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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online

The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online

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Can technology improve your workout?

Yes, but in most cases, you get what you pay for.

More or less almost a given 50 percent of Americans workout. The people who work out the most are usually crazy about staying healthy. Which don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with staying healthy, but sometimes they go a little overboard. For instance they will invest in devices while they workout, that aren’t necessarily needed but can be helpful. For instance, ear buds are used for working out. They can have a specialized design for workout earbuds. They removed that pesky wire that would get in the way while you went about doing whatever it is you do to stay fit. The makers of the new wireless Bluetooth earbuds from Beats, named the “PowerBeats wireless II” claimed to have ushered in the end of wired workout earbuds. For Senior Tony Lavorgna “I use those headphones for everything.” Lavorgna said, adding that his headphones sync to his phone and let him use a couple of other devices all while riding his bike. While using the headphones, he can also multitask, he can listen to music, talk on the phone, use his GPS, and listen to whatever else he wants. He’s crazy about his bike and his earbuds and his phone are essential accessories to his bike.

While riding he relies on a couple of active apps: Map My Ride and Strava. The app Map My Ride takes his vital signs as he rides and tracks them. But it doesn’t stop there; it also tracks his biking stats every time he turns it on. With the app he is also able to share his stats with fellow cyclists and if he really wanted to he could share his vitals as well. Not saying that vitals are something really worth sharing, but still. Those devices are mainly used for bike riding though.

Devices use for running include the fitbit, and any sort of watch. I myself am on the cross country team, and several of us including, 11th grader David Soto, 9th grader Ian Clennan, and 10th grader Gillean Rashid use a watch of some kind to track our times and our pace as we run. 9th grader Ian Clennan who runs triathlons for fun as well uses the same watch for both. The fitbit however can be on the pricier side. Which is why our cross country team uses generic “off-brand” name watches.

The fitbit has been linked to some health benefits as well. One example was a man from New Jersey had a seizure and when taken to the emergency room, doctors noticed he was wearing his fitbit still. Now what a fitbit does is it tracks your heart rate as well as heart beat as long as the user is wearing it. This man wore his fitbit during his seizure, and because it logged the data doctors knew exactly when the seizure occurred. Most important of all, he lived.

These devices prove to be useful for workouts and staying in shape, but in some cases they prove beneficial to us. While some devices such as the “off-brand” generic watch may be cheaply priced, the price does go up a lot higher when purchasing a device like a fitbit. But in terms of a good investment, I would say the fitbit is a smart choice to spoil yourself with.

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Can technology improve your workout?