Technology as Fitness Fashion
The ubiquitous nature of portable technology like smart phones and iPods made the latest trend of wearable technology inevitable. Expensive workout clothing lines that offer yoga pants for as much as several hundred dollars are in the forefront of a growing trend. This combination of technology and fitness fashion is appealing to technophiles and early adopters and many companies are betting you’ll want it too.
Instead of wearing a Fitbit on your wrist, the shorts or bra you’re wearing can keep track of all kinds of information such as your heart rate and some sensors can even analyze and critique your exercise technique.
Wearable Technology
“Athleisure” clothing is tailor-made for the next leap in technology and connectedness. Workout clothing like shorts, t-shirts, and pants with embedded sensors that track your workouts (source). The company Hexoskin offers a line of specially made shirts that can monitor a range of numbers including heart rate, breathing volume, activity levels such as number of steps as well as a complete sleep profile (source). The information collected by the sensors can be downloaded to applications so you can monitor the data in real time on your smart phone or review it at your leisure.
The Right Fit?
Many people will likely embrace the wearable technology, integrating fitness fashion seamlessly into their workout routines. However, there are drawbacks to be considered. In order for many of the sensors embedded in the fabric to work properly, the clothing must be worn snug against the body, sometimes uncomfortably so. The batteries that power the sensors are still relatively cumbersome to wear, but thinner, flexible ones that can be embedded in the fabric along with the sensors are being developed (source). Our workouts can be a welcome break from our 24/7 connected culture, allowing us to unplug for a brief time. But for those who want it, wearable technology is likely to have a bright future.
Would you choose this fitness fashion over other exercise technology? Write in and tell us your thoughts!
Mike Phelps
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