Wearable Wellness — how Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch Series will help Aussies kick their fitness goals
From green juices and fad diets, to pricey PTs and an obsession with activewear; as a nation, Aussies put health and fitness at a premium.
Globally the wellness marketed is estimated at a staggering $1.5 trillion1 , and Australia makes up a large chunk of that spend. But when it comes to taking a top-to-toe holistic health approach to our wellness, the answer is now in our own hands — quite literally.
Introduced this month during Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic wearables are a one-stop shop for health and wellness in watch form.
Building upon the existing strengths of the Samsung Health app — one of the most comprehensive wellness app on the market — new features span the holistic health gamut. Think everything from sleep tracking and snore detection, to calorie and stress monitoring and goal setting. But perhaps most notable in these next generation of wellness wonders are the blood pressure and electrocardiogram (ECG) tracking —technological additions that are new to Samsung wearables for the first time in Australia.
Thanks to advances in sensor technology, the latest Galaxy Watch Series will enable Aussies to measure, and track their blood pressure and ECG readings, and to help provide critical data to medical professionals — and all from their own wrists! This list of ‘firsts’ continues with the first wearable body composition analysis tool — a feature that
offers insights into skeletal muscle, body water and body fat percentage, and more, to provide a deeper understanding of your overall body and fitness.
In this COVID-climate, when monitoring your health is more important than ever, having these unique metrics at your fingertips offers greater peace of mind. And regardless of whether you’re a seasoned wellness warrior, or fitness novice, Galaxy smart watches are an invaluable tool to stay in shape.
Don’t believe us? Read on for 10 ways that the reimagined Galaxy Watch Series is empowering Aussies to take control of their own health — head to toe, inside and out.
MOTIVATE YOURSELF
In these erratic times, structure is very important. To avoid the temptations of lazing in bed, or an all-day Netflix binge, motivation is key. So, if you’re the kind of person who always has the intention to workout each morning, yet somehow never makes it past breakfast, Galaxy Watch-es are here to help.
Thanks to built-in GPS tracking, your watch can set an A-to-Z of exercise goals, from steps and running, to cycling and swimming. And after you set a goal, you can chart your progress via the Samsung Health app, which includes a dedicated breakdown of your daily activity, history and calories burned6 .
With these goal-setting features, you can carry your very own PT with you everywhere you go, right on your wrist, using reminders to keep you motivated, and on track.
CONNECT WITH CARDIO
Speaking of goal-setting, if you struggle to workout solo, why not channel your competitive streak and exercise with friends and family? Research shows that isolation is one of the biggest pitfalls we’ll face during lockdown, so not only will you beef up your motivation, but you’ll also connect with loved ones at the same time.
To help you stay motivated and to reach your goals, Samsung Health allows users to track a wide range of fitness activities and create fun group challenges. It’s a great way to connect, and to get both the endorphins and the conversation going.
EXPAND YOUR FITNESS HORIZONS
The newly improved and revamped Galaxy Watch4 Series will be the first devices to be fitted with Google’s and Samsung’s new hybrid Wear OS. The unified platform will open up new features and integrations with a raft of third party fitness-focussed apps, all of which can be downloaded from Google Play directly onto your Galaxy Watch.
Whether you’re a running or swimming fanatic, you can now connect apps like Adidas Running and Swim.com, with Samsung Health for automatic importing of workouts, steps and calorie information7. What’s more, double the amount of memory means you can download even more apps, and a longer-lasting battery (up to 40 hours) means you can workout without worry-ing about losing charge.
HIT THE MAT
Improving flexibility, circulation, alignment and developing strength — there’s plenty of reasons why more and more of us are hitting the yoga mat. From the sandy shores of Bondi Beach, to the glittering Gold Coast, yoga is now ranked as one of the fastest growing fitness activities in Australia.
As above, Samsung Health has a variety of fitness programs, including yoga, to choose from, but a great complementary feature of the Galaxy Watch4 series is its improved stress tracking capabilities. Using heart rate variability and blood oxygen levels to chart user stress, the device offers guided breathing exercises to help prepare the body for a deeply relaxing yoga practice. Om!
SLEEP TIGHT
Arguably the most important aspect of wellbeing, but also probably the most over-looked, sleep is linked to myriad medical issues, ranging from heightened stress to weight gain to depression and a weakened immune system. And when it comes to exercise, sleep is just as important as training. Getting enough zzz’s allows your muscular tear repair, and the production of testosterone and growth hormones, both of which are super-important in building muscle mass.
Recognising the role of shut-eye in health and wellbeing, Samsung have built upon their existing sleep management offering in the new Galaxy Watch4 Series with features, including snore detection and continuous blood oxygen tracking, add to the existing REM sleep tracker.
BRING HEALTH TO YOUR HOME
If you’ve never worked from home before, getting into the groove can be tough and bad habits (lie-ins, staying in your PJs, and forgetting to clock off) are easy to fall into. And while gym visits are off the cards for the time being, the Galaxy Watch4 Series means you can bring the gym to your very own front room.
Yes, Galaxy wearables are perfect for on-the-go exercise, but they also facilitate at-home healthcare too. Samsung Health comes equipped with more than 120 home workout programs, all of which can be cast to your TV. And for easier tracking, you can use your watch to display both heart rate and calorie counting on the big screen, at the same time.
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON
Scary headlines and pandemic pandemonium translates to anxiety and stress. So, given the cur-rent climate, it is little wonder that the ancient practice of mediation is rapidly gaining momentum as a coping solution.
Growing research shows that the health benefits of a regular meditation practice are plentiful and can include everything from improving sleep quality and brain function, to combating depression and anxiety — and no chanting required!
Samsung’s latest collaboration with mindfulness and meditation experts, Calm, means that an-yone with a Galaxy watch can get easily get in on the meditation act. Pair with the newly re-leased Galaxy Buds2 and you can cut external background noise by almost 100 per cent thanks to the active noise canceling feature, which means that you can truly immerse yourself in a guided meditation track. How’s that for serenity?
Both the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic — available in LTE and Bluetooth with two sizes and a range of colours — are available for purchase in Australia from September 10.
Samsung Health is available on all Galaxy smartphones and Watch series now, with latest One UI OS update.
Galaxy Watch4
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