2018 Best Digital Fitness Innovations

Trends matter in just about every industry, and fitness is no exception. Innovation is particularly important in the burgeoning digital fitness business. No longer just for counting steps, today’s digital fitness devices perform an array of tasks and offer multiple perks to users.

The Benefits of Digital Fitness

It’s no secret that losing weight and getting fit can be a difficult endeavor. Moreover, sticking to the same exercise regimen of gym visits and jogs in the park can get tiresome fast. That’s where digital fitness comes in. Often known as immersive fitness tools, these devices can add excitement to your routine. For example, you can don a pair of VR glasses to run on the beach and check out the sunset!

From devices that measure blood pressure to VR tools allowing for an entirely new workout experience, read on to learn about the best digital fitness innovations of 2018.

Top Digital Exercise Tools

Here are some tools sure to motivate the technophile in you to hit the gym.

Streamed Classes

Have trouble making it to that morning yoga class? With online exercise class streaming, you can enjoy the latest fitness classes from the comfort of your living room. The creators of the AKT on Demand app, for example, report that their workouts are accessed by 100 times more people online than in their studios. That means no more fighting for mat space with other workout fanatics.

Not-Your-Mother’s Step Tracker

By now, everyone, her mother, and her grandmother have digital fitness trackers. And while the traditional models are hardly exciting, mostly just tracking steps and heart rates, some of the newer models offer superior battery life and other exciting features. For example, the Moov Now includes rep-based and boxing options. Plus, there’s a swim mode, so you can take it in the water. You can even monitor the amount of sleep you’re getting at night, so you have the energy to hit the gym come morning.

Personalized Training System

Personal training is all the rage, and with good reason. Unlike larger group classes, PT comes with individualized attention and instruction, so you’re less likely to suffer injuries and more likely to reach fitness goals. Unfortunately, the high cost of training may be a little too steep for some fitness aficionados to afford. Digital devices like the Suunto 3 Fitness wearable let users take advantage of the benefits of PT without the drawbacks. By programming your fitness level, workout history, and more, you can create a customized exercise schedule based on your goals. Additionally, real-time heart monitoring helps ensure you stay in the right range during each activity.

Digital Sun Blockers

Prefer exercising in the Great Outdoors to working out in a gym? Jogging around the park is certainly more fun than spending an hour on the treadmill, but it can also put you at risk for sunburns. One of the latest and greatest digital fitness tools, the L’Oreal UV Sense is a wearable device that tracks users’ exposure to sunlight. This thumbnail-sized sensor lets you know if you’ve gotten too much exposure, thereby helping to prevent wrinkles and skin cancer.

Virtual Reality Gym

Perhaps the wildest device on the list, the virtual gym was a major contender at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2018. Coming to gyms around the US, this VR tool lets users engage in 30-minute-long total body workouts with the aid of virtual reality. With a virtual reality gym, you’re no longer limited by location or schedule. You can run on the beach in Australia, stroll the snowy trails of the Alps, or jog a woodsy path up to a scenic waterfall. Go alone or bring a friend for the trip (and workout) of a lifetime.