Originally posted by ttrembl on October 24, 2019
Here is another post about wearable technology and the social side of fitness tracking or the current mobile culture of working out. A number of brands have developed wearable technology where the user can pair the watch with their smart phones in order to track most everything. With the fitness tracking end of things, some manufacturers such as Garmin and Suunto have built social communities where users can track and compete against friends or achieve fitness goals. Similar to other brands like Apple, the big fitness brands also track sleep, stress, VO2 max, and the user can add apps to track or get info such as sunrise/sunset, fishing/hunting times, tide forecast, etc.
The reason this topic is of interest to me is that I’ve owned several watches over the years, mainly Suunto and Garmin models and currently wear a Garmin Fenix 6X Pro to track my fitness, sleep, workout recovery times, etc. In addition, I’m a brand ambassador for two nutritional brands, Nuun Hydration and Honey Stinger. With being a brand ambassador comes the social aspect of wearable technology as each ambassador becomes a member of a private Facebook page where workouts, nutrition, events, and other items are shared in the community. The social sharing also includes A LOT of pictures of workout summaries from the watch faces and I also share mine quite regularly after a run or bike ride.
Garmin has taken steps to go beyond just being a watch for individuals as they have the Garmin Connect app where athletes can also tap into exercise communities to share as well.
From the Garmin site – https://connect.garmin.com/
Fitness at your fingertips
On mobile or web, Garmin Connect is the tool for tracking, analyzing and sharing health and fitness activities from your Garmin device.
Connect with FriendsGarmin Connect is better with friends. You can compete in step and distance challenges, create groups or cheer each other on with likes and comments. Our badge feature lets you earn badges for accomplishments and compare them with your friends.From the Nuun Hydration site regarding their brand ambassadors which range from former Olympians to weekend warriors –
Kara Goucher
MarathonHi! I’m Kara, a runner! I am a mom, wife, 2-time Olympian, and an author! I ran my first race with my grandpa at age 6 and joined organized running in the 7th grade. I made my first Olympic Team in 2008 finishing 9th in the 10,000 meter and 8th in the 5,000 meters. I finished 10th in the 2012…
Christopher Havens
Massachusetts, US
Jeannine Avelino
British Columbia, CA
Emily Brain
Washington, US
Apps and wearables have renovated the fitness industry in recent years. While researching this topic, I came across a very interesting article which discusses two fitness booms in history. It says that the first fitness boom was around the 70s and 80s, which was marked by the heightened availability of fitness apparel and equipment, such as bikes and treadmills. The second fitness boom is characterized by the mere proliferation of sophisticated interactive fitness hardware and software. The second one is featured by the following traits (Millington, 2016):
* the manifestation of socio-technical networks
* an emphasis on human–technology interactivity
* data-intensiveness
* customization in the interest of ‘optimization’
* the option for individual users to partake in wider online communities
* both ‘new’ and ‘old’ forms of commodification
It is obvious that every technological innovation presents opportunities for us to reimagine our lifestyle. A home gym boom caused by Coronavirus recently will surely further extend the online fitness communities. I wonder where this trend will lead us…
References
Millington, B. (2016). Fit for prosumption: Interactivity and the second fitness boom. Media, Culture & Society, 38(8), 1184-1200. doi:10.1177/0163443716643150