Health Tech
Fitbit goes for fashion
Fitbit has come full circle with an elegant fitness tracker that includes many features of advanced smartwatches, writes ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK
Fitbit has also partnered with mindfulness and “integrated medicine” pioneer Deepak Chopra, who participated in the launch on Monday, providing media with a guided meditation session. He has created a wellness collection called the Mindful Method, with a range of sessions of mindfulness practice. These are included in the Fitbit Premium service, which normally costs R149 a month. It includes access to a range of workouts and nearly 200 stress-relieving mindfulness sessions from the likes of Aaptiv, Aura, Breethe, and Ten Percent Happier.
Chopra says: “I share Fitbit’s belief that mindfulness and mental wellbeing are an important part of our holistic health, and by better managing your emotional wellbeing, it can help make a positive lasting impact on your overall health, including better sleep, improved mood and more meaningful personal relationships. For example, I regularly see my heart rate lower after doing a meditation session and over time, my heart rate variability trends have improved.
“The Mindful Method makes a regular mindfulness practice easy and accessible – no matter whether you are learning how to begin, or are interested in taking your mindfulness practice to the next level.”
The Health Metrics dashboard also tracks changes in wellbeing, with insights into breathing rate, heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), and skin temperature. Next up, promises Fitbit, will be measurement of oxygen saturation (SpO2), directly from the device.
The Luxe has a 5-day battery life, thanks to its lightweight form factor, which also offers maximum comfort, so that it can be worn to bed and help users track and manage sleep patterns. As with other Fitbit devices, a Sleep Score helps users better understand their sleep quality over time, and bedtime reminders help establish a consistent sleep routine.
It also comes with tools now regarded as smartwatch standards, such as food, hydration and weight logging, and menstrual health tracking. However, it adds blood glucose logging for the first time. Premium members also receive access to extensive nutrition content, including curated healthy recipes.
Wait, isn’t this about fitness?
That almost goes without saying, but the range of fitness options deserves spelling out: on the wrist, one can choose from 20 exercise modes, including golf, pilates, spinning, or tennis. It still lacks the GPS functionality of bulkier models like the Versa 3, Charge 4 and Sense. However, one can link exercise modes like running, biking or hiking to connected GPS from a phone, allowing one to track pace and distance.
The Fitbit Luxe will be available at most health and electronics retailers in South Africa later this year, at R3,399, including a six-month trial of Fitbit Premium. Meanwhile, Fitbit will offer a virtual try-on at some retailers, where shoppers can scan a QR code at Fitbit displays to see how the Luxe will look on the wrist.
Perhaps, one day, we won’t even need a physical device to track our health.
* Goldstuck is founder of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Twitter on @art2gee
