Wearable devices are all the craze in the fitness world today. If you don’t own an Apple Watch, a Fitbit, a Garmin, or most notably as of recent, a Whoop, then you’re not really exercising. Or at least that’s what I felt like last summer, when I was introduced to the Whoop watch. The analytics era in professional sports has dramatically shifted the playing field (no pun intended) for not only front offices and professional athletes, but for the everyday athlete.
The process of analytics in sports is using technology to make sense of complex data and statistical analysis to make informed decisions. Professional leagues like the MLB, NFL, and NBA have all bought into this craze and haven’t looked back. This ideological shift has given leeway to tech giants like Google, Apple, and Amazon to pounce on the growing curiosity among the general public in their own health analytics. In the ecosystem of everyday athletes, it started with tracking calories burned and step counting throughout the day. Today, we’re obsessed with things like REM (also known as the state in which we sleep the most efficient), heart rate, breathing patterns and recovery patterns.
The wearable device company that’s taking over this industry today is a name you probably haven’t heard of before; Whoop. I remember seeing a matte black rectangular watch on my brothers wrist. It didn’t have a watch face or anything that could dictate that it was even on. But, I was intrigued. Whoop is committed to providing 24/7 physiological data that is personalized to your lifestyle. It provides in-depth and real-time insight on your body’s recovery, strain throughout the day, and sleep performance. It’s most recognizable on CrossFit athletes, but the NFL inked a partnership with them last summer and you can see their watch on all of their athletes. They wear it during practice and exhibition games to give them feedback on how their body is performing during exercise.
I think this is just the beginning of health tracking through wearable devices like Whoop and the Apple Watch. People are obsessed with technology and they’re obsessed with stats. Next time you’re in public or with friends, socially distanced, look around and see how many fit bands you can spot.
