Bethany Brown drops a cup of water as she runs in the Deseret News Marathon in Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 23, 2022. Keeping fit in summer heat can be a challenge.
Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Warmer temperatures can entice more people to get outside and exercise. These smart gadgets can make it easier and more fun to move your body.
When people are trying to get or stay healthy, drinking enough water is important. It can help with managing weight and lubricating joints while keeping kidney stones and constipation at bay.
A good water bottle is key to keeping your drink cold and handy. But many of the reusable water bottles on the market can cause water to have a funny taste and can smell funky quickly. Sometimes the taste of the water can be less than ideal depending on the source. All of these issues can cause people to drink less water.
The self-cleaning LARQ Bottle PureVis could be the answer. The lid houses UV-C LED technology that neutralizes 99.999% of biocontaminants such as E.coli and salmonella.
One charge through a USB cable will last about a month and that’s about how often users will need to clean it. While the light goes through its one-minute cleaning cycle, it cleans the water and also the bottle to some degree, so hand-washing isn’t needed as often.
One press on top of the lid launches the cleaning and two presses activates Adventure Mode. This is for times when users aren’t quite sure about the quality of water. It delivers a higher dose of UV-C and purification takes three minutes for pristine drinking water.
The PureVis 17-ounce insulated bottle costs $99. A 25-ounce version is $118 and the company will personalize them if you choose.
These next couple of gadgets could take you back to childhood playtime. Jumping rope is a great cardio workout, doesn’t take a lot of expensive equipment and is just as easy to do outside as indoors.
But Tangram has taken it to another level with its SmartRope Rookie X Donut with a Bluetooth connected app that tracks exercise. The website claims that jumping rope burns more calories in less time than running, swimming or cycling.
Choose one of the fun colors and connect it to the app. When users start jumping, the SmartRope turns on and the app starts counting. Use the app to set goals, track progress and connect and challenge family and friends.
It will show how many calories are burned, give prompts for interval training and graph out exercise goals. The weighted donuts on the end of each handle make it so you still feel like you’re jumping a rope, but without the noise and the possibility of damaging your floor.
The SmartRope Rookie X Donut is $54.95 and connects to Apple Health, Google Fitness and other fitness apps.
When is the last time you tried a hula hoop? It’s a trend seen on TikTok claiming to shrink waist circumference.
While many experts will explain the difficulty in trying to spot-train a certain area, hula hooping (especially weighted options) can give people a decent cardio workout.
I ordered what was called a “smart” weighted hula hoop on Amazon that was on sale for $39.99.
While the misspelled directions in terrible English scared me a bit, the unit was easy to put together. This hula hoop is fitted around the waist with interlocking plastic pieces that you can tailor to your size.
A weighted ball rotates around the hula hoop as you move and the website claims users can burn up to 800 calories in a 30-minute session.
The company also explains that the system massages the waist as you exercise. I didn’t really feel that happening too much, but my heart rate did go up and I could feel my muscles working. I would take the word “smart” lightly regarding this hula hoop.
It doesn’t connect to an app but does have a digital counter that tracks calories, rotations and time. This probably shouldn’t be a standalone fitness regimen, but could be a fun addition to switch up a regular workout routine.
Finally, for runners or those thinking of adding running to their exercise options, sometimes it can be too hot to run during the day. That leaves early morning or late evening runs as the best options.
But visibility can be a problem for runners trying to see and to be seen. Nathan Sports has a great option to help others see runners on the road.
These weather resistant LightSpur LED Foot Lights clip on to the heel of a shoe. You can choose the LightSpur super bright LED that uses watch batteries or one with a Li-ion battery with USB charging.
Whether the warmer temperatures are drawing you outside to exercise or you are simply ready to try something new, these devices could be just the thing to get you moving this summer.
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