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• Case study: Marianna's story

Most of us could improve our posture, particularly anyone working in an office environment, spending hours at a time sitting at a desk or slumping in the sofa watching TV.Ìý

Straps and braces have been used to help either correct poor posture or help train the body to recognise what good posture should feel like. But as with all health and fitness devices, they only work if you are disciplined enough to use them.

The Upright Go 2 is a small smart device that you wear to not only alert you when you are slouching, but also to show you how best to sit and stand to relieve stress on your spine.

Perfect posture in a box

The device is small yet carries out two important tasks to help you sit up and stand in a strong postural position. The first part is the vibration that alerts you to a less than ideal posture and the second part is the overall tracking of your every move to give you a history of when you are sitting and standing in a strong position – and when you are not.

The kit comes with the device which is about the size of a thin dishwasher tablet. You place it at the top of your spine using an adhesive that stays in place yet is easy to remove.

The kit also includes a USB cable and charger, as well as several reusable stickers and wipes to get you off and running (or standing).

Battery life

The Upright Go 2 should deliver a few days’ use before requiring a charge.Ìý

Does it work?

The Upright Go 2 promises improved posture after two weeks. After using the device for a couple of weeks and sharing it with other users, we think this claim does have merit.Ìý

However it’s not fool proof; you need to be motivated to follow the instructions and follow the setup procedure and calibration properly to ensure you get good accurate feedback. For a first-hand review, read Marianna’s story ²ú±ð±ô´Ç·É.Ìý

Rewarding good posture

If you have a fitness tracker or watch, you’ll be familiar with the way data is presented over time, with various goals to be met over a period of time. Setting specific goals will hold a strong appeal for many.

Setup

The setup process is deceptively simple: put in your height, weight and age and you are ready to start sitting up straight.

Unfortunately, the simplicity seems to allow a lot of room for error in the setup as the device only works as well as the person setting it up. If you don’t calibrate it properly, the device will simply ignore some poor posture positions.

Case study: Marianna’s story

Marianna had noticed her posture gradually getting worse while working from home (WFH) and thought the Upright Go 2 could help her develop better habits.Ìý

“My WFH setup ticks all the right boxes – ergonomic office chair, laptop stand and USB keyboard so I can work without putting stress on my head and neck,” she says. “The trouble was that my desk was also my dining room, which meant I needed to set it up every morning and pack it away every night.

“I found myself slipping into a pattern of not bothering to set up my nine-to-five office and would work with my laptop plopped on the table – or even just on my lap when I wanted a change of scenery and worked from the couch.Ìý

“Unsurprisingly, my posture suffered and I’d start to get twinges after hunching over for too long or I’d get a dreaded case of tech neck. Despite this, my bad habits continued.”

Perfect pattern breaker?

After seeing several targeted ads for the Upright Go 2 on social media, Marianna thought the gadget would be the perfect pattern breaker.Ìý

“After downloading the app to my phone, it was easy to use – every day I’d stick the device to my back and set it to recognise a strong posture so that it knew when to alert me if I was slouching,” she says. “This was its ‘training’ mode. You could also switch over to ‘tracking’ mode, which notes how much of my day was spent slouching.

“I had the version that adheres to your back using a sticky strip (you can also buy a necklace adaptor instead). While it was small enough to hide under my top without anyone noticing, I have long hair and the adhesive backing would sometimes get stuck to it, which was annoying. But once it was on I could easily forget about it. At least, until it started vibrating.

Bad vibrations

“The first few days I got a real buzz out of using it and checking my stats on the app to see how my posture was improving over time,” says Marianna. “But I was surprised at how often it would buzz for poor posture when I moved slightly to write something down or answer the phone.Ìý

“After a bit of trial and error adjusting the settings, I managed to reduce the buzzing I’d get for those small blips in posture so that it would focus on prolonged bouts of slouching.”

‘Frustrated’

“After about two weeks I found my posture had improved, but the honeymoon was definitely over,” she says. “I lacked the motivation to wear it, became angry when it buzzed at me and overall was just frustrated I had to pay attention to it like it was some sort of WFH posture Tamagotchi.Ìý

“Turns out that was just the inspiration I needed to introduce some permanent solutions and sort out my home office for good. As annoying as it is to set up and pack down my little workstation every day, it’s a more effective and permanent solution to my posture problems than being buzzed every few minutes.” 

The post Upright Go 2 smart posture improver review appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

1. Denial

Even though you know full well that your daily routine lacks exercise, you find yourself quoting Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw as if she’s a bonafide fitness guru.Ìý

“Shopping is my cardio,” you tell yourself on your daily supermarket run and accompanying waft through the shopping centre. You even start to count steps on your iPhone so you can include walking out to the letterbox as part of your ‘fitness regime’. At first glance, all the graphs on the app look impressive.

2. Anger

As your daily step tally and their unremarkable numbers are put into perspective by the recommended target of 10,000 steps, the reality emerges: shopping is not cardio and you rarely break a sweat, unless it’s to beat someone else to the ‘further reductions’ rack.Ìý

Now you’re angry. Angry with yourself and angry with evolution: if humans are so clever, why have we evolved to have a sedentary lifestyle that is detrimental to our own health and wellbeing? Why can’t we bring back hunting and gathering? Why can’t squats and lunges be fun? Why? Why? Why? 

3. Bargaining

The beginning of this phase is signalled by some psychological wheeling and dealing. For example, you won’t join a gym, but you will eat smaller bowls of pasta. And in the event that you do eat a big bowl of pasta, you make a deal that you’ll go for a 30-minute jog afterwards.Ìý

But the last time you tried to jog you nearly had a heart attack. So you tell yourself you’ll do the old ‘five-minute bursts’ jogging/walking strategy. This turns into five-second bursts of running and a debilitating stitch.Ìý

4. Depression

Needless to say, the jogging never happens. Sometimes you don’t even go for a walk because there’s always a reason not to: it might rain, it’s too hot, you’ve got a bit of a virus and you don’t want to put a strain on your body. With a heavy heart, you realise your fate is now inevitable.Ìý

You do the walk of shame to the front desk of the local gym chain and restart your membership. What is really depressing about this phase is the revelation that they never deleted your membership in the first place: you’ve been unknowingly paying the fees for the past two years.

5. Acceptance

Reaching this stage of acceptance is a big-picture mindset. It means accepting that human beings now have to walk on the spot in a room full of other humans walking on the spot in order to keep their muscles from atrophying.Ìý

We also might have to do weird random things such as circulate the ends of dumbbells around our heads. But it’s not so bad. After all, you can get through a lot of podcasts while you’re on a treadmill.

The post The five stages of trying to get fit appeared first on ÌÇÐÄVlog.

Two things are almost certain at this time of year: one, your clothes feel a bit tighter after all that festive season excess; and two, you’ll be constantly bombarded with ads for gyms, fitness trackers and diet plans.

Whether your new year’s resolution is to run a marathon or just fit back into your jeans, there are plenty of products out there that claim to keep you on track.

But which ones will actually help? We take a look at what works and what doesn’t, and how to tell if something is right for you.

Fitness trackers and smartwatches

“A fitness tracker alone won’t help you become the fitter, healthier version of yourself you’ve always imagined: you’ll need to put in the hard yards with an exercise regime and adjustments to your diet and lifestyle,” says ÌÇÐÄVlog tech expert Peter Zaluzny.Ìý

“But many fitness trackers, smartphones and other types of wearable technology also come with handy apps that can help you meet your health and fitness goals by tracking your progress over time and helping you set sustainable targets that you’ll be able to stick to long-term. A record of your progress can be a powerful motivator.”

Which fitness tracker should you buy?

Fitbit or Apple watch? Samsung or Garmin? If you’re not sure which fitness tracker or smartwatch is best, we’ve put them all through their paces in our fitness trackers and smartwatches review.

But remember: if you’re more lounge lizard than ultramarathon runner, a new gadget isn’t going to change your life. If you don’t have the motivation, even the fanciest fitness tracker won’t help – so think carefully about why you want one before reaching for your wallet.

The fitness tracker you should avoid

Nixon The Mission

• ÌÇÐÄVlog expert rating: 58%
• Price: $399

This fitness tracker scored a dismal 42% for ease of use and 43% for comfort. Our testers found that this fitness tracker had poor accuracy for distance, delivered inconsistent step counts, and had a screen that was hard to read in sunlight.Ìý

At $399 it’s more expensive than some of the top-performing fitness trackers we’ve tested, which is quite a bit to pay for a fitness tracker that doesn’t have a heart rate monitor.Ìý

Gym memberships

Many of us sign up to a gym early in the new year, spurred on by ambitious new year’s resolutions. But it’s hard to keep the motivation going when you’re back to work and the couch starts looking more appealing than a spin class. And when you try to get out of your gym contract you might find you’re pretty much locked in, leaving you out of pocket.Ìý

Before you commit, shop around. You could:

• ask for a free trial class before joining
• check out open days
• sign up as a casual member so you can try a few different classes before you commit to an ongoing membership
• take advantage of short-term memberships, such as a one-month taster or a three-month trial
• sign up for a ‘no-contract’ membership (remembering that these often involve direct debit payments, which you’ll need to cancel if you decide it’s not for you)

Here’s how to get a good deal on a gym membership.Ìý

Find your (fitness) tribe

There’s a gym class for everyone these days: F45, SoulCycle, barre, pilates, fitness programs for older people, gyms such as Fernwood and Curves that are just for women, yoga-focused studios – you name it.Ìý

It’s easier than ever to find a gym that suits you. And if you find a class style that aligns with how you like to exercise, you’re more likely to stick with it: there’s no point slogging it out on a crossfit machine if it bores you to tears. Set yourself up for success!

Find out about new ways of working out.Ìý

Diet changes

Changing your exercise habits won’t make much difference without changing your eating habits too.Ìý

We’re all for people making healthier food choices, but it’s important to do your research before jumping headfirst into the latest fad diet. Just because a celebrity is doing it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea! (We’re looking at you, grapefruit diet.)

Diet trends that work

Extreme options such as weight-loss drugs (e.g. Saxenda) and meal replacement programs (e.g. Isagenix) can be effective, but there are some serious pitfalls you should be aware of before you bust out the pills or shakes. See medical weight-loss treatments that work for more details.Ìý

Contrary to what the Instagram influencers would have you believe, there’s no magic solution that’ll help you lose weight fast and keep it off.Ìý

But dietitians do give ‘buddha bowls‘ the tick of approval, and for safe sustainable weight loss.

Diet trends to avoid

The ketogenic diet and the alkaline diet are two trends we don’t recommend. And if you’re thinking about overhauling your diet by trying Lite n’ Easy or going vegan, do your research first so you know what to expect.

• What is the alkaline diet and can it really improve your health?
• What is a ketogenic diet?
• Top tips for a healthy vegan diet
• Are buddha bowls and poke bowls healthy?
• Does Lite n’ Easy work?

Health and wellbeing apps

About one in three of us use apps to try to improve our health and wellbeing, but how many of us actually use them once we’ve downloaded them, or see any positive results?

When VicHealth and Deakin University reviewed 348 health and wellbeing apps, three out of four (75%) of them scored 2.5 stars or less out of five – suggesting that many apps aren’t worth your time, money or data.

Unfortunately, price is no guarantee of quality. A $50 app scored just 1.5 stars, while the ones that topped the list were free to download – but it’s good to know that you don’t need to drop any dollars to achieve your health goals.

How to pick the best health and wellbeing app

If you’re looking for an app to help improve your health, the evidence shows that you’re better off looking for ones that:

• let you set goals
• track your behaviour
• reward positive behaviour
• send notifications and prompts.

Check out VicHealth’s for reviews of 300+ health and wellness apps.

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