Who doesn’t want to live a healthier lifestyle? Yet, if you’re like me, you probably find it challenging to create routines, build good habits, and especially find encouragement.
Smart health accessories are a great way to help you feel motivated and keep yourself on track. Smart health isn’t necessarily about doing anything unique or revolutionary. It’s about democratizing health data previously only collected occasionally in a hospital or doctor’s office.
Using some of the gear in this gift guide, you, a family member or a friend can gain valuable insight into your health through data collection. Over time, this data becomes useful trends that help encourage you to push forward and continue to improve.
While much of this smart health tech is something we may like, it’s not always something we’re willing to buy for ourselves. So, this holiday season, consider adding some of these smart health accessories to your personal gift list or grabbing one for someone special in your life. Here are some of my top smart health accessories for this holiday shopping season.
Apple Watch or Pixel Watch
There are many fitness trackers on the market. However, for simplicity, here are two of the most popular options: the Apple Watch and the Pixel Watch. The Apple Watch is the top choice for iPhone users, claiming around a quarter to a third of the world’s smartwatch market share. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch is the stylish new Android smartwatch to feature smarts by Google and fitness tracking by Fitbit.
The Apple Watch Series 8 and the Pixel Watch are pretty similar. Both feature ECG, heart rate detection, blood oxygen, activity monitoring, sleep tracking, a microphone, a speaker, and an always-on display. Both watches also come in either Bluetooth/Wi-Fi only or Bluetooth/Wi-Fi + Cellular (LTE).
The Pixel Watch is stainless steel with a round 41mm diameter face and features up to 24 hours of battery life. The Apple Watch Series 8 is a square design with either a 41mm or 45mm display, up to 18 hours of battery life, and comes in aluminum or stainless steel.
Apple also offers the Apple Watch SE for the more cost-conscious. While the Apple Watch SE does feature heart rate tracking and all the core activity and sleep monitoring functionality, it doesn’t feature an always-on display, blood oxygen detection, or ECG.
The Apple Watch Ultra is a more premium option featuring all of the Apple Watch Series 8 features. It also has a titanium build and up to 36 hours of battery life. Apple Watch users may also benefit from our “14 Apple Watch apps to help you live a healthier life” article.
You can order the Pixel Watch directly from Google starting at $449. Apple Watches can be ordered directly from Apple, with the series 8 starting at $529, the SE starting at $329, and the Ultra at $1099
Withings Thermo Smart Temporal Thermometer
Whether you’re a parent checking a sick child’s temperature or a person tracking their own health metric, the Withings Thermo Smart Temporal Thermometer is a great choice. This highly accurate thermometer uses sixteen infrared sensors to calculate a person’s temperature. Unlike traditional thermometers, this one is no-contact. Meaning it’s unobtrusive and sanitary.
Data is wirelessly tracked for up to eight users via the Withings Health Mate app, which is available on iOS and Android. As an added bonus, iOS users can sync their data with the Apple Health app. In situations where you need to conduct a random temperature check and the data doesn’t need to be stored, the Withings Thermo Smart Temporal Thermometer can do that too.
This thermometer works by hovering it above a person’s forehead centre to the temporal lobe. The thermometer vibrates once a person’s temperature is calculated. Users can swipe between profiles using the LED touch screen on the side to correctly assign the temperature.
You can order the Withings Thermo Smart Temporal Thermometer in white from Best Buy for $129.99.
Withings Smart Scales
Another fantastic product is Withings Smart Scales. Withings offers three variations; the Body, Body+, and Body Cardio. Of course, all three scales detect your weight and can log that data for up to eight users via Withings’ Health Mate app. Additionally, all three scales calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) and come in black or white.
While the Withings Body scale only tracks weight and BMI, the Body+ model calculates a person’s body fat, water, bone, and muscle masses. The Body+ also features Baby and Pregnancy modes to help weigh even the smallest family members. Both the Body and Body+ models feature 18-month battery life on a single set of batteries.
The Body Cardio includes all of the Body+’s features plus standing heart rate detection and cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular health is determined through vascular age detection, a feature that estimates how old you are on the inside by assessing the health of your arteries. The Body Cardio scale offers up to one year of battery life with a single set of batteries.
When deciding which model to buy, consider the Body as the no-frills option to log your weight and build trends over time. The Body+ is my personal scale of choice, providing an excellent range of metrics for only a bit more money. The Body Cardio is a perfect choice if you want the best and are willing to pay the premium. However, if you already have a heart rate monitor like an Apple Watch, the Body Cardio may be a less compelling choice. As a bonus to iOS users, Withings’ scales also support syncing data to the Apple Health app.
You can order all three Withings scales from Amazon; the Body is $79.95, the Body+ is $99.99, and the Body Cardio is $183.99.
Tangram Smart Rope
Tangram is trying to reinvigorate your cardio workouts by making skipping rope cool again. Tangram offers two versions of their smart skipping ropes, ROOKIE and LED. Both versions automatically track your cardio workout session duration, calories burned and skips via Tangram’s iOS, Android, or Apple Watch app. For iOS and Apple Watch users, your data can also sync to the Apple Health app.
The LED model has the additional benefit of showing the skipper their skip count in the air. As the LEDs built into the skipping rope move overhead, they show your number of skips. The ROOKIE is size adjustable and comes in black, blue, coral, and pink. The LED model comes in three different sizes: small, medium, and large and in three colours: black, chrome, and red.
Both skipping ropes are available for order on Amazon, with the ROOKIE starting at $39 and the LED at $106.17.
Withings Bpm Connect Blood Pressure Monitor
The Withings Bpm Connect works like a regular blood pressure monitor cuff, except it wireless logs your blood pressure data into the Withings Health Mate app. iOS users can also sync their data to the Apple Health app.
The Withings Bpm Connect has a cuff range of 22-42cm and lasts up to six months on a single charge.
Order the Withings Bpm Connect on Amazon for $203.90.
Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart Toothbrush
As silly as it may sound, the Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart Toothbrush made brushing my teeth kind of fun and interesting. As an electric toothbrush, the Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean brings all the benefits of having cleaner teeth and healthier gums when compared to using a manual toothbrush.
You also get some neat settings and brushing tips. Select from four brushing modes: clean, white, gum health, or deep clean. Each mode focuses on specific areas depending on where you’re looking to target. There are also three different levels of brushing intensity.
The smart aspect of this toothbrush is it connects via Bluetooth to your smartphone using the Sonicare iOS or Android app. The app tracks where you’ve brushed and provides feedback on missed areas. It also alerts you when you have applied too much pressure or have moved too much.
The Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart Toothbrush comes in black, white, pink, and rose gold. It also comes with a travel case and charges via a fancy glass inductive charger.
Order the Philips Sonicare Diamond Clean Smart Toothbrush on Amazon for $215.
HydrateSpark Pro Smart Waterbottle
Do you think to yourself, “I need to drink more water?” Good news! There’s a smart water bottle designed to do just that. HidrateSpark creates three water bottles with an LED base that glows when it’s time to drink. The HidrateSpark water bottles report your water consumption to your iOS or Android device using the HidrateSpark Smart Bottle app. iOS users can also sync their data with the Apple Health app.
The three models available are a 24oz plastic bottle that comes in black or blue and 21 or 32oz stainless steel bottles that come in black or silver. All three bottles come with two lids, one of which is a straw. The stainless steel bottles can keep your water cold for up to 24 hours.
All three bottles are available to order from Apple, with the 24oz plastic bottle priced at $79.95, the 21oz stainless steel bottle at $94.95, and the 32oz stainless steel bottle at $104.95.
Withings Sleep Tracking Mat
Using technology to track your sleep is a popular way to collect data to better understand why you sleep well or poorly. Smartwatches like the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch are excellent ways to track sleep. However, if you aren’t a fan of wearing a watch to bed, Withings has you covered!
The Withings Sleep Tracking Mat is a pad you place under your mattress to better understand your sleep cycles, heart rate, breathing, and snoring. Data is synced to your iOS or Android device via the Withings Health Mate app, and iOS users can sync the data with the Apple Health app.
The Withings Sleep Tracking Mat is available at Best Buy for $134.99.
BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer
The BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer aims to remove the guesswork from figuring out when it is safe for a person to drive again after drinking. This Bluetooth breathalyzer detects your blood alcohol level and syncs the data to your iOS or Android device. iOS users can even sync this data with the Apple Health app. The idea behind carrying a small portable breathalyzer is to remind social drinkers the only safe time to drive is when you show a 0.00 percent blood alcohol level.
Order the BACtrack Mobile Breathalyzer from Amazon for $129.97.
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