Holiday Fitness Gift Guide & S Health App Review

Are you obsessed with health and fitness as much as I am? If so, you can probably also remember a time when the only way to keep track of our food consumption, exercise, and calories burned was to write them down on a piece of paper. I know I did and I was pretty meticulous about it too, knowing if I was going to write down the calories of my favorite candy bar I was also going to write down the extra treadmill workout I was going to do to make up for it. My husband always thought I was a little hard-core, but I just considered myself very disciplined and detail oriented. Semantics.

It’s amazing how times have changed, don’t you agree? Thanks to everything from fitness apps to wearable devices we can not only track our calories and exercise, but we can do it without ever having to find a piece of paper or lift a pen. I personally don’t have a lot of experience with wearable devices, but I do like the S Health app on my Samsung Galaxy S5. I’m not necessarily as obsessed as I used to be with keeping track of everything I put in my month and the number of calories I burn in a day, but I do find it fun and motivating to see a running tally of my steps on my smartphone’s home screen (even when it’s locked) and I especially love the sound alert that signifies I’ve reached 10,000. Aside from the pedometer there are many other cool features with this app, including a heart rate monitor and food diary. Personally I like that it’s built into my phone so I don’t have to worry about carrying or wearing anything else to track my daily activity, but if you are the type of person who likes cool accessories then there are definitely a few options to consider when creating your holiday wish list this year!

Healthy Holiday Gift Guide

• The UP by Jawbone is great for beginners and low-maintenance types because it syncs with both Android and Apple products. The wristband tracks distance walked, calories burned, active time, and movement intensity. It also vibrates to remind you to move after long periods of inactivity. Jawbone also syncs with an app on your smartphone, like the iPhone 6, so you can enter information about the food you eat and the beverages you drink (mostly water of course) each day as a way to keep track of your calorie intake. Also, Jawbone monitors sleep patterns to wake you at the optimal time and learns your habits so it can suggest ways to improve your lifestyle.
• Fitness pros who like individualized attention and also want the style of a high-tech watch might love the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 or SYNC BURN Activity and Calorie Burn Tracker for Apple to act as a workout buddy that’s with you on-the-go. Compatible with Samsung devices, the Galaxy Gear 2 provides an individualized fitness organizer with real-time statistics on the progress and impact of your exercise plan. Using the information it creates a personalized suggestion for your next workout. If your preference is an iOS device, the SYNC BURN uses heart rate sensors to more precisely follow your calorie burn and comes with a MapMyFitness app to see, monitor, and celebrate fitness milestones. The SYNC BURN also includes a digital time and date display, a stopwatch and a 12-month battery.
• For those who are focused on losing weight, the Withings Pulse Activity Tracker and Wireless Scale WS-30 could be the best combination to keep you on track to reach your goals.

So tell me, do you have a favorite fitness app or device that helps you stay focused toward your health goals? Will you be adding a wearable device to your holiday wish list this year? I’d love to hear your thoughts, but not matter you decide I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with loved ones and many special memories to cherish for years to come!

Disclosure: I’m a compensated member of the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade, but thoughts and opinions are always my own.