Today I'm looking at something which combines two big interests of mine - health and digital technology.
Being from Yorkshire and living in Manchester, I often hear the stats on how the North of England is reportedly 'less healthy' than the South. Apparently us northerners are more likely to be fatter and die younger; the recent studies of late make for some shocking reading!
I was really interested to hear about a new project from the University of Manchester, Connected Health Cities and Nokia, designed to encourage and challenge people across the North to live a healthier lifestyle.
'CityMoves' is an eight-week step challenge, running until the 21st December, focused on the positives in using data and technology to promote healthy living.
I'm already a big advocate of using technology to make life easier when it comes to health. Being pretty much always glued to my smartphone, I already use and love apps like My Fitness Pal and Nike Running - plus I've got my Pure Gym app to book and manage classes, as well as an app I've found absolutely invaluable since realising that I have a complex series of food intolerances - the FODMAP guide (developed by the MONASH University).
To aid those taking part in the CityMoves challenge (which you can sign up for yourself, here), Nokia are providing motivation in the form of their technology solutions.
I was sent the the Nokia Steel Activity Tracker Watch and the Nokia Body Cardio Smart Scales to try out for myself*. I've been testing these out for just over a week so read on to see how I got on!
The Nokia Steel: Activity Tracker Watch
I've never had a fitness tracking watch and my main knowledge of these, like most I'd imagine, comes from the Fitbit.
Now, even with my limited exposure to fitness trackers - surely you have to admit that this is a good looking watch!
I've really enjoyed using the watch. It's definitely highlighted that I don't do anywhere near enough steps most days. Working in an office and driving to work means I'm at odds with achieving a good level of base activity.
The watch face is very minimal, with the focal point (other than the time of course) being the gauge in the bottom right, which displays in real time how close you are to reaching your step goal.
Your goal is completely defined by you, which is done within Nokia's Health Mate app, syncing with your watch via Bluetooth.
The watch tracks all your details and you don't even have to be near your phone - it simply syncs when the two are reunited; so you can walk, run or even swim without it.
My favourite part of wearing the watch hasn't actually been the overview of my daily steps - it's been the sleep function.
The watch measures your pattern of movement as well as heart rate so it can provide an accurate picture of your night's sleep including when you fell asleep and how quickly, how many times in the night you woke up and how much light vs. deep sleep you achieved. I was pleased to find out that what I'm lacking in under-average steps, I'm making up for in over-average levels of deep sleep! Another of my favourite features is the ability to set a window for the watch to wake you up, not with a shrill ringing but with a gentle vibration on your wrist - and the technology calculates the exact point within your window that will be, depending on the optimum moment within your sleep cycle!
Nokia Body Cardio Smart Scales
The amount of data I have about my health right now is unreal - and the scales have really raised the bar!
Now these scales are so gorgeous and shiny that I struggled to get a decent picture of them as they were just reflecting everything! At under an inch thick with a solid aluminium base and slick surface, they truly are a thing to behold.
And they don't just look good, oh no. They go so much further than measuring weight alone, providing readings and insights like your BMI, body fat and water percentage, muscle and bone mass, heart rate and pulse wave velocity (that indicates your overall cardiovascular health) - plus it even gives you the weather forecast so you can plan what to wear for the day!
Using WiFi, the scales connect to your Health Mate app, hugely enhancing the health data provided by the fitness tracker.
I would genuinely recommend either of these products to someone looking for insights into their health and the motivation to improve their lifestyle. The fact that Nokia Health Mate, teamed with the technology products, also pairs with popular apps including My Fitness Pal is a huge plus too.
Don't forget to sign up to the CityMoves challenge - throughout its course, Connected Health Cities and Nokia will be providing motivational content and seasonal tips, plus giveaways of hundreds of fitness trackers like the one I tried out; the data collected from the programme will also benefit The University of Manchester who are partnered in the study.
Let's get moving!
