Guys! I think I need to join a “wearable technology anonymous” group (lol, but for real, do those exist?), because I am so into wearing all of the latest and greatest gadgets that help me stay the most aware of one of the top two things in life that are SUPER important to me: my health.
( The #1 top thing in my life is people & my relationships, but that’s a little easier to pay attention to the details of on its own than the inner workings of my body. For that, I will accept all the help I can get. )
( All photos by Iselin + Hale Photography; Wearing a GoBe 100% Automatic Body Manager wristband )
I was speaking on a fitness panel at Social Media Club LA a few weeks ago, and one of the questions they asked us was about wearable technology. A few of the other women answered the question before me, and by the time the microphone made its way to me I probably sounded like a crazy person because of all of the details I started rattling off about the different fitness bands I wear and running apps that I use. Aside from wearing a heart rate monitor at my beloved Orange Theory Fitness class every morning, I have discovered a few other awesome things as of late that I want to share with you guys.
Namely… THE GOBE!! Yes, this nifty adorable little gadget I’m sporting on my right wrist in all of the photos in this post. It kind of falls on the scale between a FitBit and an Apple Watch as far as aesthetic goes, and it gives you SO MUCH INFORMATION about your health and well-being it legitimately seems too good to be true. But somehow, it’s not.
This GoBe wristband brings out the real TBB science nerd in me… And before I became super passionate & researcher-y about health and wellness, I didn’t even know I had a TBB science nerd inside of me. (Ask anyone I went to high school with, I almost burned down our chemistry lab on more than one occasion. And also almost blinded someone with sulfuric acid. Ask me about that story some other time, it’s a real doozy. #sorryblake.)
But for real, the science behind the GoBe technology absolutely blows my mind — and I’m pretty sure it will blow your mind too. Not only does this thing measure your caloric intake (great for people who are trying to lose a few pounds and/or stay on track for the holidays!), but it also tracks your sleep and stress patterns, your hydration levels, your heart rate and your levels of activity. And here’s the kicker: YOU DON’T NEED TO INPUT THE INFO YOURSELF. The GoBe simply detects the information through your skin while you’re wearing it and delivers it right to an app on your smart phone.
I am dead serious, folks. It detects the information through your skin.
It sounds a bit like hocus pocus until you try it, I’ll be the first to admit. I did a lot of background research when I started using this product because I like to truly understand how something functions rather than just trust the universe that the info being presented to me is 100% accurate. I take my health and fitness very seriously, and I like to know exact numbers and as many details as I can about my wellness so that I am most equipped to live life feeling as wonderful as my body is designed to feel.
HUGE believer in this quote below and always have been…
First of all, one of the core tenants of the company behind GoBe, HealBe, is that there is “no one-size-fits-all approach to living a well-balanced life.” YES, YES, YES & YES. Can I get an amen?!
Whenever a company behind a wellness product tries to claim that this is the one product that will work for everyone under the sun and will singlehandedly change all of it’s consumers’ lives, I can’t usually get behind it. I am much more supportive of the notion that all of our bodies are different, our fitness routines and metabolisms and preferences and dietary choices and schedules and relationships and health histories all vary so, so, so much that it’s very hard to find a “one-size-fits-all” product or approach.
ALSO, the main reason I like wearable technology like this is because it gives us the tools to make good choices. The product itself is not going to carry you to the gym and make you work out. You’re still putting in all the work to feel great, but you have help and guidance and best of all KNOWLEDGE about where to get started and how to stay on track.
That’s why the GoBe is awesome. Because it tracks YOUR individual wellness information, and it tracks it through YOUR skin. If you have an off day where you don’t feel like exercising and you are super exhausted and need more rest, the GoBe will tell you. And when you have a superhuman day where you have the energy to do multiple workouts and you feel on top of the world, the GoBe will track it and it will also keep you on track with how much water you should drink and how many calories you should be consuming based on that workout.
How Does the GoBe Do That!??! That’s Crazy Talk!!
I KNOW, RIGHT?! Let me tell you… The device detects changes in your blood glucose levels after you eat, and then uses this information to calculate the number calories you consumed. As glucose concentrations rise, your cells absorb glucose and release water. Fat and protein in your food influences the rate of glucose absorption—leading to different shapes and durations of the “glucose curve,” which GoBe measures.
You don’t have to log any of this information yourself, which is probably my favorite part about the product. I always get so excited about wearable technology products like this and then I fall off the map because I have to input the calories from every meal or tally up all my workouts at the end of the week — ain’t nobody got time for that, and in my experience even the most dedicated person usually ends up trickling off after a few weeks or months of dedicated input.
If you want to read more about how the GoBe measures all of this awesome info from your skin, check out this information page on their website. They will do a much better job of explaining the scientific details than I did, but since I’ve read and re-read them, it started making complete sense to me.
http://bit.ly/1OG3RvF
I would love to hear what you guys think if you try it out! I will be at my computer all day and love answering your individual q’s when I can, so holler at yo girl! XO