A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch

A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch

It’s officially January, and the party season is (unfortunately) over. You know what that means, right? Virtual gym classes will be packed with newcomers, yoga sessions on Zoom will be booked up and everyone will be investing in new fitness attire. Considering all of this, as well as the ‘New Year, New You’ cliche, overhauling your entire lifestyle just because it’s a new year may seem a little overwhelming. Trust us, we agree...

Becoming a better you doesn’t have to mean putting yourself under pressure to head to the gym 6 times a week. Taking a more holistic approach to your health and focusing on improving the little things can have a much greater impact than going all-in on one aspect of your health. With technology now innovating health and fitness, a smartwatch can be a great investment in your health and can help you take small steps towards a healthier futu

Get ready for the lowdown on little changes you can make in your everyday life that can make a real difference to how you feel, as well as how the investment in a fitness tracker can help you reach your 2021 goals.

Step Up Your Game

One of the easiest ways to stay active is walking. This could be as simple as getting off the bus a stop early or taking a stroll around the block during your lunch break. Walking is a great way to improve your health, with research showing it can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as increasing your cardiovascular fitness.

So how many steps should you take a day? The general consensus in the health industry is 10,000; however, the real answer is more complex than that and depends largely on your size, weight, current health status, and fitness goals.

If you want to work on increasing the number of steps you take during the day, a smartwatch with a step counter, such as the Fitbit Charge 2, can help you reach your goal. Start by tracking how many steps you would do on a normal day, then work on increasing them. Aim for a minimum of 7,500 and don’t feel limited to 10,000 either!

A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch
Unisex Reflex Active Bluetooth Smartwatch

Reflex Active Series 01 Smartwatch

With a step tracker in addition to other useful features such as message notifications and selfie camera,the Series 01 is designed to balance performance with comfort and delivers all the essential features you need for everyday wear.

Skagen Falster 2 Smartwatch Rose Gold SKT5103

Skagen Falster 2 Smartwatch

The Falster 2 Smartwatch boasts an interactive, swimproof touchscreen and a range of smart features powered with Wear OS by Google™ including a step counter and heart-rate tracking that will encourage you to get your heart beating faster.

Turn Back Time

Unfortunately, we’re not talking about a time machine. But something you can do to improve your health is to lower your fitness age. What on earth is fitness age, and why should you care you may ask? The scientific answer is a measure of your VO2max, which is the best indicator of your cardiovascular fitness. This is measured against the average for your age group. Yes, we hate to break it to you, but statistically, you could have a fitness age worse than your Grandma, if she loves her Zumba for seniors classes.

But fear not! A smartwatch could help. Choose one with a built-in heart rate monitor which can estimate your VO2max and let you know your current fitness age. With hard work and regular exercise, you’ll be able to see this number lower right in front of your eyes.

A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch
Mens Citizen CZ Smart Watch

Citizen CZ Smart Smartwatch

With all the benefits of a smartwatch with the option of a traditional idsplay,the CZ Smart is a great option for those who prefer the traditional looking watch. Health and wellness tracking will be sure to help you reach your 2021 fitness goals.

Garmin VENU Smartwatch Black 010-02173-12 Silicone Strap

Garmin Venu®

Beautifully detailed, the Venu allows you to spend more time doing the activities you love whilst staying in tune with your body. From specialist brand Garmin, the Venu more than just a smartwatch.

Switch It Up

Maybe you’re bored of dragging yourself to the gym every day at 6am to follow the same old routine (we wish we had this problem), or maybe you’ve reached your peak in your pilates class. Nowadays there is a massive variety of fitness activities and classes out there to suit every lifestyle, budget, and routine.

If you’re just starting out on your fitness journey, it’s great to try as many types of exercises as possible in order to find something you really enjoy. Finding the fun in exercise will help you maintain your new routine long term. If you’re a seasoned fitness fanatic, there is no harm in trying something new either; you may even find yourself preferring it to your old regime.

A smartwatch with multisport tracking is the perfect accompaniment for testing the waters. Garmin has a wealth of smartwatches that have over 20 pre-loaded sports apps, so whatever way you’re moving, Garmin's got you covered. They even include animated, on-screen workouts, so if you have no idea how to start with yoga, you can learn straight from your wrist.

A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch
Garmin vivoactive vivoactive 4 Small 010-02172-22

Garmin vívoactive 4

This smaller-sized GPS smartwatch is built for active lifestyles. The vívoactive 4 will allow you to tune in to your body, and tone up with a smartwatch that can track it all and help you reach your health and fitness goals.

Mens Garmin fenix 6 Sapphire Bluetooth Smartwatch

Garmin fenix 6

The sturdy fenix 6 features a Power Glass™ solar charging lens and customisable power manager modes so this smartwatch can stay on and be performance-ready for weeks.

Rest Easy

Sleep is often neglected when you’re trying to improve your fitness. Not getting enough rest, as well as poor sleep quality, can increase your cortisol levels (the stress hormone) which can interfere with tissue repair and growth; this can ultimately stop you from reaping the benefits of all the hard work you put in during the day.

You might be surprised to hear that roughly a third of the UK suffer from sleep problems. So if you’re lying awake at night watching the minutes tick by with no hope of drifting off, know you’re not alone. There is hope for everyone!

Monitoring your sleep pattern during the night allows you to assess your current sleeping habits, helping you to come up with a regime that could mean saying bye-bye to those sleepless nights. A good way to do this is with a smartwatch that has the ability to analyse your sleep, such as the Fitbit Ionic. As well as providing you with valuable sleep insights, the Ionic allows you to set a sleep goal on the Fitbit app which will evaluate your current sleeping pattern and provide you with recommendations on how to improve it.

A Healthier You in 2021: Improving Your Life With a Smartwatch
Ladies Radley Smart Series 3 Bluetooth Smartwatch

Radley Bluetooth Smartwatch

With the features of a smartwatch and the style of a Radley, Scotties and all, the Radley smartwatch boasts a selfie camera, sleep tracker and calorie counter, providing a perfect combo of femininity and functionality.

Mens Citizen CZ Smart Watch

Reflex Active Series 4

From the specialist brand Reflex Active, the Series 4 offers a wealth of features within an on trend styles that you'll want to wear time & time again.

Takeaways

Whether you feel it’s the right time to invest in a fitness watch or not, take the opportunity this year to invest in your health and feeling better within yourself. Smartwatches can definitely help along the way, but the most important thing is your want and need to become a healthier and happier you.

Browse our full collection of men's & womens smartwatches for more options.

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