My workout doesn’t feel complete if it’s without a heart rate monitor. It’s like driving without a seatbelt. But even my trusty heart rate monitor is somewhat lacking in the data it provides. The Ki Fit, available in the U.K., is a device worn on your arm, and tracks all kinds of movement and body chemistry to give you more information than how hard your heart is pounding during a sprint.
The Ki Fit system tracks calorie burn; physical activity; steps taken; sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Through a subscription to Ki Fit Online Activity Manager, you can analyze the data along with a food log and other reporting. Certain functions such as the physical activity and calorie count are measured by an internal accelerometer. Another sensor can detect your hydration and sweat levels.
This is an all-encompassing solution so you can understand and monitor the correlation between eating and physical activity and a tool to help you with weight loss and conditioning. As I mentioned the heart rate monitor is a key component of my workouts, it’s not something I want to wear constantly as I don’t find the chest band all the comfortable. While an arm band device is not as intrusive, it can be a little annoying at times to keep it in place, especially if you’re wearing clothing over it. The Ki Fit is an interesting device and useful to someone who needs help with training and weight loss, but wearing it 24-hours a day can become a nuisance. It’s worth using for a check-up or for a few days, but not something I’d want to add to my daily regimen. I find this tool valuable, but disappointing that the computer or online component is an additional subscription after the first trial month. Plenty of other devices have online components that support the device for free.
Ki Fit official page
[via: Guardian U.K.]