FitBit - Personal Wellness Monitor
The 21st century has given us many amazing technological innovations, but it's also made us lazier, fatter and robbed us of much needed sleep. The good news is that it's also given us a solution to this overall health decline with this cool new FitBit - Personal Wellness Monitor.
This tiny device clips onto your belt or fits in your pocket and accurately and automatically tracks your daily movements and sleep cycles to determine if you are getting enough overall exercise and sleep. Its integrated accelerometer / 3D motion sensor monitors the intensity and duration of movements, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality - even during activities that do not require walking. At night, just slip it in the included wristband and it tracks tiny tremors in the wrist to determine how long it took you to fall asleep, how often you woke up, and how long you were actually asleep, not just lying in bed.
All this data collected would be worthless without some kind of analysis, so the FitBit automatically uploads the information wirelessly to a website via an included base station every time you walk by. On the manufacturer's website, you can then access your account, where your readings are displayed on detailed timelines and graphs and you can also participate in collaborative fitness goals with friends, family and co-workers.
As a web developer and Green Head cool stuff finder, I'm basically sitting in an office all day behind a computer, so this little gadget will be really helpful in encouraging me to kickstart my activity levels and get more sleep. Like a weight scale, you really can't make effective changes in your lifestyle, until you understand your current situation.