Knowing when to take a break from work or physical training isn't always straightforward. These latest technologies know what your body needs and when, so let them help you recharge your batteries.
The right headspace
Meditation is on the rise and it's estimated that between 200 and 500 million people meditate globally, but how effective is it and can it be measured?
Feather-light headband device Muse records your brainwaves when in the midst of meditation and if you're struggling to fully focus, it provides gentle acoustic feedback to help you. How successful or not your meditation session proves to be is displayed on the Bluetooth-coupled smartphone app, which can also be used for other challenges and to collect bonus points. Muse 2 provides even more in-depth feedback, with seven sensors on a headband and behind your ear.
A titan of recovery
The most important thing in training is recovery. If you leave it out, you risk overtraining and a drop in performance. As a decathlete-cum-entrepreneur, Martin Konrad, founder of VIITA Watches, knows that all too well. His intelligent Viita Active Titan HRV smartwatchcan do everything akin to a conventional sports watches (think GPS tracking, heart rate and speed measurement), but also actively promotes effective recovery.
To this end, it measures movement patterns, sleep duration and quality, stress levels and recovery status. It uses the collected data to plan training intensity, encourages stress reduction or breaks and calculates current fluid requirements. It also doubles as a nice anti-stress extra for the absent-minded, acting as a built-in smartphone finder.
Massage on the move
Top athletes and screen workers both share a common need – at the end of a hard day, a massage works wonders for both. It removes tension, loosens the fascia and helps muscles to break down harmful substances. This is where the Hyperice Vyper 2.0 comes in. The handy massage device, which weighs barely 1kg, is compact enough to fit in any sports bag, handbag or suitcase and vibrates at three different speeds.
The battery on the rechargeable device lasts about two hours and former basketball coach Anthony Katz's creation comes with star backing, the now retired skiing legend Lindsey Vonn having waxed lyrical about the device, along with various NBA and NFL players.
Taking it in your Stryd
Stryd is a power meter for runners that weighs in at about 7g and attaches to your shoe, like a timing clip. The way it works is to shun past measurements, such as pace or distance, and instead the complex sensors analyse running performance, technique, muscle tension and environmental influences.
Its Running Stress Score for the individual user serves as a guideline for each training session and shows how much each workout has strained muscles and affected your circulation and joints. It also lets you know how much recovery the body needs, the crux of the whole footpod being that it curtails overtraining and allows you to recuperate more effectively.
Sole survivor
What does an electrician do when he tears his back muscles while weight training? In the case to Martin Masching, he founded a start-up with his wife to develop a product that helps relax tense muscles. Powerinsole is a chip that attaches inside your shoe and influences the autonomic nervous system via an induced carrier frequency. It stimulates blood flow in the legs and releases tension in the entire body. Some 17,000 users, including tennis professionals and international football clubs, have used it so far, but most buyers are non-athletes.
Lighting the way forward
Pocket Sky is a 12g pair of glasses that emanate a blue light to help regulate your circadian rhythm. Using the premise of natural light's effect on our bodies, it uses blue light similar to the sunlight that keeps us awake and active during the day. Artificial light in the work place, irregular shift work, or changes in time zones can play havoc with this natural rhythm, which is where this cutting-edge pair of spectacles comes in. It effectively restores your body to its factory setting and helps you be more awake when you want to be.
The science of sleep
Society appears to be finding it harder and harder to get a good night's sleep, but with the Withings Sleep sensor, there's now a helping hand to at least ascertain the reasons why your sleep might be disrupted.
The small sleep tracker (it measures 64cm x 19cm) slips under your bedsheets to monitor your various phases of sleep, track your heart rate and monitor any potential nighttime irregularities, such as sleep apnoea. The data is automatically sent to your smartphone, giving you readings each morning of your previous night's sleep and without the annoyance of an armband, like other sleep trackers.
Ringing the changes
The actor Will Smith wears one, so does the former basketball player Shaquille O'Neal and it looks like the latest jewellery accessory. Both are so convinced of the benefits of the Oura Ring, though, that they are among investors who have pumped €17,500,000 into the Finnish device's creation and further development.
The Oura Ring measures your pulse, heart rate variability, body temperature, sleep rhythm and sleep duration. It also analyses sleep quality, life balance and health status via the ‘Readiness Score. It helps wearers recognise what makes them sleep better and more restfully, thereby optimising their resting time and making them more efficient in the day.
