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    The 8 Greatest Smartwatches And Trackers To Elevate Your Health and Fitness

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    Smartwatches are possibly essential to any healthy woman’s life. They track your steps (gotta hit that 10K a day), measure your sleep and feed you detailed info about your workouts.

    The science backs up smartwatches, too. They’re viable tools that can give healthcare providers robust data about a person’s health. And with tracking abilities that sync your data to your menstrual cycle, you can tailor your workouts to whichever phase you’re in.

    The benefits of smartwatches, according to science

    According to John Hopkins Medicine, trackers encourage more movement and are also clutch at helping you take more steps. And more movement is vital for various health markers, from keeping weight at a healthy range to warding off cardiovascular disease. Studies show that smartwatches can even help in the self-management of epilepsy, diabetes, speech therapy monitoring and even CPR training. Yep!

    Then there’s the extensive review published in The Lancet. It found that “activity trackers improved physical activity, body composition, and fitness, equating to approximately 1800 extra steps per day, 40 min per day more walking, and reductions of approximately 1 kg in body weight.” That’s huge.

    Your smartwatch doesn’t even have to be the most expensive on the market for you to get the benefits. At its most basic form, reminders to move more are effective and can help move the needle towards healthier habits. And heart rate monitors offer tons of insights, like when you’re in a heart rate zone that’s too high or low. We’ve rounded up some of the best fitness trackers, each with their own set of unique skills. Here, the fitness watches that elevate your health and fitness.

    The best smartwatches for health and fitness

    For the serious adventurers

    Suunto 9 Peak Pro

    Specifications

    Size: 43 x 43 x 10,8 mm, 64g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: 100m waterproof

    Swim tracking: Yes  

    Mobile payments: No

    Phone call: No

    Don’t be intimidated by the size of the watch face. This tracker is lightweight and packs a punch. Choose from over 95 sports modes, including trail running, mountain biking and even snorkelling. There’s a built-in GPS with navigation capabilities when you’re off on a run or trekking the wilderness. Plus, they’re made using renewable energy, with a low carbon footprint and a long lifespan that compensates for their very existence.

    Garmin Enduro 2

    Specifications: 

    Size: 51 x 51 x 15.6mm, 70g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, 10 ATM rating

    Swim tracking: Yes

    Mobile payments: Yes  

    Phone calls: Yes

    Rough and ready for anything, this watch does it all. Run to the ends of the earth and still have enough power, since this watch also has solar charging capabilities. Built-in navigation helps you figure out which way you need to be. It even works out your metrics to help you with training – and suggests a pace that’ll get you over the finish line in style. That’s not all. Trend data shows how your training is having an impact over time.

    For the wellness queen

    Fitbit Sense 2

    Specifications: 

    Size: 38 x 38 x 11.43mm

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: 50m

    Swim tracking: Yes

    Mobile payments: Yes

    Phone calls: Yes

    Wellness girlies love this watch. Get all-day stress management (and reminders to do some meditation and breathing exercises) and a stress score. Menstrual tracking is part of the package, as is a personalised sleep profile, with daily sleep feedback. A health metrics dashboard gives detailed data about your heart rate, skin temp and SpO2. It’ll even give you a Daily Readiness Score, something that takes all metrics available and lets you know what kind of workout you should hit that day, depending on what your body is ready for.

    Garmin Lily

    Specifications:

    Size: 34.50 x 34.50 x 10.15 mm, 24g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, 5 ATM rating

    Swim tracking: Yes  

    Mobile payments: No

    Phone calls: Yes

    See your bod’s energy levels throughout the day so you know the best times for workouts, and when’s best to rest. Stress monitoring also lets you know how you’re doing and of course, a period tracker measures your flow, symptoms and more. Respiration tracking lets you know how your breathing is doing, with reminders for breathwork and yoga. Truly, a wellness watch.

    For iPhone users

    Apple Series 8

    Specifications: 

    Size: 41 x 35 x10.7mm, 31.9g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, WR50 rating

    Swim tracking: Yes  

    Mobile payments: Apple Pay

    Phone calls: Yes

    Temperature sensing makes this watch a cut above the rest, which offers detailed insights into women’s health tracking, so you know for sure when you’re ovulating. It’ll also stay on for longer. The Blood Oxygen app lets you in on your blood oxygen levels, clueing you in if you’re at risk for something like pneumonia. Heart rate notifications ping when you’re in a zone too high or too low. In low battery mode, get a whopping 36 hours extra battery life, so you’re always connected.

    For Android users

    Samsung Galaxy Watch5

    Specifications: 

    Size: 43.3 x 44.4 x 9.8 mm, 33.5g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, 5ATM+IP68 rating

    Swim tracking: Yes

    Mobile payments: Yes, Samsung Pay

    Phone calls: Yes

    For Samsung users, this watch is a worthy companion. From advanced sleep tracking that lets you plan a better snooze for your sleep type, to the over 90 trackable exercises it hosts, this watch can do pretty much whatever. A heart rate monitor and ECG is incorporated into the device, along with something called the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Sensor (BIA). That tracks your body fat percentage and skeletal muscle weight, so you’re in the know about your health – especially if you’re on a fat loss journey. It even guides your selfies. Real talk.

    For the budget

    Huawei Band 7

    Specifications:

    Size: 44.35 × 26 × 9.99 mm, 16g (without the strap)

    GPS: No

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, 5 ATM rating

    Swim tracking: Yes

    Mobile payments: Only with Android

    Phone calls: No, only call notifications and the option to decline

    This watch does a lot with a low price point. Pick from over 90 workout modes and an app connects you to menstrual health data, steps, SpO2 tracking and more. A five-minute charge powers the device for two whole weeks (huge score!). A vibration lets you know if your blood oxygen level or heart rate strays from the healthy range, too. And it’s water resistant, a big feature at this price point.

    Amazfit Bip 3

    Specifications:

    Size: 44.12×36.49×9.65mm, 33.2g

    GPS: Yes

    Heart rate monitor: Yes

    Water resistance: Yes, 5 ATM

    Swim tracking: Yes

    Mobile payments: No

    Phone calls: Notifications only

    Get two weeks’ use out of this watch with one charge. While the watch face is wide enough for different displays (even a customisable face of your choosing, like your own photo), it’s slim and lightweight. It’ll track your swims, workouts and runs – along with everything else in between, including sleep quality. Plus, the watch’s Target Pace function lets you set and crush your pace goals. There’s also a built-in GPS and even a blood oxygen saturation feature.

    Michelle is a freelance writer at WH, passionate about all things health, fitness and mental wellness. She’s also an avid surfer and recently discovered skateboarding as a viable means of transport. Skate dates, anyone? More

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      I Tried The Planet Fitness FitBuddy App – Here’s What I Think

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      The Planet Fitness FitBuddy app to marries your gym membership with your goals and your real-life schedule.
      When it comes to workout apps, there are truly no shortages. The global lockdown did nothing if not create an even sturdier offering as we all attempted to get buff within the confines of our four walls.
      But as we came out of lockdown, some apps stuck around on our phones. I tried the Planet Fitness FitBuddy app and wondered if it was going to be a staple addition in my phone’s fitness folder – and it delivered.
      What is the Planet Fitness FitBuddy app?
      It’s a workout app, but like the term “fit buddy” denotes, you’re held accountable. When you sign up, you’re assigned a real coach at Planet Fitness, who loads workouts for you in the app to hit your desired goals. You’re also asked to log your meals in an associated app that’s sent to you to download.
      Unlike other workout apps, where you scroll through a variety of workouts and pick the one you feel up to, FitBuddy has scheduled workouts loaded in it, and you do the workout designated for you by your trainer.
      If you have a smartwatch, you can sync the data to the app so your steps, caloric expenditure and heart rate information can be tracked, too.

      READ MORE:  “I Did A 30-Day Push-up Challenge—Here’s What Happened”
      I Tried The FitBuddy App
      When I downloaded the app, I expected to scroll through workouts, pick one, do it, and share my achievement, like every other fitness app. But this app is a bit more involved than others – and it’s great. I got an email from my trainer, Tokey, who scheduled a call with me to chat about my fitness goals, how often I exercise and any other niggling issues I had. I told him I wanted to improve my surfing ability and that I’ve been trying to ditch about 10 kilos for a few years. We spoke about my eating habits, how often I train, the kind of training I do, and a few other lifestyle preferences.
      Then, he devised a training programme for me and input the data into my app. I was to do three workouts a week, totalling 20 minutes each, and he left room for my surfing sessions (which I can also log in the app, along with any other extra activities).
      READ MORE: 11 Best New Running Shoes That’ll Inspire Your Next PB
      At first, I struggled to find my way around the app, until I realised that I didn’t necessarily need to explore anything, but rather just open it, navigate to my scheduled workout and do it.
      Taking the brain work out of losing weight and being healthy is one of the huge benefits of an app like this. Without having to think about anything, you’re less likely to come up with an excuse or feel fatigued after scrolling through different workouts before actually committing to one.
      READ MORE: Quick HIIT Warm Up: Blast More KJs By Doing These 3 Moves First
      Added to that, Tokey sends me regular messages, checking in on my progress. He’s also able to see if I’ve skipped a workout or failed to log a few meals, which is excellent if you’re serious about making progress. Because there’s a real human being at the other end of the phone, if anything is bothering you, it can be fixed, which I really appreciated. I have a niggly back that’s been lousy from overuse, and my workouts are adjusted nicely to make up for that.
      Overall, this is one app I’d recommend if you’re looking to get serious about your progress and goals. Plus, you don’t have to be a Planet Fitness member to join at all. Keen to try it? Book a consultation here.

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      7 Reasons The New Fitbit Charge 4 Is The Perfect Tracker For Lockdown

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      Remember the beginning of lockdown, when we were all posting #homeworkout selfies with dogs and kids providing raucous comic relief? Or that first weekend of Level 4, when we donned masks and hit the streets in a glorious celebration of freedom? Personally, I thought I was going to emerge from lockdown like an action hero from a montage, all snatched and svelte and ready for the beach. Shame. Truth is, with each message from Uncle Cyril, my enthusiasm for exercise waned. The first winter cold front finished it off. And load shedding drove a nail through the coffin, making it sure it was dead. Then, one day, as I was shovelling down another spoonful of my feelings, a package arrived: the Fitbit Charge 4. And with it, renewed motivation. Because this nifty little tracker really is perfect for lockdown.
      Value For Money
      For most of us, 2020 is not going down as a year of balling. So if we’re going to splash out on something, it needs to be worthwhile. The main difference between a smartwatch and a fitness tracker is that a tracker’s main purpose is to gather data about your activity and feed it into an app for your viewing pleasure. A smartwatch, on the other hand, has a lot more functionality at the wrist and is more geared towards managing your life — receiving emails and notifications and so on. Smartwatches also tend to have more features. And you pay for all of these privileges. Coming in at R2 999, the Charge 4 has an impressive list of capabilities. You get a lot of the functionality of a smartwatch but at a fraction of the price.

      There’s a walking mode.
      Even at peak fitness, I’m no triathlete. No marathon runner, either. I like to lift heavy things, run the odd 10-kay and torture myself in HIIT classes. Often the smartwatches I test seem geared towards serious endurance athletes. I feel a tad loserish when I set the watch for a Parkrun, knowing it was built to traverse deserts on a single charge. The Charge 4, however, is a great match for someone like me. There are 20 exercise modes available and you can programme six of them into the tracker at a time through the Fitbit app. I felt a twinge of sadness as I scrolled past gym-based options like swimming (it’s waterproof), spinning, treadmill (sob), elliptical and circuit training. But it was convenient to have lockdown-specific activities to choose from, such as yoga, Pilates and hiking. I added running; there was a time, four months ago, when I called myself a runner. But I also added walking; a more accurate reflection of my current reality.
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      You can leave your phone behind.
      If all of this is sounding so far, so mundane, here’s where the Charge 4 gets properly impressive: It has built-in GPS and integrated Fitbit Pay. That means, for the first time in a Fitbit tracker, you can leave your phone at home when you head out for a walk and still use GPS tracking. The battery will last five hours in full-GPS mode — that’s plenty of time to complete a 10-kay or even a 21, if you’re so inclined. And if you activate Fitbit Pay, you can stop for a coffee and pay with the device. So no need to carry a wallet, either.
      It helps you sleep.
      Anyone else struggling with really messed-up sleep schedules since lockdown started? You’d think that spending more time at home would be conducive to getting more sleep, but apparently you’d be wrong. Fitbit has always been a leader in sleep hygiene and the Charge 4 has a number of features designed to help you get more and better-quality shut-eye. If you set your preferred bedtime, it’ll prompt you to start winding down half an hour before. Set a Smart Wake alarm and it’ll monitor your sleep patterns and buzz you awake during a light sleep cycle for a gentler wake-up. In sleep mode you don’t get alerts and it doesn’t light up when you move your wrist — something that irritated me with previous Fitbits. You can also dim the screen.
      READ MORE: This Is The Effect Lockdown Is Having On Your Sleep, According to New Studies
      Charge 4 says, “Move your ass.”
      OK, not in so many words. But I’d forgotten how that little buzz on your wrist prompting you to move every hour gets you off your butt. Now there’s an added incentive: Active minutes are a new goal Fitbit has created to get your lazy lockdown self moving. It’s not necessarily structured exercise, but rather based on non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) i.e. you being active while just living your life (say, vacuuming the house; walking the dog; chasing the fleeing toddler). The tracker registers the activity automatically and it counts towards your daily goal of 150 minutes.
      READ MORE: What Is NEAT And How Can It Help Me Shed Lockdown Weight?
      It’s user-friendly.
      I’ve tested a few smartwatches that were so difficult to get the hang of, I would have thrown them on the ground in frustration had I not had to give them back a few weeks later. The Charge 4 is refreshingly simple. There’s one concealed button on the side that you need to find. Once you’ve made that discovery, it’s pretty straightforward to navigate using the touch screen and the app. As a small-boned woman, I also like that it’s light and discreet and not clunky on my little twig-wrist.
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      More cool stuff
      The Charge 4 has heart-rate tracking at the wrist, menstrual cycle tracking, integrated Spotify, you get call, text, calendar and other app notifications of your choosing and you can even send quick text replies on android.
      So is there anything not to love?
      Honestly, not much. The battery life is not what you’d get with a decent smartwatch. You’ll need to plug in your Charge 4 every four or five days, maybe sooner, depending on how much time it’s spent in GPS mode. If you haven’t used GPS much at all, it can last a week. But it charges fast, which is a bonus. Like previous Charge models, the 4 has the option of interchangeable wristbands, which is awesome for #fashun, but I found my previous model eventually came loose where the bands attach. Of course, this is something you’d probably only become aware of a couple years down the line. And by then, who knows what fun new toy you might have you eye on?

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