Sales of this fitness product are up by 700% this year. Do you have one yet?

Sales of fitness trackers have gone through the roof in the last year or so – everyone now wants to see exactly what they’re doing, and how well they’re doing it. Apparently, the sales of some have risen by around 700 per cent. Which is, um, huge.

Back in the pre-app-and-fitness-tracker days, I used to monitor my runs in a notepad. I’d jot down how many kilometres I ran, how long it took, and how many calories I’d burned. Every so often, I’d flick back through the notepad and see how much I’d improved.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with the notepad system. But these days, there are dozens of technological options available to you for tracking your fitness and making your life instantly easier.

Consumer demand has meant that a whole lot of companies out there are developing and releasing clever gadgets that will monitor your heart rate, your fitness, your sleeping habits, and much more. Which really takes the guesswork out of everything and leaves you with distinct numbers for seeing how amazing you are.

Here are some of my favourites…

1. The Adidas miCoach Smart Run, $500  


This is, hands down, one of the cleverest bits of technology I’ve ever laid my paws on. It’s essentially a watch that is so much more than just a watch; it’s also a heart-rate monitor (that doesn’t require any other crazy bits of equipment), a music player, a personal trainer and a GPS.

You can set the Smart Run up to monitor your runs (or any other kind of exercise you’re doing – the settings can be changed to recognise a whole lot of other sports, too) and it’ll tell you your heart rate, how far you went, and how long it took you.

Alternatively, you can tell it your goals and it will set up a training program for you and even coach you along the way, using its handy-dandy little personal training feature. Amazing.

It’s got a whole lot of other features, too, which in my humble opinion make it the most innovative on the market at this point. Exxy but worth it if you’re serious about your fitness as it saves you a whole lot of mucking around.

2. Fitbit

Fitbit makes a few products that are clever, colourful and reasonably priced. My favourite of the lot is the Flex Wireless Wristband, which you wear everyday so that it can track your steps, distances and calories burned; it also monitors your sleep and lets you know if you’re keeping in line with your goals. At $129.95, it’s a good way of keeping track of your active hours and your sedentary ones.

There’s also the Zip Wireless Activity Tracker, which is like a super-pedometer, with a battery that lasts up to six months. And finally, Fitbit also have a scale which measures weight, BMI and percentage of body fat – it uploads your results directly to Fitbit.com, where you can set goals and chart your progress.

3. Phone apps


There are a million and one phone apps out there for tracking fitness. Most of them are quite specific to one activity, so figure out what you do most (running? cycling?) and download one that’s appropriate. 

I really like MyFitnessPal, as it can monitor not only any kind of daily activity, but also what food you’re consuming on a daily basis. It’s really easy and accurate to use.

If you’re exercising out and about but worrying about your iPhone being sweatproof/waterproof/weatherproof – do what I did and invest in an InDepth Case. They protect your smartphone from all the elements while still making it entirely useable. I’m madly in love.

4. Withings Pulse, $99.95

This teeny-tiny device blew my mind. It’s a tiny little pod that you can chuck into a pocket of your jeans or clip onto your smartphone; it tracks your steps, stairs climbed, minutes slept, as well as monitoring your sleep patterns and minutes that you’re awake. Perhaps avoid it if you have a tendency to lose things, as it really is tiny – otherwise, go for your life.

5.  Jawbone Up, $149.99

Okay, so the Jawbone Up does exactly what all the fitness trackers do, in that it measures your steps, your distances and your sleeping hours. HOWEVER – it’s gorgeous. By far the most attractive of all the fitness trackers, it’d even look at home during Fashion Week.

Incidentally, the Jawbone also has a brilliant power nap mode – it senses when you’ve fallen asleep for a nap and gently wakes you after 45 minutes to ensure you’ve had the perfect amount of rest. When you go for a longer slumber at nighttime, it will also track that and awake you at the optimal time. Clever.

How do you stay fit? Do you have a schedule you try and stick to?