Fitness-tracking bands and heart-rate monitors aren’t just a hit with gym bunnies worldwide; they’re now becoming a big part of fitness classes, and with good reason too. Knowing exactly how many calories you’ve burned and how hard you’ve worked in a session is priceless; it allows you to measure progress and fine-tune your training sessions to ensure you’re getting the perfect workout, every time.
With these fitness devices, there’s no more getting away with a half-hearted gym session or giving up halfway through to catch up on your new favorite Netflix show. Instead, there’s only soaring motivation and effective fat burning every time. Here, Savoir Flair rounds up the top five fitness-tracking monitors to give your workouts an extra oomph.
Garmin 'vívosmart HR+'
This wrist-based tracker covers everything from calories burned to steps counted and houses a GPS tracker to monitor your pace and distance. It even monitors the periods of your workouts that are in high-intensity mode, which is great for fat-burning precision. Not to mention, it doubles up as a mini iPhone, allowing you to receive alerts for texts, calls, and more.
Fitbit 'Charge 2'
Interchangeable bands, multi-sport modes, guided breathing sessions, performance tracking, and even sleep-quality monitoring – the Fitbit ‘Charge 2’ has revolutionized the ease and style with which we’re able to track fitness performance, and it doesn’t top the charts in terms of price either.
Misfit 'Shine 2'
If you don’t love the idea of wearing something around your wrist 24/7, then Misfit’s ‘Shine 2’ is the perfect alternative as it comes in the shape of an action clip, which can be attached to trainers. An accurate running tracker that is, by far, the best in terms of battery life (it lasts up to six months), it allows you to monitor swim distance, sleeping patterns, calories, and steps.
Moov 'Now'
If motivation is the ticket to get you through a killer workout, then Moov is for you. The ultimate fitness tracker that acts as your very own PT, it corrects form and pushes you through your workouts, encouraging you during those last few sprints and steep hill climbs. Covering everything from running and cycling to swimming, boxing, and more, Moov ‘Now’ might not be the prettiest workout monitor out there, but it sure is effective!
Apple 'Apple Watch Series 2'
For the Apple and cutting-edge technology fans out there, the ‘Apple Watch Series 2’ is the perfect synergy between optimal sports tracking and a cool smartwatch. It has a built-in GPS and heart-rate monitor, is water-resistant, and uses its sleek design to push you towards your personal targets and goals. What’s more, answering calls and replying to messages using advanced voice-recognition technology can all be done from the convenience of your wrist, even whilst you’re off on your evening run.
Carly Neave is the blogger behind LeanLivingGirl, a health and fitness website based in Dubai.