Perhaps your fitness tracker should track its own progress: It’s now the hottest segment in the fitness industry. In fact, we even recommended it for two different groups in our gift guide.
“Wearable technology” is the No. 1 fitness trend for 2016, according to an annual survey compiled by the American College of Sports Medicine. The segment includes fitness trackers like Fitbit, Jawbone and Garmin, as well as the growing presence of smart watches like Apple’s.
“Tech devices are now central to our daily lives and have changed the way we plan and manage our workouts,” said Walter R. Thompson, lead author of the survey, said in a release from the American College of Sports Medicine.
“Wearable devices also provide immediate feedback that can make the wearer more aware of their level of activity and can motivate the user to achieve their fitness goals,” said Thompson, an associate dean and professor of kinesiology at Georgia State University.
How big is wearable technology getting? According to a report from the International Data Corporation, vendors of wearable technology shipped more than 18 million devices in the second quarter of 2015, compared with 5.6 million in the second quarter a year ago.
The biggest player is still the Fitbit. Introduced in 2008, the device has become as synonymous with fitness trackers as FedEx to overnight shipping, and as indispensible to fitness devotees as the exercises it tracks.
“Love it,” said Karah Stanley, outpatient dietitian for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, who uses hers to monitor activity, sleep patterns, food intake and also to help plan meals.
“I have a pretty sedentary job. If it’s 3 in the afternoon and I look down and I’m at 2,500 steps, I know I need to get up and walk around.”
The Fitbit is available in six models. An entry-level Zip can track your activity (Fitbits measure your activity and upload your progress to your online prolife) starting at $59.95; upgrade to the One and Fitbit will also track your sleep. A ChargeHR will also monitor your heart rate. The top-of-the-line Surge gives users the ability to monitor calls and texts and play music, features more associated with new smart watches.
That’s no accident: While Fitbit remains the biggest player, its 24.3 percent market share in the second quarter of 2015 was down from 30.4 percent a year earlier, according to the IDC, as smart watches like Apple and Samsung continue to make strides in development and applications.
Still, collectively the wearable technology segment is flexing considerable muscle as the holidays approach. LiveScience.com’s top 10 health and fitness gifts of 2015 included seven different wearables.
The ACSM survey was conducted with the participation of more than 2,800 health and fitness professionals. Respondents were given 40 potential trends from which to choose. The rest of the top 10: body weight training, high-intensity interval training, strength training, educated/experiences fitness professionals, personal training, functional fitness, fitness programs for older adults, exercise and weight loss, and yoga.
