It is easy to set health goals, but sticking to them is a challenge. Counting calories, measuring heart rates, and tracking your progress take time, effort and discipline. Then there is the issue of staying motivated as you strive to become fitter and healthier. But the road to well-being is not all struggle and sweat: the surge in advanced health-tech gadgets has made getting fit easier and a lot more fun.

From smart scales to in-ear personal coaches, the latest innovations go beyond the standard health trackers and dive straight into futuristic territory to assist you in every aspect of your well-being. Wherever you are on your health journey, these gadgets will help guide your through your goals, provide insightful feedback, and maximise your efforts so you can focus on the end-game and, more importantly, get there successfully.

Five Christmas gifts for gadget fans

Bragi The Dash Pro (US$329)

Dash Pro earphones can identify the activities you are doing to keep track of your stats.

Wireless, intelligent and utterly sleek, The Dash Pro are earphones on steroids. Quality Bluetooth connection ensures a crystal clear stereo experience, while the lightweight ergonomic design provides a comfortable fit and cancels surrounding noise on command. The inbuilt MP3 player lets you store up to 1,000 songs, eliminating the need to bring along a mobile device so you can truly enjoy the freedom of going hands-free in your activities.

The star feature is the Bragi AI technology activated by the dedicated app, which intuitively identifies what you are doing – running, swimming or cycling – to keep track of your stats while offering real-time feedback via the on-board coach. With this sitting snugly in your ears, you’ll never need to bring anything else on your workout.

PowerDot (US$249)

PowerDot is a wearable electrical muscle stimulator that relieves tension all over the body.

When it comes to sore muscles, PowerDot – a wearable electrical muscle stimulator that relieves tension all over the body – is the perfect solution. This smart muscle therapy tool loosens tight kinks and knots by sending electronic pulses to the muscle fibres, stimulating them to boost the recovery process and ease aches. It also helps activate the muscles to strengthen them and ensure they perform better in your next activity, whether it is an intense workout or simply sitting through your daily meetings without feeling stiff.

Controlled by an app on your mobile device, the lightweight pod sends what feels like a ticklish sensation to your muscles that causes them to contract and get the lymphatic system flowing. Depending on the muscle group you want to target, you can choose from a variety of training programmes, such as “Active recovery”, “Warm up” and “Massage”. Muscles will perform more efficiently and you will get a sense of relief.

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Naboso Pro Training Mat (US$135)

Naboso

Ever attempted a yoga pose that almost had you toppling over? Naboso’s proprioceptor training mat might just be the answer to your balancing act. Designed based on texture research and surface science, the mat is made from patent-pending material to help you build stability and improve postural control from the ground up.

The premise is simple: the bottom of our feet contains thousands of proprioceptors (sensory receptors) that respond to different stimuli and help the brain perceive motion and position. This means the surfaces we train on matter, as they affect how we maintain an upright stance and activate postural muscles. The Naboso Pro Training Mat builds uses a textured material that boosts sensory stimulation to optimise your workout. Whether it is yoga, weightlifting or simple stretching, you can train hard and breathe easy knowing you are on stable ground.

MYZONE MZ-3 (US$149.99)

Smartwatches may be the obvious fitness tracker of choice due to convenience, but for your most accurate reading yet, turn to chest straps with specialised heart rate monitors to track your efforts. MYZONE’s MZ-3 features a heart-rate monitoring system that boasts 99.4 per cent accuracy to ensure you get trustworthy results. It comes complete with all the bells and whistles, souped-up with ANT+ and Analogue technology to provide live insights into your heart rate, calories and effort as you go about your exercises.

Luxurious state-of-the-art gym takes fitness and relaxation to new levels

Connecting to the complementary app will unlock other features as well, such as access to the social network of MYZONE users from around the world you can interact with to stay motivated, and a rewards system that allows you to earn points based on your performance to promote friendly competition among you and your mates. Simply strap it on over your chest (you will not even notice it is there) and start sweating.

Nokia Body Cardio (US$149.95)

Nokia’s Body Cardio analyses your body composition (body fat, water percentage, and muscle and bone mass) and heart rate.

Nobody likes stepping onto the scale in fear of seeing the numbers go up, but when you have one as clever as this, you’ll actually be looking forward to your next weigh-in. Nokia’s Body Cardio is a smart scale that goes beyond merely displaying the kilos and grams – it analyses your body composition (body fat, water percentage, and muscle and bone mass) and heart rate, providing an understanding of your overall health.

In true tech fashion, Body Cardio also connects to the Health Mate app via Wi-fi, where you can set weight goals, keep tabs on your nutrition, and receive tips on how to achieve your objectives. But do not just use it for yourself; with a special pregnancy tracker and baby mode available, the smart scale is for everyone in the family.