Fitness trackers – those watch type devices like the range by Fitbit – are becoming ever more popular, and there are now millions of them in use, with sales only predicted to rise as wearable technology becomes more ubiquitous. While the capabilities vary depending on the exact device you choose, they can range from simple rubber fitness bands with LED displays that show things like heart rate, through to touch screen smart watches that can sync up with your phone to notify you when you get calls or messages.
If you have a teenage son or daughter who is about to head to college, whether they are a sport and fitness fanatic on an athletes-usa.com type sports scholarship or more of a slacker when it comes to personal fitness, one of these devices can be the ideal going away present, offering them quite a lot of benefits:
Avoiding The Freshman 15
The well known phenomenon of college students gaining weight – the infamous ‘freshman 15’ – is usually down to a combination of things, however the change to lifestyle is the biggest one. When they are eating different food, probably drinking alcohol, and operating on a completely different schedule, it can be easy for students to lose track of what they are actually consuming versus what activity they are doing, and weight can creep up. This is less likely to happen to athletic students who pay close attention to their bodies, but for anybody, having a constant reminder on their wrist of how well they are taking care of themselves, which also can allow them to log their weight, can avoid unwanted weight gain.
Gathering Data
For students interested in science, math or sports performance, using a Fitbit or similar tracker allows them to gather a lot of interesting data about themselves over time, which they can play around with and analyze, whether as a learning exercise or to look at ways to optimize their performance. Most fitness trackers link to websites that allow users to download their own personal data in file formats that are easy to work with for data analysis purposes, which many students may find interesting and helpful.
Routine
Because most people wear their fitness trackers at all times, instead of watches, they become part of people’s daily routines, and can even monitor things like sleep patterns. Living away from home for the first time can be a challenge, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and feeling positive and stress free, and building positive routines is a great help in coping with this. Some of the smartwatch features on the higher end fitness trackers like the FitBit Blaze will also appeal to tech savvy students, who will like the ability to be notified of calls and texts on their wrist, to change the music on their phone from their watch, and other cool features.
If you are looking for a fashionable but functional gift for your teen, then a fitness tracker could be an even bigger help to them than you might think as they head to college.