Home technology is a big part of my daily life and the inspiration for this site. I mostly focus my writing on smart home and home networking devices. However, I have personal health tech devices that I rely on. Lately, I’ve been focusing more on my health and using technology to help me do this. In this article, I’ll talk about the tech items I rely on the most for maintaining and improving my health.
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Table of Contents
Background on my health
Sports and fitness have always been a large part of my life. Growing up I played sports like wrestling, soccer, and basketball. As a young man, I continued playing basketball and became a runner. I’ve competed in multiple distance events, including marathons. I also love weightlifting and cycling.
However, as I’ve aged, life has gotten busier and busier, and I neglected my health by prioritizing work and family. Recently, I’ve decided to rededicate myself to improving my health by exercising more and eating healthier. You never know what type of technology you might need now, as well as later on in life, to protect your health, like life alert alternatives, which is another benefit of smart home tech for seniors. I’ve been happy with my progress. Who knows, maybe I’ll run a marathon again one day, or perhaps just a half-marathon :)!
That progress is fueled by technology. I realize that all of my exercise involves technology of some kind. I thought I’d share that tech with you in this article in the hopes that it can help you on your fitness and health journey.
Editor’s Note: If you are interested in my fitness and health transformation over a year, including how I did it and the techniques I used to get in great shape, check out my health and fitness transformation.
Polar Vantage V3 smartwatch
The most crucial piece of health tech that I have is my Polar Vantage V3 smart sports watch. I use it to track my workouts, my daily activity (walking, standing), and many other things including the quality of my sleep, the intensity of my workouts, my heart rate, and tests that measure my fitness. I also love that it has GPS built in for tracking the speed and distance of my runs and cycling. There’s no need to take a smartphone with me to track these things.
You may wonder why an Android phone user like me didn’t get a Pixel Watch or a Samsung Galaxy smartwatch. Those are fine watches, but they don’t have as many fitness features as my Polar watch. Also, I’ve been using Polar equipment for a couple of decades now and I have a lot of historical data in their portal that I find useful.
Two other reasons are very practical. One is that the Polar watches easily pair with chest strap Bluetooth heart rate monitors like the Polar H10 (more on that product later). I consider chest strap heart rate monitors to be much more accurate and reliable, especially for those with darker skin like myself. Other smartwatches can pair with chest heart rate monitors, but often they require a specific app or ecosystem, and integration isn’t seamless.
Second, the battery life is SO much better than most smartwatches. I can easily go a week without charging. When I use it a lot, especially the GPS functions, it drops to maybe five days. Most smartwatches can’t get you more than 1-2 days.
I miss out on many apps and fancy watch faces, but I get all the notifications from my phone and tons of fitness features. That’s worth it for me.
- The sharpest AMOLED touchscreen display. A bright, large display for seeing all your data and metrics—with customizable dashboards and widgets for quick-access to the information that matters the most.
- Sport Watch with dual-frequency GPS and detailed maps. See where you are and where you’re going with downloadable maps with detailed contouring for the ultimate topographic experience.
Polar H10 heart rate monitor chest strap
One of the most accurate ways to track how hard you’re exerting yourself in a workout is by monitoring your heart rate. When I run and cycle, I pay close attention to the heart rate zones I’m in to make sure the intervals and recovery portions of my workouts are where they need to be.
Sure, most smartwatches, including my Polar Vantage V3, track heart rate using an optical sensor. Although mine is accurate in most cases, it does struggle when I’m weightlifting and doing other types of exercises that involve short bursts of intensity. They often can’t keep up with the change in heart rate. Chest straps do a much better job.
I’ve been using the Polar H10 for seven years now. It has all the features I want, including the ability to pair with my Polar Vantage V3 and smartphone apps, it can simultaneously broadcast my heart rate via Bluetooth or ANT+ to exercise equipment, and it can be used underwater (I dream of completing a triathlon someday). I have also found it to be reliable and accurate.
- WORKS WITH EVERYTHING: Polar HRM works with ALL HRM compatible Equipment.
- SUPREME ACCURACY: Widely recognized for its top precision by many sources, Polar H10 is the most accurate heart rate sensor in Polar’s history. Polar H10 provides top quality measurement.
Withings Body Cardio scale
Whether I’m focusing on fitness performance, weight loss, or both, I need to track my weight loss. Sure, I could use any old scale and write down my weights each day, but wouldn’t it be easier if the scale already did it?
Enter the Withings Body Cardio smart scale. This scale not only logs, graphs, and tracks my weight over time, but it also measures and tracks my body composition, heart rate, and vascular age. I can use the app or the web portal to see my progress and set goals. As a bonus, it has multiple profiles. My wife and children can also use it to track their progress without messing up my stats!
- #1 WORLDWIDE – FIRST SMART SCALE WITH CARDIO CHECK-UP. It’s a one of a kind weight scale for body weight. Great as bathroom accessories or supporting workout equipment.
- HEART RATE MONITOR – Get heart rate with the built-in heart monitor plus an indication of your cardiovascular health using vascular age, an indication of the overall health of arteries.
Editor’s Note: Check out my review of the Stelo continuous glucose monitor, which I used to learn a great deal about how my body reacts to various stimuli, and my review of the Withings Vision blood pressure monitor which is a great device for measuring and tracking your blood pressure.
NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill
Running has been a consistent part of my fitness routine for almost 25 years. I was never a runner as a young person — I didn’t take up running until my late 20s, but now it is a staple. Although I prefer to run outdoors, often it is easier to run inside. Also, it is less harsh on my body which becomes more important as I age.
That’s why I bought a treadmill. I’ve had the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 for a few years and it has held up. It has a good range of incline and decline adjustments. Additionally, it folds up to give me more room in my cramped home gym. But one of the best features is its access to iFit, which gives me access to professional trainers and workouts. It also gives me the ability to craft and track my workouts, and even customize workouts for my fitness level.
You can learn more about my thoughts about this treadmill in my review.
- 30-Day iFIT Family Membership Included; Stream live & on-demand workouts on your equipment with Global Workouts & Studio Classes; Add up to 5 users; Elite trainers adjust your equipment ($39 value)
- 14” HD Tilt & Pivot Touchscreen; Stream iFIT workouts directly to your treadmill; Use the integrated 2” speakers or your Bluetooth-enabled headphones (not included) to follow workouts
NordicTrack exercise bike
My body won’t hold up to running every day, and neither will my mind. I like to mix my workouts up. I also use the bike for warmups before weight lifting and circuit training. Additionally, not everybody in my family is a runner. My wife prefers the bike. So I bought an iFit-capable exercise bike from NordicTrack. Like the treadmill, it has access to world-class trainers and workouts.
The one below isn’t the actual model I have, but what I have isn’t for sale anymore. I used to have an elliptical that stopped working and was still under warranty. I was lucky enough that they let me pick a piece of exercise equipment that was under a certain price to replace it, and I picked a basic exercise bike that is a step down from the one below. It gets the job done.
- [Powered by iFIT] – Access over 10,000 workouts and features for a personalized experience. Get coaching by expert iFIT Trainers in workouts that adapt to your fitness level and goals with our SmartAdjust technology (Pro subscription required).
- [Rotating 22″ Smart HD Touchscreen] – Follow your iFIT Trainer on the Rotating 22-inch Smart HD touchscreen with enhanced graphics and wifi connectivity. Plus, access your workout stats and training progress with the swipe of a finger (Pro subscription required).
Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds
When I workout, it is really important that the earbuds stay on my head, and are sweat-resistant. It’s nice if they sound good too!
The Soundcore Sport X20 wireless earbuds below are my daily workout earbuds. I play music through them and listen to the iFit trainers on the exercise equipment. They have no problems pairing with any of the devices and they stay on. Plus, they are often on sale and affordable!
- Flexible Fit: Sport X20 workout earbuds come equipped with adjustable ear hooks that can be extended and rotated for a comfortable and secure fit. Up to 30 degrees rotation and 4mm extension, customize the position to fit you perfectly.
Withings Thermo
Although I don’t use a thermometer for workouts it is often important for health. Often a rise in my temperature is a telltale sign that I’m overtrained and/or getting sick. This is important to know for my health.
The Withings Thermo is a smart thermometer that logs your temperature over time. It also takes temperature without having to touch you, which makes it more sanitary. Lastly, it can have multiple profiles and the data syncs up with my data from the Withings smart scale.
You can read my full review of the Withings Thermo here.
Final thoughts
Fitness and health have been a priority for much of my life. I’ve recently decided to once again focus on improving my health. As I age, this is very important for the longevity and quality of my life.
I’m a big believer in using tech to improve the quality of life, and I’m very glad I’ve found tech that helps me improve my health and fitness. Below is a listing of the primary tech I use in one place. Also, Here are some more ideas for health and wellness smart devices.
What tech do you use for fitness and health? Let me know in the comments or on X/Twitter.
