1. text by CHERYL ROSE
G
ail Pickens-Barger of Port Neches wants
to take 10,000 steps a day. A year ago, she
purchased her Fitbit, an activity tracker,
to record her daily progress. Since then,
she’s lost more than 20 pounds and four
inches from her waistline.
“I like the daily digital readout on the device of my current steps,”
she said. “It is motivating to me to see. If I’m halfway through my day
Shine a Light
on Your Inner
Couch Potato
Wearable tech fitness products
tell how much, how hard and
how well you’re working out
and I haven’t met at least 5,000 steps, then I know I need to schedule
a 20-minute to 30-minute walk or a quick few routines of Zumba Fit-
ness on my Wii or a few rounds of Sun Salutations to get my steps in
for the day.”
Once you start tracking your activity, it can become a motivational
obsession, as Beth Miller of Vidor discovered. Miller, a runner, bought
her first Garmin Forerunner in 2010 and now uses a TomTom Multi-
sport GPS watch.
“I am not a numbers person in general, but when it comes to my
running, I am obsessed,” she said. “I want – need – to know how many
miles, how long, the pace, calories burned, everything. I can upload
the information directly to a website that stores all the information.
It’s particularly helpful when I look to see how many miles I’ve run or
how many calories I’ve burned over the year. Also, I can run anywhere
and still know my mileage. I’ve run on work trips to Austin and on
vacations to the Bahamas, Colorado and Florida.”
Data to drive you
Technology that started with simple step-counting pedometers
has now evolved into sophisticated sensor devices that can calculate
w e a r a b l e t e c h
vip leisure
Jawbone Up
PebbleSteel
Nike+ Sportwatch

2. calories burned and workout intensity, provide instant heart rates,
monitor sleep patterns and function as a global positioning system
(GPS). Most use Bluetooth technology to wirelessly communicate data
to other mobile devices or computers. With these devices, you can
quickly and accurately assess just how active (or inactive) you are.
Devices range from small clip-on units to wristbands, armbands
and smartwatches, all with varying capabilities. Sonny Jenkins, mobile
sales lead at Best Buy Mobile at Parkdale Mall in Beaumont has no-
ticed increased interest and curiosity among customers about fitness
tech. Among the more popular choices for activity trackers, Jenkins
listed Fitbit and Jawbone. Among smartwatches, he said the Pebble
Steel, the LG G watch and the Nike+ Sportwatch powered by TomTom
are popular. Even among brands, there are multiple versions with dif-
ferent capabilities and price points, though. Fitbit, for example, makes
the Zip, One and Flex, ranging from $50 to $100.
Doing advance research and asking questions is important because
of the variety. Jenkins noted several factors that can come into the
equation. The Jawbone, for example, only comes as a wristband and
the Jawbone UP24 app is only available on Apple devices. The LG G
watch runs on an Android operating system, he explained, but the
LGGWatch
Fitbit Flex
>>
photography by Best Buy and Associated Press

3. Pebble is compatible with several
operating systems.
Smartwatches have many
more abilities than activity track-
ers, such as GPS, texting and
email notifications. Prices start at
about $150 and range up to $500.
High-end smartwatches can have
telephone capability, cameras,
heart-rate monitors and more.
Next steps: Taking it further
As the technology increases,
some devices are moving from
pure data gathering to adding
strategies to reinforce goals and
new habits. For example, Jaw-
bone UP24 can send you an “idle
alert” to remind you to get mov-
ing if you’ve been still for a long
time. Devices are also linking
up with apps that help monitor
food intake, map routes, connect
with social networks and more.
Pickens-Barger uses her Fitbit as
one of her weight loss tools, but
combines it with apps such as
MyFitnessPal and MapMyWalk.
A 2013 survey by Endeavor
Partners, a strategy consulting
firm, indicated that one in 10
Americans over age 18 now owns
a fitness tracker. As this technol-
ogy continues to emerge along-
side further health warnings
about the dangers of a sedentary
lifestyle, it promises to change
the way we exercise.
Gyms are
Syncing, Too
I
n a Zumba class at Christus
Health and Wellness Center in
Beaumont, the instructor can see
just how intensely her class is
working out by checking the TV
monitor that projects the MyZone
results of members wearing
monitoring belts or watches. Depend-
ing on the intensity zone displayed, the
instructor knows whether to ease off or
kick it up.
The center integrated MyZone fitness
technology into the facility two years
ago. Tony Buagas, the program coordi-
nator, believes it has been very effective
for the members using it. “For me, it
motivates me more than other things,”
he said. “I’m competitive and I don’t like
failing. The technology is that coach that
a lot of people don’t have. It’s a tool to
provide motivation.”
Center members can purchase the
devices for a one-time fee of $85. The
devices then sync with consoles in the
center to upload their workout sum-
maries, but the device records workouts
done outside the center as well.
Buagas likes that utilizing MyZone
within the center provides a community
for support and challenge. The center
hosts five challenges a year based on
MyZone results to encourage effort,
offering rewards such as gift cards and
free services. The October challenge is
to burn 35,000 calories, the equivalent
of 10 pounds. MyZone also awards
effort points based on time spent in
different intensity zones, Buagas ex-
plained. He likes that feature for leveling
the fitness field, in that it rewards not
just the degree of fitness but the level
of effort. VIP
iFit