Make Your Tech Worth Wearing
In our 2022 trends report, Matt Delaney, head of innovation for Equinox, predicted a “wearable evolution.” Here, tips for getting the most out of your devices and what the future of wearables might look like.
PICK A WEARABLE—AND STICK TO IT.
“Most wearable devices track very similar metrics (such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature), but how they present that data differs, ranging from more user-friendly to granular. That’s not to say that one is ‘better’ than the other—I’m device agnostic—but it does mean that you should pick one and be consistent with it. And if you do decide to switch, recognize that the way the new device conveys your data will probably look different.”
START WITH ONE METRIC.
“All the devices take a few days to get to know you. During that time, a good place to start is by understanding your baselines across various metrics. But if all the available data feels like too much to digest (which it might), take things slow and start with a single metric, like heart rate. What’s your resting heart rate when you wake up? What about when you’re working out? What kinds of activities change your heart rate?
If you’d prefer to start with sleep, look at data points like your normal bedtime and wake-up time, or how many times you’re waking up throughout the night. Start to look for trends. Once you have a grasp on that first metric, then you can move on to the next data point.”
DON’T AIM TO CHANGE NUMBERS.
“Sometimes, people get so focused on the numbers that they lose sight of the lifestyle implications that led to them. You don't change data, you change behaviors, so keeping an eye on things like exercise intensity, meal timing, and alcohol intake can help you identify areas of opportunity in your daily activities. And if you're having trouble making sense of it all, a Tier X coach can help look at your day-to-day activity to determine what’s influencing those numbers and give you strategies to help implement behaviors that are aligned with your goals.”
THE FUTURE OF WEARABLES
“If you look at the wearable evolution thus far, there are three main areas of focus. First was collection: Companies developed technologies to collect as much data as possible with increasing levels of sophistication and granularity. The next step will be to integrate the information from all of these disparate sources, so the data from each can be interpreted in relation to each other instead of as isolated metrics. The last step, and the one that will likely prove to be the most impactful, will be the dynamic and truly personalized recommendations users will receive based on this compilation of their biometric and lifestyle data.”