While we’re well into the new year, there’s never a bad time to reassess your health, fitness and wellness goals for the year ahead. But who said you can’t utilise the latest fitness tools to get you on your way?
From wearable fitness trackers to the latest smart watch to home gyms in the palm of your hand, there are an abundance of resources out there that seriously make a difference when it comes to tackling all areas of health, fitness and wellness.
Thus, herein lies a curated list of ICON’s top five fitness gadgets to help get you where you need/would like to go when it comes to getting in shape in 2023.
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Theragun Pro
Since 2008, Therabody has been leading the space for percussive therapy thanks to the creation of the Theragun device. Now in its fifth generation, the Theragun Pro is really the ultimate tool designed to help regular fitness goers alleviate muscle soreness, stiffness, and tension — it’s perfect for runners, gym goers, contact sport lovers and everyone in between.
While you may be thinking that the Theragun Pro looks a little too professional for your fitness pursuits, trust us, it’s sort of like a one-device-suits-all. Of course, Therabody has a range of percussive therapy devices to choose from, but from our experience, you really can’t look past the Theragun Pro.
The powerful motor of this device helps to penetrate deep into the muscles to deliver a therapeutic massage that aids in your recovery. Have you recently been on a run and found that your legs are still jelly-like three days on? Or maybe you’re feeling delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from a big gym workout? The Theragun Pro highly effective in alleviating muscle soreness and tension (and speeding up your recovery time in the process).
A must-buy, folks!
Theragun Pro, $899
Oura Ring
We’ve harped on about how good the Oura Ring is before — but it remains to be an inconspicuous device that has become an integral part of many user’s daily fitness routines. Besides becoming somewhat of a cult hit among Hollywood’s elite —Prince Harry, Shaquille O’ Neill, Kim Kardashian, and Will Smith are all users — the Oura Ring does exactly what it intends on doing: it tracks various aspects of a person’s health and fitness, including sleep, activity levels, and heart rate variability… and it does it well.
The device, which is designed as a wearable ring, is super easy to use — just pop it on your index finger during your day, during exercise and during sleep, and receive detailed and tailored analytics on what you can be doing better, more of or less of in order to reach peak recovery (and thus, peak fitness).
Besides the Oura Ring being a powerful tool for anyone looking to improve their health and fitness, it also looks great on.
Oura Ring Horizon, from $600
Whoop Band
Similar to the Oura Ring, the Whoop Band is a wearable fitness tracker that also tracks various aspects of a person’s health and fitness, however, it is better suited for those that engage in weightlifting, HIIT, swimming and other physical activities. Whereas Oura Ring is a dedicated sleep and fitness tracker (with emphasis on sleep), Whoop does it all.
From personalised strain and recovery scores — advanced algorithms are used to calculate tailored strain and recovery scores based on your biometric data — to enhanced sleep tracking, improved recovery metrics plus more, the Whoop Band will enable you to get the best out of each and every workout to optimise your fitness, but also let you know what needs to be done from a recovery standpoint to maintain optimal fitness.
These scores can help users optimise their training and recovery by providing insights into how their body is responding to physical activity and stress. The Whoop Band is also comfortable enough to wear all day and all night thanks to new, durable SuperKnit band.
Whoop Band, from $44
Apple Watch Ultra
It’s not often that you’ll find someone not wearing some form of Apple or Smart Watch in 2023. But sitting at the peak of fitness capabilities when it comes to Smart Watch technology is the new Apple Watch Ultra. First off, it’s a big watch. Sitting at 49mm and crafted from titanium, you know this watch means business. But don’t let its intimidating aesthetic put you off, for this watch is designed for anyone serious about physical activity, no matter what that looks like.
While the watch is inspired by the most extreme activities you can participate in – think hiking, marathon running, rock climbing, and diving – it also caters towards those who participate in recreational activities, from walking and running to swimming and weightlifting. You’re probably well familiar with the Apple Watch’s capabilities — besides telling the time, it tracks all your activities and pretty much acts as a second iPhone — but the Apple Watch Ultra just does it better, and sits in a league of its own.
Apple Watch Ultra, $1,299
Centr Fit
If you find it hard to get to a gym, park or area where physical activity is possible, fret less, as Chris Hemsworth and his team filled this void years ago with the creation of the Centr Fit App.
Now, you’re probably thinking that this is just another fitness app that is tailored for those with prior experience or the equipment to actually do the workouts. Well, not exactly. Sure, the app is definitely tailored towards those that do love to get in their daily exercise, and it also does come in handy if you own your own gym equipment, but it’s also for the beginner, too. And thanks to its intuitive app design —perhaps the best we’ve seen — it’s super easy and user-friendly to utilise each and every day.
From guided workouts and meditation to yoga classes and more, the Centr Fit app has helped thousands of users globally in achieving (and maintaining) their fitness goals. It also offers a fantastic food guide section that gives you tailored recipes and meal ideas to keep on track in the kitchen.
Centr Fit, from $10 per month
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