New Technologies Gives Trainers the edge

Medical science has combined with artificial intelligence and cutting edge miniaturisation technology to introduce a new high tech body monitoring device that is set to revolutionise fitness and sport.

Lee Campbell, celebrity trainer, star of Channel Nine’s ‘Celebrity Overhaul’ and co-author of the book, ‘Get in Shape’, explains “the BodyMedia FIT Armband is set to take health and fitness management to a new level, providing clinically accurate performance monitoring to athletes, trainers and their clients that can be utilised across many sporting disciplines.”

Developed in the US and now available in Australia, the BodyMedia FIT Armband monitors metabolic activity on a minute-by-minute basis. BodyMedia FIT uses sophisticated multi-sensor technology to measure radiant body heat, motion, skin temperature and moisture levels.

The results are used to provide an accurate assessment of the duration and intensity of physical activity, energy expenditure, motion, stress levels and even sleep patterns, which have a significant impact on training effectiveness and recovery.

The information is uploaded to the BodyMedia on-line Activity Manager and is viewed in easy-to-read charts. By entering details such as weight, height, age, gender and food consumption, an objective assessment of energy metabolism, training duration, intensity and its effectiveness can be achieved. This is then compared against pre-established goals for maximum compliance and accountability.

Campbell adds “for the first time, sports practitioners and professional trainers have an advanced tool that can examine daily progress and ensure that the training regime is having the desired effect.”

The celebrity trainer points out that BodyMedia FIT is not the same as other fitness assessment tools such as accelerometers, GPS based systems and heart-rate monitors.

Tim Gresham, Director of health and medical products for Black and Stone, the Australian distributors for BodyMedia FIT, adds “an accelerometer only measures movement and can’t give an accurate measurement of low movement, high intensity exercise such as stair climbing or lifting weights. A heart-rate monitor may show an increased heart-rate but this is a poor indicator of calorie burn, work or exercise intensity because different people have very different ‘heart rate responses’ to exercise.

“The BodyMedia FIT Armband is a very exciting piece of equipment because for the first time outside a metabolic assessment lab, we can get accurate measurements of energy metabolism.

“BodyMedia FIT calculates accurate calorie and activity measurements across all activity types. It also accurately records sleep duration, efficiency and quality and can easily be worn, giving a comprehensive analysis of calorie burn, activity and sleep.”

Until now, BodyMedia technology has only been available in Australia to medical and research professionals. It has been heralded in the US, where it has won industrial design and medical device awards and has been proven to achieve three times more weight loss than traditional methods in clinical trials.

Its applications for sports professionals and the personal training industry are numerous. From managing healthy weight loss or gain; establishing a fitness regime; breaking through a plateau of a regular regime or for athletes looking to increase their performance.

Unique to the software is the ability for trainers to monitor their clients’ online, providing even closer monitoring, fine-tuning and accuracy.

Lee Campbell concluded “I can see all of my clients’ physical activity and diet on an ongoing basis in a way that has never been possible before. With this feature, I am able to offer a far greater degree of personalisation, continuously motivating clients to stick to their training regime and achieve their goals.”

Stylish and sophisticated, the BodyMedia FIT Armband features a sleek contemporary design. Choose as a stand-alone item or with an optional clip-on display for ‘real time’, minute-by-minute activity tracking.

Due to its unique abilities, the BodyMedia FIT Armband has lead to it being listed as a Class Two medical device on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. The technology is also soon to be featured extensively on ‘Making Australia Happy,’ a documentary due to launch on the ABC in November and a forthcoming Channel Nine production on weight loss and lifestyle change hosted by Deborah Hutton.

The BodyMedia FIT Armband is available through leading sports stores or visit www.blackandstone.com.au for stockists.