There has never been a time in history where the tech for athletes has been this accessible. Athletes can now get all of the benefits from technology at a cost that is far more affordable than ever. Here are four of the best pieces of the best pieces of tech for all athletes.
Muse Headband
The Muse headband tracks your brain activity. It is a portable EEG machine. It is great at noticing when you are in a stressed out mode. Possibly having what I call monkey brain. Jumping form though to thought without any real pattern.
This type of behavior is common with those who are stressed out. Muse gives you real-time input into how you are acting. It gives you audible sounds that dictate if you are in the zone or not. If used in conjunction with mindfulness practices which we will get into in another article down the road.
It is comfortable and easy to use. It has an intuitive mobile application what anyone can use, and it is simple. One button to connect and you are off.
The reason why all athletes should have this piece of gear is simple. Stress is the enemy. It is a reality that stresses in need to help facilitate change in the body. However, recovery is what is needed for that change to become positive. We live in a world that is constantly dumping stress on us. Without the proper tools to bring those levels back down to manageable levels, we could be in deep water. Muse serves to eliminate the undue stress in your life by helping you get back in touch with yourself and apply real-world feedback to it!
Heart Rate Monitor
A heart rate monitor is a timeless tech product for athletes. They have been around forever, and they give the users real-life feedback into how their heart is performing. An athlete who is training to hit specific targets is going to need one. It is going to provide real-world information for the athlete to determine if they need to simmer down or to amp it up.
Heart rate monitors come in a variety of forms now. They come as chest strap monitors using tech that is similar to that of an ECG. They also have light-sensitive devices that simply use a sensor to measure your pulse rate. These are typically ones found on wrist strap monitors as well as many other wearable options.
A heart rate monitor and the way in which that information is given to you will determine the relative accuracy of those measurements. As technology moves forward the accuracy of the light measuring heart rate monitors are going to increase as well. Many athletes need HRM, and I will go out on a limb to say all athletes can utilize this tech. No matter what your sport is. Knowing what your resting heart rate is alongside where you are during all forms of training is going to help increase your overall fitness as well as your health in general.
I use a Polar H7 as my chest strap monitor as well as a Scosche Rhythm Plus. I use one because of HRV measurements and the other because of the convenience of use. Again having heart rate monitors will give you live feedback as to how your heart is performing. This information can be used to decrease injury.
Activity Tracker
Yes, an activity tracker, like a Fitbit, Garmin, Polar, Etc. These devices have come a long way from their first release. They have gained some serious technology as they have evolved. They continue to add new metrics, and accuracy as a tech for athletes improves.
Having a good activity tracker can add to the ease of measuring where you are when it comes to energy expenditure. It will also be great for measuring your sleep. Activity trackers can now track how well you are sleeping as well as your heart rate throughout the day. They are a great way to keep tabs on how you are progressing through your journey.
They’re personal wrist-worn diaries that keep track on your daily movements. They are great for those that have a hard time keeping journals as they take care of that aspect of their own. Keeping detailed metrics alongside, GPS, Heart rate, sleep, exercise length, exercise intensity, and how much you have or have not moved in a day.
All of this information can be synced up with your coaches and can then be taken into account for when they hand you your next training cycles. The more information is, the better. The more they know about you as an athlete, the more specific they training can be.
Cell Phone
You most definitely already have this one. Everyone has a cell phone nowadays, and the reason I have put it on this list is simple. All of the apps. All of the things an athlete can get out of this piece of technology. If an athlete can use this tool for what it is, a tool, then they can benefit greatly from what it offers.
Many developers have come to realize that everyone is on their phone now. They have developed apps that track your HRV, Heart rate, sleep patterns, Apps that go along with your activity trackers, Muse headbands, and Heart rate monitors. They now have applications that can get you in contact with therapists in our areas or athletes who have or are going through the same things you are.
The cell phone has quickly become an all-encompassing tool for athletes. It is a one-stop shop for all your application needs. If you can think of a tool that could help you there is probably already an app for that. So get out of the texting and into using the device for things that are going to make you a more efficient and effective athlete.
