Technically Speaking: Wearable Tech that Can Help You Stay in Shape

Science is pretty amazing.

I was reading the other day about a group of scientists who have created night vision contact lenses. The lenses take infrared light, not normally visible to humans, and reemit it into the eye as visible light. They’re like night vision goggles except the contact lens version. Infrared light also has the ability to pass through your eyelids, so these contacts will enable you to see with your eyes closed as well. I don’t know how you would ever sleep, but it’s pretty incredible stuff.

Scientists have made a lot of advancements in the realm of sports and fitness in recent years that have enabled us to track progress, modify training according to different metrics, track recovery, and make our training more efficient. I use some of this tech in my gym to track vertical jump, ground contact time in plyometrics, sprint velocity, bar speed when lifting, etc. It allows me to program more efficiently. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Some of this new tech can do a lot to help keep you in shape this summer while also allowing you to enjoy all the reasons you came to Seven Mile Beach in the first place.

People come to Stone Harbor and Avalon to enjoy the beach and the community and get a little reprieve from their daily life the rest of the year. Sometimes the relaxation and letting loose can get a little excessive, which can make staying in shape a little difficult. There are ways that you can stay in shape and still enjoy what you came here to enjoy, and some wearable tech that can help.

The wearable tech market is worth almost $180 billion worldwide and is projected to reach nearly $575 billion in about eight years. There are a lot of different wearables from watches to rings, and soon implantables. They already have implantable trackers for some health monitoring. I’m not sure about fitness tracking yet. One of the most popular is the fitness tracking watch. These watches have many fitness features including real-time heart-rate monitoring, distance traveled, pace, calories burned, etc.

All this monitoring can allow you to get out of the gym and get your exercise outside (maybe while enjoying the beach) while still getting in an efficient workout. All these watches come with their own app that can help program your training for whatever goal you have in mind. The most highly rated watch is the Garmin, which can track things like oxygen uptake, vertical oscillation, and stride length if you want to get that serious about it. You can use these trackers to work out on your own or you can use one of the many apps that can hook you up with a fitness community wherever you are.

Strava is a well-known social network for runners that allows tracking, sharing routes, and participating in challenges. It also offers personalized training plans and community engagement features. Run With offers customized training plans, community challenges, and the ability to connect with other runners. Now you have your customized training program and the ability to hook up with likeminded fitness enthusiasts for that run on the beach.

What if you may have enjoyed yourself a little too much the night before or your training was a little too intense the day before? Some wearables can track your sleep and provide readiness scores depending on your recovery. My wife has an Oura ring that can give her an HRV (Heart Rate Variability) reading when she wakes up in the morning. It is pretty much a readiness score that can tell her if she is recovered enough for more intense training. If you are ready, maybe you get on an app and see where a running club might be that day or you head to somewhere with a sauna to get a little recovery.

There has also been a recent uptick in doctors recommending “forest bathing.” Research shows that “taking in the atmosphere of the forest” may promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, and even improve cardiovascular and metabolic health. Great for recovery. I would be very surprised if “beach bathing” didn’t provide the same benefits.

Obviously, strength training is king and should be done in a gym under the supervision of a personal trainer. But for your supplemental work, get your wearables, check your readiness, find a tribe so you can take advantage of our great summer community, track your progress, and don’t let your summer vacation hold back your progress.

Maybe we’ll start a midnight run club once we get our new contact lenses. Might not do great things for our morning readiness score.