Did you start the new year off with a resolution to become more active and healthy? How’s that working for you so far? Resolutions and goals are wonderful things but sometimes we need some extra help with motivation. One way to “see” your progress is to track stats like daily activity, calorie burn, etc. Wearable fitness trackers are good tools to help you monitor your progress. Today I’m going to tell you about the Biostrap fitness tracker which uses a clinical-quality PPG sensor to gather and analyze extremely precise heartbeat data.

What is it?

The Biostrap is a full body fitness tracker that pairs a wrist-worn tracker with a shoe pod sensor. The wristband counts your steps, monitors your sleep, tracks your resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. The shoe pod is used for recording workouts with their activity classification feature.

What’s in the box?

The Biostrap total health set includes:

• Wristband Sensor (Pulse Oximeter, Gyro, Accelerometer)
• 3 Wristband straps
• Shoepod Sensor (Gyro, Accelerometer). Required for workouts.
• Shoe clip
• Dual-coil Induction charger base
• USB Cable

Design and features

The Biostrap includes a traditional tracker that you wear your wrist and a separate sensor that you attach to the laces on your shoe.

The wrist tracker is the main tracker that you’ll wear all day. The waterproof tracker is housed in a silicone wristband.

The tracker can be removed from the strap to clean it or to clean the strap itself. The Biostrap Total Health set comes with 3 wristbands of different colors so you can choose the color you like best. The strap has a metal button with two sets of “teeth” that snap into slots in the strap. I found it awkward and difficult to put the Biostrap on my own wrist. I’m not a fan of these types of wrist straps because they aren’t easy to put on and I just don’t find them to be very comfortable.

The shoe pod sensor is a small module that snaps into a plastic clip that you slide under one or more shoe laces on your shoe.

Here it is clipped to one of the laces of my steel toed work shoe. Although you might think that the shoe pod is a pedometer that will count your steps, it’s not. The shoe pod is only used to collect activity data when you work out. It can help collect better activity data when you’re running, playing golf, hiking, playing tennis, and many more activities.

Note that the shoe pod is splashproof but not waterproof.

The Biostrap and the shoe pod are charged through a wireless charging dock that you plug into a free USB port on your computer or into a USB power adapter. The charger has two slots, one for each sensor, and two status LEDs that glow white when the sensors are fully charged or the charger is empty.

When the Biostrap and shoe pod are placed on the charger, the LEDs glow yellow until the sensors are fully charged. Then the LEDs turn white.

The Biostrap will only last about 2 days per charge and the shoe pod will last about 3-4 days per charge – if you’re lucky. This one of the biggest issues I found with this fitness tracking system. Battery life is just too short and it felt like I was always needing to charge the tracker on my wrist or the shoe pod.

The Biostrap app

To start using the Biostrap, you have to install the Biostrap app on your iOS or Android device and set up an account which will ask for your gender, weight, and height. You can customize your daily goals for steps, active calorie burn, hours of sleep and workout length.

The app provides a view of each day’s stats that include how many steps you walked, sleep, workout length, calorie burn, heart rate, and breathing data.

Clicking each item lets you see a more detailed view of the data. For example, for steps, it will show you an hourly graph of the time you were walking and more details about the calories burned while walking along with distance and duration.

Here’s what the sleep data looks like.

The app shows you a lot of data about your heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation levels. Why would you want to know these things? These stats show your overall heart health. According to the Biostrap site:

Our clinical-quality PPG sensor allows us to gather extremely precise heartbeat data. Biostrap captures over 2,000 heartbeats every 24 hours. Every single pulsewave is analyzed for 29 different parameters, then analyzed against all of your other heartbeats from the last 24 hours.

Each day you can check to see if your stats were low, high, or normal. The app will also show alerts at the top when it detects problems like not enough sleep the night before.

I wore the Biostrap wristband and shoe pod for a full week to track my steps, sleep, etc. Other than some difficulty putting the wristband on my wrist and having to charge the sensors frequently, I didn’t have problems with the hardware itself. But I did notice some issues with the Biostrap app (Android) that were a little annoying. Mainly the app / band would think I was sleeping when I was lounging on the couch for a few hours. I can understand how that can happen and at least the app allows you to delete faulty sleep sessions.

The main problem with the app is that it’s really slow syncing data after you’ve completed an activity like taking a walk or working out. I would check the app to see how many steps I’d walked after a walking session and it would show a very low number which would confuse me. But if I would flip back and forth between days and come back to the current day, the step count would increase each time.

Sometimes it would show weird totals like the image above on the right. This problem with syncing speed led me not to trust the data because I never knew of the stats were up to date or still syncing.

What I like

• Heart rate data
• Automatic exercise tracking
• Wireless charging dock

What needs to be improved

• Battery life
• Wristband comfort
• App is slow to sync data
• Expensive

Final thoughts

Having more data about your health and fitness is obviously not a bad thing, so this tracker does have that going for it. The heart rate variability and respiration tracking data is a feature missing with most other trackers that are currently on the market. But, what are you going to do with that data? Is it really useful for most people? I’ll admit that after the first day testing this fitness tracker, I didn’t really pay much attention to those stats. Because I didn’t really care how many breaths that I take per minute.

Since this fitness tracker is pricier than a lot of other trackers that you can buy right now, you’ll need to ask yourself if the extra health data are important to you. If they are, and you don’t mind that the app is sluggish when it comes to updating stats, and the sensors need to be charged frequently, the Biostrap might be the fitness tracker that can help motivate you to reach your fitness goals.

Price: $250.00
Where to buy: Biostrap
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Biostrap.

Did you start the new year off with a resolution to exercise more and improve your fitness level? If you answered yes, how are you measuring your progress towards your goals? If you have been shopping for a wearable fitness tracker but don’t know which one to choose from the crowded market of trackers, you’ll be thrilled to find out that I’m going to make your choice even harder by telling you about the Healbe GoBe 2 Smart Life Band fitness tracker.

What is it?

The Healbe GoBe 2 is a fitness tracker that measures all the normal things that most fitness trackers measure, like your steps, sleep, and even your heart rate. But the GoBe 2 goes quite a bit further by also tracking calorie intake, calories burned, energy balance, hydration levels, and emotional state.

What’s in the box?

• Healbe GoBe 2 fitness band
• Charging dock
• Charging cable
• Instructions

Design and features

The GoBe 2 is a made of black plastic with a flexible and adjustable wristband. The top of the GoBe is actually a display. I’ll show you more about that in a bit.

The wristband can be replaced and various color straps are available for purchase from the Healbe website.

There’s only one button on the GoBe, which toggles power to the tracker and shows the time and other status indicators when pressed multiple times.

A large gold sensor is built into the underside of the tracker. This sensor is designed to make contact with the top of your wrist so that it can measure your calorie intake, stress levels, hydration levels, and heart rate.

There are also two small electrical contacts on the underside of the tracker that connects to the charging dock to charge the tracker.

The included dock snaps to the bottom of the GoBe 2 fitness tracker by magnets. The included micro USB cable plugs into the dock and the other end can plug into a free USB port on your computer or into a USB adapter (not included) to charge the tracker.

You’ll become very familiar with the charging dock because you’ll be charging the Healbe GoBe 2 every day. You might be able to squeeze two days of use out of the GoBe if you turn it off while you’re sleeping, but then you’ll be losing sleep tracking data. They recommend that you charge the GoBe each day when you’re sitting at your desk or showering.

Compared to other fitness trackers on the market, I found the Healbe GoBe 2 to be huge. Here it is on my wrist. For reference, I’m 5’6″ and 129lbs. The GoBe looked and felt like I was wearing some sort of house arrest monitor.

Remember, I mentioned above that the gold plate on the bottom of the tracker has to make full contact with the skin on your wrist? Well, that means that you have to keep the strap snug. If the tracker isn’t making full contact, it will vibrate and show NO CONTACT on the display to let you know that you need to tighten the strap. I found the GoBe to be uncomfortable to wear all day and it even irritated my skin slightly.

For the most part, you won’t look at the tracker while you’re wearing it although you can press the button on the side to show the time which lights up in a bright blue old school dot matrix style display. Tip: Don’t check the time in the middle of the night when you’re half awake because it will blind you.

Subsequent presses of the button on the GoBe will cycle through readings for battery status, heart rate, steps, hydration level, and more. It’s easier to consult the Healbe app when you want to check the fitness data.

Healbe app

The Healbe mobile app has an easy to use interface that has a dashboard that displays calorie info, hydration info, heart rate, sleep data, and stress info.

I was really interested in the calorie and hydration features of this fitness tracker. If you’ve ever used apps that count your calories vs. presumed calorie burn, you will probably agree that they are tedious and a pain to use. The allure of not having to manually enter food and exercise sounded great to me.

First of all, how does this wearable fitness tracker even measure calorie intake and burn rate?

When you eat, food travels to your stomach to be broken down and digested.
10-15 minutes after you eat, your body starts converting the carbohydrates in your food into glucose. This process continues for up to 4-6 hours, depending on what you eat and your body’s unique physiology.
As glucose concentrations rise, your cells absorb glucose and release water. Fat and protein in your food influences the rate of glucose absorption—leading to different shapes and durations of the “glucose curve,” which GoBe measures.
GoBe uses an impedance sensor to measure the fluid moving in and out of your cells—continuously, around the clock.
Healbe FLOW Technology uses an advanced algorithm to analyze impedance readings and calculate calorie intake based on your glucose curves, giving you a complete picture of your calorie and nutritional intake over time.

If you expect the GoBe 2 to accurately show you exactly how many calories you consumed and the exact number of calories you burned, or how much water you drink on a given day, you’ll be disappointed.

The app will show you percentages of fat, carbs, and protein consumed, and will also show if you had a calorie surplus or calorie deficit for the day. This can be useful if your goal is to lose weight. However, the readings change throughout the day, so you won’t be able to check the app 5 minutes after you swallowed the last bite of your cheeseburger and see that you just consumed 500 calories. It can take between 5 minutes and 6 hours for the calories to be tracked.

The app shows spikes after a meal or after you’ve drunk something, but it also shows changes when you’ve not eaten anything at all and doesn’t show exact calorie amounts.

I also found it odd that the app would show that my hydration was low in the middle of the night, but then show that it got better before I took even one sip of water the next day.

So while the calorie tracking feature is interesting and I’m excited about the possibilities going forward, I wasn’t wowed.

I did like the GoBe’s heart rate tracking feature and experimental blood pressure reading feature.

The sleep tracking feature was only mildly interesting. The sleep tracking reports in the mobile app don’t let you see details like the amount of time you were in REM sleep versions light sleep or the exact times you were in each level of sleep.

The Healbe GoBe 2 can even track your emotion/stress levels. I was skeptical about this feature but changed my mind when the tracker vibrated to tell me that I was having a tension episode right as I was getting ready to record my voice for a video that I was working on.

Healbe web app

If you prefer viewing your fitness data or a larger screen, there’s a Healbe web app that you can sign into. You’ll be reminded of this each week when you receive an email from Healbe with a weekly report. Clicking the More Data button will prompt you to login to their web app.

The web app is excruciatingly slow, but it does allow a deeper dive into the data where you can see timestamps for calorie, heart rate, stress levels, sleep data, etc.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not convinced that the GoBe 2 reports calorie intake or calorie burn accurately. I wore the GoBe 2 for a full day (minus a short time where I had to charge it which you will see above) and the web app reported that I only had 1063 calories that day. I know that number is significantly lower than it should be because we had a big bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and berries for breakfast, a whole turkey sandwich with chips for lunch, a couple of pieces of chocolate after lunch, soup and crackers for dinner, and a piece of homemade banana bread with chocolate chips later after dinner.

What I like

• Calorie intake and calorie burn features show promise
• Hydration level features
• Continuous heart rate measurement
• Can export data to Google Fit

What needs to be improved

• Price is high
• Short battery life
• Bulky and not comfortable to wear
• Calorie intake number doesn’t seem accurate
• Web app is painfully slow

Final thoughts

Although I found the GoBe 2 to be bulky and uncomfortable to wear, I’m hoping that these calorie tracking features continue to evolve. Being able to see accurate trends that show how the fuel (food) I put in compares with the fuel I burn can be a powerful tool for staying healthy and at an optimal weight. As it stands, I can’t quite give my full recommendation for the Healbe GoBe 2 based on my own experience. But I will definitely keep an eye on future versions of this product.

Price: $199.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Healbe.

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Stress sucks. We all have it at some point, and more and more studies point to how extended periods of stress can impact our physical well-being. The WellBe is a wearable device that, when paired with the app on your smartphone, helps you to understand how your stress is triggered and how to manage it. How does it work in practice? Let’s take a break, chill for a few minutes, and check it out!

Overview and setup

The WellBe Stress Management Bracelet is a Bluetooth-enabled wearable that’s integrated with a mobile app on your smartphone. It uses a proprietary algorithm based on your heart rate and variable heart rate to identify your levels of stress and calmness throughout the day, and then provides tools to help you analyze and manage your stress triggers.

The bracelet itself is an attractive piece of gear that wears like a watch. I’m testing the cork band with silver/steel hardware (leather bands are also available), and I get compliments whenever I wear it. It’s lightweight and comfortable to wear, which is especially important since you need to wear it continuously. The kit includes a charging cradle that connects to your power source via the included USB to USB-micro charging cable.

Setup is guided by the WellBe app which provides an excellent set of step-by step instructions for device pairing, app setup, and taking baseline measurements. You’ll also want to allow access to both GPS location data and your calendar to take full advantage of all the measurement tools. WellBe also provide videos and an extensive FAQ section on their website to help with the setup, making the process as painless as possible.

To function properly you’ll need to wear the bracelet and keep the mobile app open at all times. Internet access is also required as part of the monitoring process, but the bracelet will keep up to 24 hours of data and conduct periodic syncing to update the app.

Monitoring your stress levels

Once everything is a setup, your measurements are taken on an hourly basis. You can also conduct a real-time measurement by tapping the “check” button on the home screen and following the instructions. Based on the results your stress level is measured on a 100 point color coordinated scale ranging from Calm (blue, under 30%) to High Stress (red, 80% and above). This data is recorded and synchronized to the time, your location, and your schedule.

The app provides ongoing reporting about your levels of stress and calmness. Tap the “stats” button on the home screen to see your average heart rate, stress levels, and stress management activities for the day. Tap the “learn” button to see how these statistics correlate to your places, schedule, and/or meetings over time. Over time, you’ll be able to build an understanding of where and how your stress is triggered.

Managing your stress

The WellBe will notify you if you are stressed and suggest that you engage in one of the audio-based mindfulness meditation exercises on the app. You can also access the exercises by tapping the “relax” button on the home screen. Content includes instructive meditation exercises, mindfulness readings, and ambient music organized by program length from 3 to 20 minutes. The app will report changes in your stress levels before and after using the exercises, and record these activities in your daily reports. The pics below provide a walkthrough of the process.

If you tap the “learn” button, you’ll find a series of immersive podcast-style stress prevention programs. Topics are organized by channels that vary in style and content like “The 21 day healing journey” or “Meditation for Busy People.” The whole library consists of 130+ episodes and over 30 hours of content. Each channel includes the first two episodes for free, but access to the full library requires an in-app subscription purchase of $9.99 a month. You do not need to subscribe to these programs to use the mindfulness exercises in the “relax” section.

Daily Use

After using the WellBe Stress Management Bracelet for a couple of weeks, I think it’s a good tool for stress management with a lot of potential. There are some aspects of the device that could be improved, however, with respect to the hardware. Let’s take a look at the details. 

I really like the design of the WellBe mobile app. The intuitive user interface and excellent help tools minimize any learning curves required to effectively use the app. The reporting tools are simple and easy to comprehend, enabling you to quickly leverage the information to understand where and how your stress is triggered. The integration of the mindfulness exercises is also well-executed, so you can see the progress you’re making as you use them to reduce your stress levels. I also appreciate that the in-app purchases aren’t overplayed. You don’t need to buy the extended programs to take advantage of the full functionality of the app, and you’re not peppered with constant prompts to buy them.

There is room for improvement in the reporting tools. The daily stats are great for assessing your overall wellness. The “schedule” report helps to pinpoint specific times that trigger stress events, and includes weekly and monthly data roll ups to help identify trends over time. The “places” report, however, just toggles through your locations based on the hourly readings; it would be better if it aggregated location data for easy comparison. I found the “meetings” report to be less useful, because I don’t sync my work schedule to my phone. Given the overall strength of the reporting tools, however, none of these are deal breakers for me. I would expect that WellBe will refine the reporting over time.

The bigger area of concern for me with the WellBe is the hardware. WellBe had to send me a replacement bracelet, because the first one I got kept falling apart. The replacement has held up well for the two weeks I have used it, but the build is not super-rugged. The core unit sits under the band, and is locked in place with a metal collar that clips around the band itself. Under normal conditions, I don’t expect this to be an issue… but based on my experience with the first unit, I don’t believe that it will hold up to heavy physical abuse. I wouldn’t wear it to the gym or while doing outdoor activities, for example. I’m not comfortable wearing it to bed per the instructions, because I’m afraid it might get caught on something. It’s also water-resistant but not waterproof, so you won’t want to wear it in the shower or while you’re working in the kitchen.

I’ve noticed some issues with taking measurements. Since the bracelet only takes measurements once per hour, there are a lot of potential gaps in the data. There have been situations where I did not have the bracelet tight enough on my wrist, and have lost extended periods of data as a result (this seems to be a common problem pointed out in the help documentation on the web site). Sometimes the device also records false data. As I write this review, the app is notifying me that I am under high stress… but I am not wearing the bracelet. Readings after physical activity like a workout may also present false readings. I think that these issues will level out as you collect data over time (and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for using the device), but there are enough discrepancies here that I think they are worth considering.

Finally, the app and bracelet combination are power hogs. The bracelet will go for about a day and a half without recharging; WellBe suggests that you charge it each day while you shower for this reason. Keeping the app open for continuous monitoring and operation also puts a noticeable drain on your smartphone’s battery. If you’re used to charging often this won’t be an issue for you, but it is something to keep in mind.

Positives

• A good looking and comfortable wearable
• Excellent, intuitive mobile app
• Robust reporting
• Well-designed integrated stress management tools
• Friendly, comprehensive support on the app and WellBe’s web site

Negatives

• Measurements can be inconsistent
• Bracelet durability limits use to light-duty activities (also not waterproof)
• Drains a lot of power on your mobile device due to continuous use

Final thoughts

Despite some of my concerns, I found the WellBe Stress Management Bracelet to be a well-rounded and convenient package for stress management. The app is excellent, integrating nice reporting and stress management tools in a portable solution that performs as advertised. The WellBe website is also very good, providing a lot of additional support for stress management. The bracelet is not going to be as durable as some wearables that are designed for exercise and outdoor activities, but it’s fine for day-to-day use under normal conditions. With some improvements to the hardware and reporting, it could be a truly excellent all-around solution.

Price: $199.00 MSRP
Where to buy: Wellbe and Amazon
Source: the sample for this review was provided by WellBe. Please visit their site for more information.