KEEPING TRACK

New-gen fitness trackers have become an integral part of modern living. How is this fusion of technology and health reshaping the wellness culture?

- KONIKA DATTA

In today's health-conscious world, embarking on your fitness journey without a device to track your sleep cycle, glucose levels, and calorie intake feels too improbable a task. The evolution of fitness trackers has changed our approach towards health. They're no longer mere step counters – using these wearables has become no less than a lifestyle. This self-tracking health culture has been on an upward trajectory, especially since last year with Oura Rings releasing its advanced series 4, Apple Watch adding breakthrough monitoring metrics like a sleep apnoea detector, and Samsung launching its Galaxy rings.

These modern wearables can tell you exactly how much REM sleep you had last night, your readiness score that shows your body's recovery status, and your heart rate variability (HRV) that highlights the variation in time between heartbeats. In India, the wearable market registered 53.3 per cent YoY (year-over-year) growth, shipping 57.8 million units in the first half of 2023, as per International Data Corporation (IDC).

The popularity of these trackers was further propelled by celebrities like Virat Kohli when he was spotted wearing the Whoop tracker in 2023, and Alia Bhatt, who once mentioned her love for the Oura ring in an interview. However, is the increasing use of these devices changing our relationship with health? What does such easy accessibility of health metrics mean for the wellness landscape? And most importantly, how can we use them meaningfully without losing ourselves in the numbers?

A 360-Degree Approach