It’s that time of year again – for the Christmas turkey and for those of us who have stayed for a week or so and generally piled on a few extra pounds the easy way. Inevitably, thoughts of how technology can help us fix some of the damage, and especially for the geeks among us, are beginning to turn to repair.
5 important health and fitness tech trends for 2023
Health and fitness technology is big business – the market for fitness tracking devices is predicted to reach $100 billion by the end of 2025. All the big mobile device manufacturers are competing for a piece of the pie, and at the same time. Due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, a new market has emerged for home fitness technology. Here’s my overview of what the most important technology trends in this area will be in the next 12 months.
Health and Fitness in the Metaverse
What is the Metaverse? Well, the jury’s still out – maybe it’s a load of overinvited nonsense, or maybe it’s the future of the internet! In a few years, we’ll know for sure, but in the meantime, many of the technologies that advocates will build a new, more immersive and experiential online world are becoming firmly embedded in everyday life.
Take virtual reality and augmented reality for example. Both of these are predicted to play a key role in the creation of the Meta version, which is also proving popular with tech-savvy health and fitness enthusiasts. Many different training programs covering cardio fitness and strength training can already be delivered with VR headsets. Popular examples include the FitXR app, which offers guided high-intensity training sessions. You can also participate in simulated, immersive golf, boxing, fencing, and many other sports, all of which offer a great workout experience to keep users active and engaged.
Wearables will become more sophisticated and powerful
Fitness trackers like Fitbit wristbands, as well as smartwatches like Apple, Pixel, and Samsung models with built-in fitness tracking capabilities, have been with us for a while. Next year we will see them continue to become more sophisticated with powerful and flexible sensors that can provide AI-enhanced feedback on our daily activities. In recent years, we’ve seen manufacturers add ECG scanners that measure electrical signals in the heart to provide early warning of potentially life-threatening conditions like atrial fibrillation. Another recent development is Sp02 monitoring, which can warn of conditions that affect lung function, including Covid-19.
With one in five Americans now wearing a fitness tracker or smartwatch with health monitoring capabilities, we’re capturing and analyzing more health data now than ever before. In the year In 2013, this flood of information will help develop new techniques to identify health issues and understand how our bodies are affected by our daily activities and the world around us. This will lead to the development of new treatments and therapies that will ultimately contribute to better health and fitness for everyone.
App-based home workouts
The pandemic has forced gyms to close and confined many of us to our homes. Although restrictions have been lifted in many parts of the world, we seem to have developed a taste for indoor workouts offered through apps. The cost-of-living crisis affecting many parts of the world may also be an influence here, as expensive gym memberships are often one of the first expenses people look to cut.
In recent years, we’ve seen the emergence of more powerful and sophisticated features — such as Artifact’s AI-powered personal trainer app that uses computer vision through your smartphone camera to provide real-time feedback on form and posture.
We’re also seeing more traditional health and fitness-focused organizations jump on the AI-powered app bandwagon — another example is WW (formerly Weight Watchers), which created its own app-based ecosystem that uses AI to manage diet and exercise. Measures including activity and sleep patterns.
As lives get busier and more people work long hours or hold down multiple jobs to make ends meet, apps and home-based workouts make it easy to squeeze exercise into our daily routines that might not include a trip to the gym. It is possible.
Modern home gyms
Another trend sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic has seen home gym equipment evolve to become part of the Internet of Things (IoT), which means we can now have home gyms equipped with smart, connected exercise bikes, treadmills and other fitness equipment.
Peloton is undoubtedly the best-known name in this game – buying the device and subscribing to its services gives users the opportunity to participate in live classes that feature real-time interactions with other users and coaches. By increasing the leaderboard you will have the opportunity to compete on the leaderboard.
Peloton may have paved the way for modern home fitness hardware, but other players are looking to become household names in 2023: JaxJocks creates stylish kettlebells and dumbbells that let you shift weights with the touch of a button. , while TheTrainer+ from Vitrivian offers a “gym on stage” that includes comprehensive weight training and resistance exercises using one connected platform.
Although many of us now have access to gyms and outdoor training opportunities, the convenience and accessibility of working out at home seems hard to beat. This is why I think smart home gyms and fitness equipment will continue to be a strong trend in 2023.
Don’t forget your mental health!
There is one lesson that we often overlook, but must learn to get through the tough times ahead, is the importance of taking care of our mental health.
Headspace and Calm are two popular apps that aim to stimulate thinking and reduce stress as tech-enabled answers to the challenges of the modern world. Both have seen an increase in user numbers in recent years, and this will continue in the coming year.
As we see home workout apps and smart gym equipment designed to improve fitness, we can expect to see an increase in similar products and services focused on yoga, personal therapies, mindfulness and stress relief.
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