering an indication of whether you're getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet. (Spoiler alert: you probably aren't.)
Skin carotenoids have a high correlation to carotenoids in blood, which is widely used as an indicator of a person's vegetable intake level. Carotenoids' strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects play an important part in slowing aging, as well as cancer and chronic diseases, so you're definitely going to want to make sure you're keeping those levels up.
Though diet is a crucial piece of the health puzzle, it's difficult for fitness trackers to gauge. The Samsung Galaxy Watch8's antioxidant index offers a handy reminder to add more veggies to your plate, and might help make you more mindful of what you eat.
WalkingPad C2 foldable walking treadmill
Incorporating enough movement into your day can be difficult when you work a desk job. As such, many health-conscious corporate slaves who work from home have turned to walking pads, grinding out their daily steps during their daily grind.
The WalkingPad C2 foldable treadmill is a good option to consider for this purpose, especially for anyone working with limited space. Its ability to fold in half means it can be neatly tucked away when not in use — albeit only under furniture that is significantly elevated off the ground. The walking pad measures over 5 inches (13cm) thick when folded, so storing it under a table may be more realistic than sliding it under a couch. Wherever you position it, the C2's foldable design means it won't have a large footprint of your living space. It also had a set of wheels on one end, so you can move it in front of your TV while you binge The Bachelor on the weekend.
With a top speed of 6km/h, the WalkingPad C2 comes with a handy three-button remote control for adjusting the pace. It also has an auto mode which ostensibly detects your speed and adjusts accordingly, though Mashable's testing found it felt precarious and accelerated too quickly (which is particularly dangerous considering the C2 has no handlebars). Even so, manual mode is all you really need, and is enjoyable and easy to use. Combined with its ability to fold for storage, the WalkingPad C2 is a tempting choice for apartment dwellers.
