The global wellness market is projected to grow to nearly $9 trillion in 2028 as consumers embrace new ways of living, moving and being.  

This is good news for the fitness industry, which is enjoying increased foot traffic at gyms and strong member engagement numbers, although getting more Americans involved in fitness remains a vexing problem.

The rise of longevity services, GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and holistic wellness presents massive opportunities for fitness brands, but also exposes the industry to increased competition from new entrants. Meanwhile, the popularity of strength training is reshaping the way gyms look across the globe, while the rise of AI begins to transform the way fitness brands do business.

To get you ready for a new year, Athletech News breaks down the top fitness and wellness trends to watch in 2025:

• 

  Longevity & Recovery Become Big Business

  The longevity movement took off in 2024 as medical professionals, influencers and everyday wellness enthusiasts alike became enthralled with the idea that scientific breakthroughs and lifestyle choices can help people live better, for longer. 

  Amid this backdrop, longevity and recovery services are steadily making their way inside gyms, health clubs and studios. High-end brands like Life Time and Equinox now offer their members access to services including weight-loss support, biomarker blood testing and personalized health plans (for an extra fee), pushing us closer to a reality where the gym replaces – or at least competes with – the doctor’s office. 

  On the more modest end of the pricing spectrum, high-value, low-price (HVLP) gym chains including Crunch Fitness, Chuze Fitness, EōS Fitness and others are adding recovery modalities like infrared saunas, along with “recovery rooms” stocked with massage guns, massage chairs and more. With premium memberships at HVLP gyms available for $40/month or less, it’s becoming easier than ever to get a holistic wellness experience at your local big box. 

  The rise of longevity isn’t relegated to gyms and studios, either. Wellness and longevity centers are popping up across the United States, offering everything from GLP-1s to cryotherapy to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Restore Hyper Wellness is the leader with over 200 locations, but emerging brands like Next Health, Serotonin Centers, Lindora and Humanaut Health are projecting growth in the years ahead.

  Direct-to-consumer longevity is big business, too. According to a survey conducted by YouGov, 45% of Americans say they’re taking supplements to fight the aging process. Timeline, a maker of supplements with an active ingredient designed to slow aging at the cellular level, raised $66 million in funding in early 2024. 

  Those bullish on the science of longevity believe the movement is just starting to gain a critical mass in America. 

  “Today, when I talk to people about slowing down aging, nine out of 10 are telling me, “I shouldn’t be doing it,’” Anar Isman, the CEO of longevity startup AgelessRx, told ATN. “I envision a world in five to 10 years where that’s going to completely flip on its head, where nine out of 10 people are going to be saying, ‘You don’t want to slow down aging? What’s wrong with you?’”

• 

  Fitness Wearables Evolve Into Healthcare Companions

  Fitness wearables are more popular than ever – nearly half of all consumers surveyed by McKinsey reported having purchased a fitness wearable at some point in time. Wearables have also come a long way from the days of simply tracking steps and calories burned from workouts. 

  As tech advances, wearable makers are envisioning a future where your smartwatch, smart ring or other tracking device becomes your personal health companion.

  Smart ring giant Oura acquired metabolic health company Veri earlier this year and has partnered with Dexcom, makers of the first FDA-cleared over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor (CGM) device. Oura and Dexcom are working to create an ecosystem where users can understand how their glucose levels interact with metrics like activity, sleep and stress. Oura is also highly active in women’s health, adding features like Cycle Insights and Pregnancy Insights, along with perimenopause features. 

  “Wearable tech is for anyone who wants to better understand the state of their health and live more optimally, for longer,” Oura CEO Tom Hale has said. 

  Garmin is also working to make its smartwatches part of the future of healthcare, something the brand has termed “smartwatch-enabled digital health.” Thanks to Garmin Health, Garmin wearables have been part of more than 1,000 research studies in areas including sleep, well-being, rehabilitation, physical activity, and disease management. 

  Not to be outdone, Apple has also signaled its ambitions to play a bigger role in healthcare in the years ahead, with Apple Watches at the forefront. 

  “It’s clear to me that if you zoom out way into the future, and you look back and ask what Apple’s biggest contribution was, it will be in the health area,” Apple CEO Tim Cook told “Wired” in December. 

• 

  Strength Training Is Here To Stay. Pilates Might Be, Too

  We named strength training as one of our trends to watch in 2024, and the modality has only increased in popularity since then. Appreciated for its anti-aging, functional and metabolism-boosting benefits, strength training is everywhere, from gyms to TikTok. Even Peloton has embraced the modality, releasing a dedicated strength training app in hopes of bringing more fitness fans into its ranks.

  Big-box gyms across the country are racing to add strength training equipment like Olympic lifting platforms and other free weights to their fitness floors while ditching cardio equipment. Some gyms are even rethinking their group exercise offerings to account for the rise of strength – Vasa Fitness will introduce Studio LFT, a group-based strength training class featuring power racks, benches and plyometric boxes, in early 2025.

  Strength training isn’t just lifting heavy weights, though. Pilates’ surge in popularity over the past few years is thanks in no small part to a rise in awareness around the benefits of strength training. Functional fitness concepts like Pvolve have also become highly popular since the pandemic, buoyed by women embracing strength training in larger numbers than ever before.

  Pvolve president Julie Cartwright believes strength training is here to stay since people are becoming more aware of the science-backed benefits of adding muscle, especially for longevity.

  “I really do think it’s education in the marketplace,” Cartwright told ATN when asked about strength training’s rise and staying power. “Post-COVID, we’re all taking a more active role in our own self-care, in living better, longer. There’s (more) messaging about the importance of muscle mass and what it does for your longevity and health span.”

• 

  Will AI Impact Fitness Experiences?

  AI is changing the world, but will it actually change the way we work out?

  Much has been made in fitness industry circles about the promises (and potential nightmares) of artificial intelligence, but if you ask most gym-goers, the way they participate in fitness probably hasn’t changed too much since before the emergence of ChatGPT.

  “I think much of the AI application in the gym space has been somewhat overhyped,” Matt Wright, the vice president of growth and development at gym chain Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness, has told ATN.

  Can the fitness industry make AI a bigger part of the in-gym experience? Should it?

  Future is using AI to democratize access to virtual personal training, Lumin fitness has big expansion plans as the world’s first AI-powered boutique fitness studio and at-home fitness brands like Tempo and Tonal are using AI to make strength training effective and easy for newbies and fitness buffs alike.

  But as we head into 2025, those brands remain the exceptions rather than the norm. Despite this, some insiders believe it’s just a matter of time before the gym is transformed by AI and other tech.

  “I think in the next 5, 10, years in the U.S., you’re going to see transformative changes within gyms, where technology and AI – and personalization of training programs – is going to take place,” Marc Magliacano, a managing partner at private equity firm L Catterton, said during ATN’s DISRUPT 2024 video series earlier this year.

  If Magliacano’s AI prediction comes to pass, it could spell bad news for real-life personal trainers.

  “Unfortunately, I believe that personal training from a human perspective will be under review, frankly, just to say it nicely,” he said.

• 

  Investors Are Bullish on Fitness Again

  The fitness and wellness industry has rebounded quite nicely from the pandemic, and investors are taking notice.

  2024 was marked by high-profile deals including L Catterton’s acquisition of Solidcore and the firm’s investment into fitness tech brand EGYM, as well as the mega merger between Anytime Fitness parent company Self Esteem Brands and Orangetheory Fitness.

  Meanwhile, private equity groups continue to pour money into large franchisee groups, enabling sophisticated operators to create large portfolios of franchised gym brands in systems including Crunch Fitness, Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness.

  Consolidation is also happening at the corporate level as larger fitness brands buy up smaller ones. Barre3, a barre fitness franchise brand with around 200 locations nationwide, has acquired competitors including The Barre Code and Barre Centric, while gym giant LA Fitness acquired XSport Fitness earlier this year.

  Experts have told ATN they expect to see more big-time investments in fitness brands in 2025 as people embrace health and wellness – and as the industry moves further away from the carnage of the pandemic.

  “2025 is going to be a huge year for fitness” in terms of deal-making, Jeremy Hirsch, head of franchise and multi-unit services at Houlihan Lokey, predicts. “You’re going to have a lot of investors spending a lot of time on this category.”

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College athletes are getting in on the popular worlds of wearable technology, artificial intelligence and crypto. 

Cudis, makers of an AI-powered smart ring that allows users to control their own health data and earn rewards for physical activity, has signed a one-year partnership with UCLA Athletics.

With the partnership, Cudis will get its rings into the hands of UCLA athletes and other students through campaigns including in-game promotions. Cudis will also pursue name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with UCLA athletes in sports including football, women’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s basketball, tennis and golf. 

“This collaboration holds special meaning for us as we give back to the community that helped launch our vision,” said Edison Chen, the CEO of Cudis and a UCLA graduate. “By empowering UCLA’s student-athletes with our innovative tech, we’re not just improving their performance and health, we’re introducing them to the transformative power of blockchain and crypto, rewarding healthy habits along the way.”

Launched earlier this year, Cudis rings are built on the Solana blockchain platform and are powered by AI and Web 3 tech. Similar to popular smart rings from Oura and Samsung, Cudis rings track health metrics such as heart rate, sleep, stress and calories burned. Cudis also offers an “AI Coach” feature that provides personalized health insights.

The company has sold over 10,000 units since its rings first went on sale in April, and its online community has around 100,000 members. In September, Cudis raised $5 million in a seed funding round led by Draper Associates. 

Can the Blockchain Revolutionize Wearables?

Cudis’ partnership with UCLA comes as demand grows for fitness and wellness wearables, especially among young consumers. The company cited data that 35% of Gen Z consumers use wearables daily to track their health. 

Among wearables, the smart ring market in particular is heating up, with market leader Oura just raising $200 million at a $5.2 billion valuation and tech giant Samsung recently launching the Galaxy Smart Smart Ring.

According to Chen, two things separate Cudis from brands like Oura and Samsung: a reward system that encourages physical activity and the blockchain, which allows Cudis to safeguard its users’ health data. 

On the rewards front, Cudis users can earn points for engaging in healthy habits and actions, which are tracked by the ring and redeemable for exclusive rewards, including cryptocurrency airdrops. 

Cudis also uses cryptographic signatures, IPFS storage and blockchain verification to safeguard users’ health data. The company says this gives users “complete ownership” of their data.

Data as Currency

Chen argues that Cudis users benefit from a higher level of data privacy than they’d get with wearables like Oura, Whoop or the Apple Watch (these brands have data-privacy policies, although they don’t use blockchain verification). 

“Once you put the data on the chain, your data becomes your asset,” Chen told ATN. “This is the first time that users can actually own their health data as an asset. Whoever wants to use your data needs your approval – even us.”

In time, Chen says Cudis users will be able to monetize their own health data, including potentially selling their data to companies who may want to purchase it for research or marketing purposes. 

“Our data can actually be worth up to $5,000 every year,” Chen believes. 

Big Ambitions

Earlier this month, Cudis launched its second generation smart ring model, the Cudis 002 ($349), which offers up to 10 days of battery life, five meters of Bluetooth connectivity and is waterproof up to a depth of 50 meters. 

Cudis aims to sell one million smart rings and grow its online community to at least 5 million members in the years ahead, Chen told ATN. 

However, he’s quick to point out that the brand’s long-term mission goes beyond sales targets. 

“We want people to realize how important and how valuable their data is,” Chen said. “We want people to know your wellness data is an asset just like your house. If you can rent your house to get paid, you can do the same thing with your data.”

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There’s been a lot of buzz over corporate wellness this year, but could employee-sponsored wearables soon become as commonplace as on-site yoga classes and access to meditation and nutrition apps? 

It’s possible, according to wearable sports and fitness tech company Polar. The Finnish brand has just launched an enterprise wearable, providing companies with a new way to advance their workplace wellness efforts.

The Polar 360 is a screenless, low-profile band equipped with sensor technology and algorithms. While primarily designed to be worn on the wrist, it can also be used on the upper arm.

Data collected by the Polar 360 is converted into meaningful insights, which can be integrated into company apps via Polar’s API. The platform also offers an SDK kit, allowing companies to create their own algorithms and apps using data from the sensor.

As Polar points out, the wearable can be adapted to various uses depending on a company’s needs. For example, a logistics company could employ alertness tracking for driver safety or monitor exposure to extreme temperatures. The data measured – such as heart rate and skin temperature – can also provide early signals to employee burnout or fatigue. Notably, work stress is the number one threat to employee well-being, according to a recent Wellhub survey.

Polar CEO Sander Werring takes a common position these days: that cultivating well-being is a collective effort and one in which companies and organizations play a significant role.

“As this is a drastic change in the scale wearables are used, it is critically important what kind of company the solution comes from,” he said. “With Polar, we bring with us the Nordic, decades-long heritage and compliance towards privacy regulations of the highest standard. Just as Polar launched the wearables industry nearly 50 years ago, we are now shaping how wearables will be utilized 50 years from now. It’s an exciting, ambitious journey, and we’re thrilled to be taking it with our partners.” 

While employees may feel uneasy about their employers monitoring personal metrics, there can be benefits, according to Deloitte Insights. 

Citing Japan-based tech firm Hitachi, Deloitte noted last year that the company successfully experimented with boosting employee happiness levels using a wearable device and a mobile app, which provided employees with personalized suggestions for enhancing their happiness. The experiment’s results showed a 33% increase in the “psychological capital” of Hitachi employees, along with a 10% rise in profits, a 15% increase in retail sales and a 34% boost in sales per hour at call centers.

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Oura has unveiled its 2024 Year in Review, an in-depth look at the sleep, activity, recovery and stress resilience trends of its global community. The report aggregates insights from Oura members worldwide but also introduces personalized personality types based on health strengths: Earth (Resilience), Water (Sleep), and Fire (Activity). Oura’s data scientists analyzed de-identified, aggregated metrics collected from December 2023 through November 2024 to create the insights.

Global Sleep Trends

New Zealand led the pack with an impressive average Sleep Score of 79.8, closely followed by Australia (78.7), Sweden (78.5), Finland (78.4), and Austria (78.2). This trend highlights the sleep-centric lifestyles of Oceania and Scandinavia, regions known for their wellness-oriented cultures. The global mean Sleep Score across all Oura members was 77.0, reflecting a strong focus on nightly rest among users worldwide.

Most Active Nations

When it comes to movement, Ireland topped the charts, with members averaging just over 10,000 steps per day. Other European countries, including Estonia, Sweden, and the UK, were not far behind. The data points to Europe’s pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and active lifestyles as key factors in these high step counts. Research has long shown the cardiovascular and metabolic benefits of walking, with studies suggesting that even 7,000 steps per day can significantly enhance health.

Stress Levels

Interestingly, stress patterns varied widely. While Sundays recorded the least “stressed minutes,” Fridays, perhaps due to celebrations, ranked as the most stressful. The United States topped the list for average daily stressed minutes, followed by Norway and the Netherlands.

Introducing Health Personalities: Fire, Water & Earth

This year, Oura debuted Health Personality Types, offering members personalized insights into their strengths. Fire represents activity and includes members who consistently met their movement goals. Water reflects strong sleep habits, with members in this group prioritizing nightly rest. Earth symbolizes resilience: members who balance stress and recovery with ease. A small majority of members were characterized as Fire, demonstrating a commitment to being active.

Cardiovascular Age

Oura’s Cardiovascular Age (CVA) feature, launched in May 2024, estimates arterial health through pulse wave velocity (PWV). This metric revealed that members in Sweden and Norway had CVAs approximately 2.6 and 2.4 years below their chronological ages, reflecting exceptional cardiovascular health. The Netherlands, known for its cycling culture, also ranked highly in this category.

Oura members can find their personalized year in review in the app by navigating to the Today tab or accessing the Reports section in the menu. The latest Oura app version is required, and members with at least 60 days of data are eligible. Members can also share their achievements with friends and family by tapping the share icon within the app.

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High-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be poised for another breakthrough, while Pilates and strength training remain top-of-mind for fitness enthusiasts, according to a new report from smartwatch giant Garmin. 

Garmin has released its 2024 Garmin Connect Data Report, which reveals how Garmin users participated in health and fitness over the past year. The report offers some interesting insights – and perhaps a few surprises – for fitness operators and wellness enthusiasts.

Track running (+65%), HIIT (+56%) and Pilates (+42%) saw the highest year-over-year activity percentage increases, followed by e-bike riding (+38%) and indoor rock climbing (+31%).

Strength training also saw a healthy 25% year-over-year increase, which is unsurprising given the modality’s surge in popularity post-pandemic. 

Stairclimbing also saw a notable 25% increase, likely driven by the rise of glute training, especially among women. Breathwork logged a 19% year-over-year increase as fitness enthusiasts increasingly prioritize holistic wellness. 

Outdoor running (7%) and walking (6%) also saw modest year-over-year increases, showcasing the staying power of foundational fitness modalities. 

Pilates’ surge is notable, especially since Garmin users aren’t traditionally associated with the mind-body modality. One of the fastest-growing fitness modalities over the past few years, Pilates shows no signs of slowing down as franchise brands continue to expand and equipment makers release tech-forward spins on the modern Reformer experience. 

HIIT’s strong performance should bode well for large fitness operators like Barry’s and smaller boutiques alike, A recent report from Research and Markets projected high-intensity interval training to become the fastest-growing boutique fitness modality over the next five years, driven by its effectiveness for time-constrained exercisers. Studies like this one, meanwhile, have found that HIIT may reduce the risk of cognitive decline in seniors.

“This is the first study to our knowledge to identify that a HIIT paradigm for the healthy elderly is suitable and effective at significantly improving and retaining long-term hippocampal-dependent learning, for up to 5 years,” the study’s authors wrote.

Stepping to Better Health

Garmin’s 2024 report also offered insights into the general health and wellness patterns of people across the globe. 

The average Garmin user logged 8,317 steps per day in 2024, well above the worldwide average, which hovers around 5,000. Hong Kong users took the most steps on average, with 10,340, while Indonesians came in last, taking just 5,375 daily steps. 

Going Dutch? Netherlands Wins on Key Health Metrics

The Dutch have a reputation for leading a healthy lifestyle, which appears to be well-earned. Garmin users in the Netherlands had the highest average Body Battery level, a metric Garmin uses to measure personal energy levels based on factors like physical activity, stress, heart rate and sleep. 

The average Garmin user’s Body Battery level in the morning was 71, while those in the Netherlands had an average level of 74. Japan had the lowest average body batter level, coming in at just 66 in the morning. 

The Dutch also got the best sleep in 2024, with an average sleep score of 73, outpacing the worldwide average of 71. Indonesians had the lowest average sleep score of 64 (maybe they should walk more!).

South Korean Garmin users did the best at managing their stress, logging an average daily stress score of 28, ahead of the global average of 30. Malaysians had the highest stress scores of all Garmin users, coming in at 33. 

Surprisingly, across the board, Garmin users’ stress scores were lowest on Monday (29) and highest on Saturday (32). Garmin notes that might be due to “jitters” before a big race or event, which often takes place on the weekend.

Fountain of Youth

In terms of fitness, the average Garmin user’s “training readiness” score was 60, which equates to moderately prepared. Users in New Zealand were the most ready for training on average, while South Koreans tended to be the least prepared. 

Garmin users tend to be healthier than their biological age would suggest. According to the brand’s “fitness age” metric, Garmin users are, on average, 2.48 years younger than their actual age. Women were 1.94 years younger on average while men were 2.75 years younger than their actual ages. 

Garmin Eyes Healthcare

While Garmin has made a name for itself over the past two decades for its health and fitness wearables, the Kansas-based brand is also eyeing the healthcare space. 

Garmin executives believe smartwatches can become an integral part of modern healthcare by tracking metrics like stress, heart rate variability (HRV) and skin temperature, and feeding that data to healthcare professionals, who can then make more informed decisions on patient health.

Called, “smartwatch-enabled digital health,” Garmin is actively working to make this vision a reality. The company launched Garmin Health in 2014, growing it into a full-scale B2B solution for healthcare, research and clinical trials, insurance companies, gyms and fitness brands, corporate wellness and more. 

When it comes to smartwatches and healthcare, Garmin believes it has an advantage over other tech players like Apple and Samsung thanks to its open platform, the quality of its biometric data and the long battery life of its watches. 

“Garmin’s business strategy is to be an ecosystem player,” Scott Burgett, senior director of Garmin Health Engineering, told Athletech News earlier this year. “When you look at the breadth of our wearable products, the breadth of our data, and the ease of integration – we’re agnostic between iOS and Android – we really are the best company (to work with).”

To view the 2024 Garmin Connect Data Report in full, see here.

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Manual food logging could soon be in the past.

Imagine a wearable that automatically detects and analyzes what you’re eating and drinking throughout the day – that’s the concept behind Rex.fit’s The Drop, a device that has launched on Kickstarter as the world’s first fully automated wearable nutrition tracker.

Lightweight and able to be worn as either a pendant or by attaching it with a magnet, The Drop features a smart chip that automatically detects food intake and begins recording with a 4K smart AI camera while focusing on just the food. A cropped image is then sent to the cloud for analysis, where algorithms calculate the meal’s calories, proteins, fats, and carbs, syncing the data to a companion app. The images are then immediately deleted. 

Rex.fit founders Rangel Milushev and Ahmad Roumie, both with expertise in AI and computer vision and backed by incubators Y Combinator and Entrepreneur First, say the wearable solves the often painstaking task of logging every meal, snack or drink – which they point out can cause stress and cause an unhealthy relationship with food. 

“By introducing The Drop, we aim to create a new category of wearables—nutrition trackers—similar to fitness trackers and smartwatches,” Milushev, a graduate of Harvard, said. “Our vision is to empower users to effortlessly take control of their nutrition and health.”

Notably, the new wearable follows Rex.fit’s Rex Nutribot, a nutrition tracker that launched on WhatsApp last year and prompted the team to create a more advanced (and fully automated) nutrition tracker.

“We made calorie tracking as simple as sending a photo or a text to a friend,” the Rex.fit team noted of Nutribot on the Kickstarter page. “More than 20,000 users later, we learned that nutrition tracking is still not a solved problem. Every solution on the market requires too much input from the user, and most don’t manage to create the habit to track what they eat. A real solution needs to be as user-friendly and intuitive as fitness tracking is. It needs to be a wearable that you can just put on in the morning and forget about.”

The Drop includes a lifetime subscription to Rex Premium ($19.99 per month), which offers an AI-powered nutrition coach and integration with Apple Fitness and Google Fit, along with other popular trackers such as Oura, Garmin, Eight Sleep and more. The fully automated nutrition tracker ($199) is now accepting pre-orders and is available in metallic blue, matte black and gold. Additional colors will be available in the next iteration, according to the Rex.fit team.

While The Drop aims to solve consumer pain points in nutrition tracking, the wearable could also assist gyms, studios, health coaches and personal trainers in the future – especially as consumers have begun to expect hyper-personalized coaching. As of now, Rex.fit offers a white-label solution for its app, with customizable branding.

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Hertzman and Worthy also speak on Myzone’s origin and the increased understanding of the benefits that come with cooperation between wearable brands in the connected fitness arena. The pair also touch on the importance of doing artificial intelligence (AI) the right way and what Myzone’s future entails.

Watch the full interview for expert commentary on the following:

• Gamification in Fitness
• Building a loyal member base
• Ways to win the connected fitness game

Key Talking Points:

• (0:00 – 1:03 ) Introductions
• (1:03 – 4:02) Making fitness easy an enjoyable
• (4:02 – 8:21) Gamification as a motivator
• (8:21 – 10:50) How Myzone creates community
• (10:50 – 14:01) Going beyond just a wearable
• (14:01 – 16:09) Myzone in connected fitness
• (16:09 – 20:30) Leveraging AI
• (20:30 – 23:41) Enabling consistency with MEP
• (23:41 – 26:59) Looking ahead at 2025
• (26:59 – 27:50) Wrap-ip

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Wearable tech company Whoop has unveiled a new journal feature that’s raising some eyebrows: the ability to log ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin.

The new logging option comes at a pivotal time for the health and wellness industry, with an incoming administration and key players that are pro-psychedelics — Elon Musk has openly discussed using ketamine to treat depression, and Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signaled a willingness to advance psychedelic medicine.

“Our legal team told us that we have to say this…We do not recommend the recreational use of these drugs, and we cannot tell you about potential health outcomes,” the human performance company captioned a social media post announcing the new journal add-on.

Whoop’s journal – which is a customizable self-reporting tool where users can log everything from medication (including GLP-1s, chemotherapy, COVID-19 vaccines, and boosters), menstruation, supplements, acupuncture, air travel, ice baths, injuries, and more — provides insights into how daily behaviors affect recovery, strain and sleep. Several of the available journal questions are hyper-specific — such as whether a Whoop user worked an on-call shift, parented a sick child, observed Ramadan, or had a dog in the room while sleeping.

While some commenters expressed skepticism of Whoop’s latest move—questioning how many Whoop users actually take psychedelics and criticizing the new feature from a health-focused company—others pointed out that data collection may help explore long-term effects, with many using the substances for therapeutic purposes.

Ketamine, in particular, was added to Whoop’s journal as an extension of its ongoing research with Stella Center, according to the Boston-based human performance company.

The two are collaborating on a study sponsored by the University of Queensland to observe the psychological and physiological effects of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB). Although SGB is FDA-approved pain relief, it’s been used off-label to treat symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Study participants will wear a Whoop band for eight weights to measure changes in physiological changes in response to Stella’s SGB treatment protocol. Stella Center also offers IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy at some of its locations.

“At Whoop, we believe it is extremely important to remain on the cutting edge of treatments that may improve the lives of the millions currently struggling with trauma and mental health symptoms,” said Whoop’s Finn Fielding. “Working with Stella to examine the impacts of their procedures represents another step in achieving our mission of optimizing human health and performance.”

While some may be divided on Whoop’s latest move, the wearable company recently delivered a much-requested feature: the ability to track steps.

“Our members have increasingly requested steps, and we’ve been listening,” Whoop founder and CEO Will Ahmed told Athletech News. “This update allows us to provide a more complete picture of movement and activity throughout the day, in addition to strain and recovery data.”

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Alphabeats has partnered with EEG (electroencephalogram) headband maker Muse by Ineraxon, making its athlete-focused brain-training app available to Muse customers.

Through the partnership, Muse users can now access alphabeat’s membership-based, music-driven neurofeedback platform, which helps athletes and high-performers train their brains to enter the so-called “flow state” to improve creativity, recovery, focus, reaction time and coordination. 

A Dutch startup that’s raised $4.16 million to date, alphabeats makes an app that syncs with compatible EEG headbands. On the alphabeats app, users can select from a catalog of music, listening along as songs change in real-time based on EEG brainwave activity. This helps people train their brains to produce alpha waves, which have been associated with the flow state. 

Alphabeats also offers visual cues and cognitive games to encourage alpha brain wave production. 

“Music is the key to making mental training both effective and engaging – a finding we’ve proven with professional athletes over the past decade,” alphabeats CEO Jorrit DeVries said of the partnership. “Muse has built strong credibility through their affordable, high-quality hardware solutions. By integrating our one-of-a kind music-driven training with their platform, we can offer professional-grade mental training at a more accessible price point to more people.”

Part of Canadian neurotech company Interaxon, Muse makes two EEG headband products – the Muse S and the Muse 2 – that monitor brain activity and provide real-time feedback to users about their levels of focus, relaxation and stress.

In addition to its partnership with alphabeats, Muse announced a new “Brain Recharge Score” feature, which leverages AI and EEG data to offer personalized insights into mental stress and recovery. The Brain Recharge Score will become available this winter, Muse says. 

Muse’s neurofeedback tools have helped golfers improve their putting scores after just seven minutes of use, the company says, citing research from the University of Toronto. Alphabeats, for its part, cites research showing that its platform has helped Olympic-level archers and professional soccer players improve their abilities to enter optimal mental states for performance. 

“Our mission has always been to provide accessible tools for brain health, and by partnering with alphabeats, we’re able to offer users an integrated approach to both mental recovery and peak performance,” said Muse CEO Jean-Michel Fournier. “Partnerships like this extend Muse’s impact into new verticals, adding more value for our customers.”

Muse 2 headbands will now come bundled with an annual alphabeats subscription – the bundle is available for pre-order at a limited-time price of $199. The regular price will jump to $399 after the promo period ends. Additionally, existing Muse 2 and Muse S owners can purchase an alphabeats annual subscription for a promo price of $79. That subscription price will increase to $149 after the promo period ends. 

In October, alphabeats named DeVries, a former Spotify exec, as its CEO. DeVries told Athletech News that the Dutch startup is looking to make a bigger push into the United States wearable market, initially targeting athletes before expanding to everyday fitness and wellness consumers. 

“If we can prove with elite athletes that our system works and that we have the scientific proof and the testimonials to underpin our story, that will ultimately create a ripple effect for what we call the ‘high achievers,’ or the ‘everyday champions’ to tap into this as well,” DeVries said in October.

The post Alphabeats, Muse Bring Brain-Wave Wearables to the Masses appeared first on Athletech News.

Garmin has raised its full-year 2024 guidance following a solid third quarter, which included consolidated revenue of $1.59 billion—a 24% increase compared to the prior-year quarter.

Notably, Garmin’s fitness segment revenue rose 31% in Q3 across all categories, driven by strong demand for wearables. The tech company hosted its annual Garmin Health Summit in Prague during the quarter and celebrated the 10th anniversary of Garmin Health, which has grown into a B2B solution for healthcare, clinical trials, insurance companies, gyms and fitness brands and corporate wellness.

The Garmin Health Summit underscored the tech company’s vision – where fitness trackers and smartwatches are more than just high-tech wearables, but a crucial component in healthcare and a tool that gathers important patient information. 

In September, Garmin unveiled new updates to Garmin Coach, such as training plans for cyclists and announced upcoming new features, like race time prediction enhancements.

“We delivered another quarter of impressive financial results as our highly differentiated and innovative products resonate with customers, and we successfully leveraged growth opportunities across market segments and geographies,” Garmin president and CEO Cliff Pemble said. “We are raising our 2024 outlook based on the results we have achieved so far and the momentum we are experiencing as we enter the important holiday selling season.”

The post Garmin’s Fitness Segment Revenue Soars in Q3 appeared first on Athletech News.

Oura is going all-in on quality as it gears up to fight off competition from the likes of Samsung in the red-hot smart ring space. 

On Thursday, the Finnish brand unveiled the Oura Ring 4, which features new and improved sensors designed to offer more accurate readings, longer battery life, and increased comfort for wearers. 

The Oura Ring 4 is highlighted by Smart Sensing, with research-grade sensors housed inside the ring that adapt to the finger to deliver more accurate data for metrics including blood oxygen sensing, breathing, and heart rate. 

Thanks to Smart Sensing, Oura says the newest version of its ring offers notable improvements in overnight blood oxygen measurements (SpO2), breathing disturbance index (BDI), and daytime and nighttime heart-rate tracking. 

The smart sensors are recessed within the Oura Ring 4, which Oura says provides a more comfortable wear. In the Oura Ring Gen3, the previous model, the sensors were housed in a raised dome, meaning many users could feel the sensors while wearing the ring. 

Available for preorder now and set to start shipping October 15, the Oura Ring 4 will retail for between $349 and $499 depending on color and will offer up to eight days of battery life. 

Oura is also redesigning its app to provide users with a more streamlined overview of their overall health picture, including easy access to daily and long-term health metrics like stress and resilience, women’s health, and heart health.

“Oura Ring is designed to be a personal health companion, giving our members a holistic view of their health by pairing personal data with meaningful, actionable insights to facilitate long-term changes,” said Oura CEO Tom Hale. “The next-generation Oura Ring 4, reimagined Oura App, and the development of the Smart Sensing platform represent significant steps forward for wearables across accuracy, comfort, personalization, and design.”

Can Oura Stay on Top?

Oura, which has sold over 2.5 million rings worldwide and is nearing $500 million in annual revenue, has dominated the smart ring market since the brand was founded in 2013.

However, the space has become more crowded as of late, with new brands entering the market as demand rises for smart rings, which track a host of metrics including heart-rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen rate, body temperature, and sleep, and offer a lower profile than smartwatches. 

Samsung made headlines earlier this year when it launched its Galaxy Ring, packing it with features that make it a serious competitor to the Oura Ring. There are rumors that Apple could enter the smart ring space as early as 2025, although that’s still highly speculative. 

With the Oura Ring 4, the Finnish tech company appears to be leaning into its reputation as the “OG” in the smart ring space. With Smart Sensing, Oura wants to make it known that its rings provide the best and most accurate data on the market as users look to track their sleep, steps, and stress more than ever before. 

The post Oura Ring 4 Features Improved Accuracy, More Comfortable Design appeared first on Athletech News.

Alphabeats, a Dutch startup that uses wearable tech and music-driven neurofeedback to help athletes improve their mental performance, is gearing up to conquer the American health and wellness market. 

After raising nearly $2 million in fresh funding, alphabeats has promoted chief commercial officer Jorrit DeVries to global CEO and is shifting its business headquarters from the Netherlands to Los Angeles. 

Han Dirkx, who had been serving as CEO, will now become chief operating officer, leading alphabeats’ product, research and development, and technology teams, which will stay based in the Netherlands.

DeVries, a former Spotify executive who joined alphabets in April, will head up the company’s LA office, where alphabeats will house its business operations teams as it pushes further into the United States. 

“I’m honored to take the reins at alphabeats at this pivotal moment,” DeVries said. “The convergence of wearable technology, neurofeedback advancements and the growing accessibility of elite performance tools creates a unique opportunity. I’m excited to build on the strong foundation laid by Han and the team, as we work towards our vision of making mental fitness achievable for everyone.”

A Wearable That Trains Your Brain

Alphabeats offers an EEG (electroencephalogram) headband and accompanying app, which are designed to help users produce more alpha brain waves. Often associated with being in a “flow state,” alpha waves are beneficial for creativity, recovery, deep focus, improved reaction time and motor coordination, making them sought after for athletic performance. 

To use the alphabeats platform, users strap on an EEG headband and a pair of headphones, then turn on the app. The app monitors users’ brain activity, providing real-time feedback through music, visual cues and cognitive games to help users train their brains to produce more alpha waves. 

For example, the app can take popular songs and change the soundtrack to correspond to changes in users’ brain waves. The more alpha waves a user produces, the more the soundtrack matches the actual song. Training sessions on alphabeats last around 10 minutes, with programs created specifically for states like focus, stress relief and rest/relaxation. 

With consistent training, alphabeats says users can learn to produce alpha waves whenever they want. For athletes, this can come in handy before key moments in a game or competition. 

An alphabeats membership is currently available for $149 per year or $15.99 per month. Users can purchase an EEG headband from BrainBit for $449, although the platform works with other compatible EEG headbands. 

To date, alphabeats has raised €3.75 million ($4.16 million), including a recent €1.75 million post-seed round led by Dutch venture capital firm DeepTech XL. The company also counts Netherlands-based firms Lumo Labs and HighTech XL among its investors. 

Alphabeats is actively looking to raise additional funds from American investors, DeVries tells Athletech News. 

Targeting Athletes, High-Performers

While it’s still very early days for the company, alphabeats has seen some initial success in the United States. It recently struck a partnership with USA Triathlon’s Project Podium, a program that trains young male athletes for the Olympics. Through the partnership, a select group of Project Podium athletes will integrate alphabeats into their daily training over three months. 

Alphabeats is also collaborating with Nationsbest Football, an organization that works with elite football players in the U.S. As part of that collaboration, 10 football players across pro, college and high school levels agreed to use alphabeats as part of their daily training. 

Alphabeats also counts Dewi Weber, a Dutch pro golfer playing on the LPGA Tour, among its users.

With DeVries as global CEO, alphabeats will look to strengthen its presence in the U.S. market by getting its mental performance system into the hands of as many athletes as possible.

To do so, alphabeats is shifting its business operations to Los Angeles, where it’s looking to hire for new positions including a chief marketing officer. According to DeVries, the company chose LA over other American cities because Southern California will play host to globally important upcoming sporting events including the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics. 

“It only makes sense for us to double down (here) and make sure this is the market where everything comes together,” DeVries told ATN. 

Eventually, DeVries sees a market for alphabeats that stretches beyond just athletes and into weekend warriors and everyday fitness enthusiasts – the same people that wear Apple Watches and Oura rings should, presumably, be interested in optimizing their brain function with an EEG headband. 

“If we can prove with elite athletes that our system works and that we have the scientific proof and the testimonials to underpin our story, that will ultimately create a ripple effect for what we call the ‘high achievers,’ or the ‘everyday champions’ to tap into this as well,” DeVries said. 

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For Garmin, the future of healthcare will be found on people’s wrists. 

At the 10th annual Garmin Health Summit, held this week in Prague, the tech company pointed to a future where fitness trackers and smartwatches are an integral part of global healthcare systems, with doctors having access to patients’ information like sleep and heart rate data to inform better treatment plans, and health insurance companies leveraging large biometric data sets to deliver services on a macro scale. 

Garmin is confident its wearables will be at the forefront of this movement, which the brand calls “smartwatch-enabled digital health.” 

While the smartwatch space has become highly competitive, with some of the biggest brands in the world entering the space, Garmin’s executives believe the Kansas-based company, founded in 1989, has a competitive advantage when it comes to wearables and healthcare.  

“Garmin’s business strategy is to be an ecosystem player,” Scott Burgett, senior director of Garmin Health Engineering, told Athletech News at the event. “When you look at the breadth of our wearable products, the breadth of our data, and the ease of integration – we’re agnostic between iOS and Android – we really are the best company (to work with).”

The Garmin Advantage 

During the Summit, Garmin’s executives touted its wearables as the best devices on the market to support doctors, healthcare companies, and clinical researchers, thanks to their long battery life and high-quality biometric sensors, which track metrics including stress, heart rate variability (HRV) and skin temperature, among others, with high accuracy. 

Most Garmin smartwatches have a battery life of at least 5 days, with some lasting far longer than that. That’s significantly higher than new versions of the Apple Watch (between 18 hours and 3 days, depending on model) and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (around 2 days, according to online reviews). 

Longer battery life leads to higher customer engagement and longer wear times, which means more data for healthcare professionals, Garmin points out. 

“It’s so important that you can put on a wearable and leave it on for seven days,” Burgett said. “Every time you take it off, there’s a chance you might not put it back on.”

“We focus on battery life because it’s a unique selling point that none of our competitors really can touch,” he added. 

On the biometric data side, Garmin believes its wearables are the best in the business – the brand released its first smartwatch in 2003, over a decade before other tech players entered the space. 

“In 2015, we launched our first in-house PPG sensor. We’re now on Gen 5 and you can see how often we update that throughout the year,” Burgett said. “It’s one of our constant initiatives. We continue to innovate in our sensor technology.”

Beyond its smartwatch tech, Garmin believes it’s got the best system to support businesses and organizations as they pursue digital health innovation. The brand established Garmin Health in 2014, growing it into a full-scale B2B solution for healthcare, research and clinical trials, insurance companies, gyms and fitness brands, corporate wellness, and more. 

Garmin wearables have been part of more than 1,000 research studies in areas including sleep, well-being, rehabilitation, physical activity, and disease management. 

Executives also touted Garmin’s commitment to data privacy – the Garmin Health API allows third parties to ask customers whether or not they consent to sharing their wearable data. 

A Glimpse Into the Future 

While there’s a consensus among experts that we’re at the very beginning stages of wearables becoming important in healthcare – operational, regulatory, and economic challenges currently prevent wider adoption – some organizations are already embracing the future imagined by Garmin. 

At this year’s Summit, Garmin highlighted some of the companies already using its wearables to make a difference in people’s health. 

VigiLife, Inc., and Metluma were announced as winners of the 2024 Garmin Health Awards, voted on by a panel of industry experts and Summit attendees. 

VigiLife, an Ohio-based company, created SafeGuard, a platform that protects employees from workplace hazards like heat stress by leveraging environmental sensors to detect noise, radiation, and certain chemicals. The brand uses Garmin smartwatches and fitness trackers in conjunction with its environmental sensors. 

Metluma, an Australian telehealth platform, helps women navigate perimenopause and menopause by connecting them with medical professionals and providing other digital support. The female-founded company leverages wearable data to provide treatment for its users. 

“We are thrilled to celebrate this year’s Garmin Health Awards entrants,” said Jörn Watzke, senior director for Garmin Health. “Over 75 leading providers from 35 countries worldwide submitted their innovative solutions. We were so impressed by the diversity and level of innovation demonstrated in these solutions and we offer a huge congratulations to this year’s winners and to all who participated.”

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Last Friday, Apple released its newest lineup in Apple Stores worldwide. Among the new releases was the Apple Watch Series 10, which is thinner and brighter than ever, with revamped health and wellness features. Athletech News tested the Apple Watch Series 10 to see how it compares to other Apple Watch models and competitors.

Pros

The Series 10 is more compact than ever, around 10% thinner and lighter than the Series 9. While this might not seem like a big change, it’s a noticeable one for a device designed for everyday wear. The Series 10 comes in a beautiful new titanium finish, and its screen is 9% larger than that of the Series 7, 8, and 9.

The screen size is comparable to the Ultra, but the watch feels far less bulky. The new wide-angle OLED display is up to 40% brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from an angle. This bright display makes it easier to read fitness stats during outdoor workouts.

One of the biggest complaints I consistently hear about the Apple Watch is that competitors, like Garmin, have a longer battery life. The Series 10 is now the fastest-charging Apple Watch ever: 15 minutes of charging provides eight hours of normal use, and eight minutes of charging gives eight hours of sleep tracking. Users can charge to 80 percent battery in around 30 minutes, making the inconvenience of daily charging more palatable.

The Vitals app, new with watchOS 11, gives users a snapshot of their overnight health metrics. The watch measures heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration to collect a typical range and alert users if something seems off. The Vitals app seemed similar to the stats I receive on my Oura ring or Whoop.

As a former swimmer, I was excited by the newest water activities features on watchOS 11. The latest update introduced Custom Workouts for pool swims, and Series 10 has a new depth gauge and water temperature sensor. The depth gauge can measure down to 6 meters, and the water temperature sensor activates once the watch is submerged.

For those concerned about sleep apnea, the latest version of watchOS also measures repeated disturbances in one’s sleep using the accelerometer. If one consistently experiences breathing disturbances, the feature suggests it might be a sign of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea affects nearly 1 billion people worldwide and is often undiagnosed, so this feature is raising awareness of the condition.

Cons

The Apple Watch Series 10 comes in either aluminum or titanium. While the titanium finish is more durable and looks more upscale, those Series 10 watches are $300 more than the aluminum ones, priced at $699 and $399, respectively. The Ultra 2, for comparison, retails at $799. If you’re an athlete, the Ultra 2 has the “action” button for customizable, quick actions (like starting a hike or logging a track lap) and “precision start” instead of the 3-second countdown in Series 10.

There is a significant battery improvement with the Ultra 2 (it can last almost twice as long as the Series 10, up to around 35 hours with lower power GPS and fewer readings). If you’re considering the Series 10 titanium, keep in mind the small price difference compared to the Ultra 2; it might make more sense to spend the extra $100 for the latter. However, if the new design appeals to you (it fits my smaller wrist much better than the Ultra) or you want the aluminum version, the Series 10 might make more sense.

Overall, while the major changes of the Series 10 are design-related, Apple continues to focus on health and wellness with its hardware and software updates. The lighter watch is less cumbersome during workouts, and watchOS 11’s newest health updates like the Vitals app and the water activities features continue to level up Apple’s commitment to wellness.

The post Product of the Week: Apple Watch Series 10 Rivals the Apple Watch Ultra appeared first on Athletech News.

In the latest episode of Athletech News’ Unscripted podcast, Kristen Holmes, global head of human performance and principal scientist at health and wellness wearable Whoop, joins co-hosts Edward Hertzman and Eric Malzone to discuss the latest research in human performance, with an eye toward how you can use these insights to live better.  

Holmes, Hertzman and Malzone dive deep into the art and science of performing your best, including leveraging data to guide you along the way. Watch this episode of Unscripted for unfiltered takes on the following:

• Optimizing your lifestyle to work with your body’s biology, not against it
• How to train for peak performance and longevity
• When to push through stress, and when to dial it back

Key Talking Points:

• (0:00 – 8:03) Introductions 
• (8:03 – 16:07) The importance of mental health and circadian rhythms
• (16:07 – 24:12) Navigating the challenges of modern life
• (24:12 – 30:42) Understanding stress: adaptive vs maladaptive
• (30:42 – 40:07) Tracking metrics for longevity
• (40:07 – 44:24) The role of lifestyle in performance
• (44:24 – 47:40) Research opportunities and future directions

The post Unscripted: Whoop’s Kristen Holmes on the Science of Living Better appeared first on Athletech News.

Amazfit, a smart wearable brand by Zepp Health, announced that Hyrox world champions Meg Jacoby and Hunter McIntyre have officially joined Amazfit’s roster of international athlete ambassadors. The collaboration follows the recent announcement of Amazfit as the Official Wearable Partner & Timekeeper of Hyrox, the functional fitness challenge that attracts over 300,000 participants per season across Europe and the US.

The news comes shortly after Amazfit and Hyrox announced a two-year partnership, with Amazfit serving as the Official Wearable and Timekeeper for Hyrox events. Through this collaboration, Amazfit introduced specialized features like a Hyrox race mode in their smartwatches, providing athletes with real-time insights during training and competition.

Hyrox features an 8-kilometer run punctuated by eight challenging workout stations, like sled pushes, farmer’s carries, and sandbag lunges. Meg Jacoby recently made history as the first woman to complete a Hyrox race in under one hour at the World Championships in Nice, France. She wears the Amazfit Cheetah Pro smartwatch to optimize her training and track her progress. Hunter McIntyre, a three-time Hyrox world champion and a leading figure in the obstacle course racing world, uses Amazfit’s T-Rex series for its precise GPS tracking and durability.

Amazfit’s smartwatches offer heart rate monitoring, VO2 max tracking, and a Hyrox-specific model for races. The brand’s Readiness feature, found in the Cheetah series and the newly launched Amazfit Helio Ring, offers personalized insights into an athlete’s physical and mental state. As Amazfit’s newest brand ambassadors, Jacoby and McIntyre will collaborate with the brand’s research and development team, providing feedback to further enhance future Amazfit products.

“Amazfit is excited to partner with world-class athletes like Meg Jacoby and Hunter McIntyre, marking a new chapter in our commitment to the endurance sector,” said Wayne Huang, CEO of Zepp Health. “These athletes push themselves to new heights, and with Amazfit’s cutting-edge smart wearables, they can unlock new levels of performance. We are thrilled to work together to drive product innovation and shape the future of our wearables.”

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Oura, makers of the sleek smart ring, has acquired Veri, a Finnish personalized metabolic health company. The deal is expected to advance the Oura ring to new levels in terms of health data as it goes toe to toe with Samsung’s Galaxy Smart Ring. The two companies have worked together before. Last year, Oura had partnered with Veri to understand the relationship between sleep and glucose biomarkers.

Oura CEO Tom Hale noted that metabolic health is not only a natural next dimension of the wearable tech brand, but one that’s been requested by Oura customers. 

The company has sold over 2.5 million smart rings since its 2013 launch.

Big Interest in Metabolic Health

Metabolic health certainly is top of mind for Oura wearers. The wearable tech company shares that 97% of members have expressed interest in understanding the correlation between food and its impact on their health. One survey of Oura members revealed that 13% have worn a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), while over half (53%) are interested in wearing a CGM in the next 12 months. 

Oura members aren’t unique in terms of their interest in CGMs. All signs indicate that the devices are poised to become as commonplace as a smartwatch, especially as consumers become increasingly health-focused and seek a data-driven approach. It’s an area that has also seen excitement from investors, with companies such as Ultrahuman, BoydSense, Biolinq, Allez Health all securing capital in the CGM space this year. 

What’s Next for Oura?

And although the Oura ring is currently a standalone product, Hale noted that could soon change following Oura’s acquisition of Veri.

“We see a world where the product experience includes other health data inputs and sensors, such as CGMs, factoring into the data and insights presented within the Oura App,” he said. “The expertise of Veri’s team will help accelerate this vision, strengthening our product and opening up new avenues for metabolic health offerings.”

A significant portion of Veri’s team – including its three founders – are joining Oura’s staff.

Oura’s Upcoming ‘Meals’ Feature

“When most people think about metabolic health, they think of weight loss and diabetes, but, like Oura, we’ve always had a vision centered around helping people understand their health more deeply,” Veri CEO and co-founder Anttoni Aniebonam said, adding that Oura is a “like-minded Finnish brand. “Together, we’ll explore how metabolic awareness can create a more complete picture of your overall health and provide guidance to help Oura Members achieve their personal goals, whatever they may be.”

Oura smart ring members won’t have to wait long to see the impact of the company’s metabolic health push. This fall, Oura plans to roll out Meals, a new feature that assists members in tracking meal timing. Meals will give Oura users a better understanding of the connection between how and when they eat and its influence on important health metrics, such as sleep, stress and recovery. 

Last month, Oura welcomed former Apple executive Miklu Silvanto as its new chief design officer. Silvanto is overseeing software and industrial design teams in his new role, focusing on the member experience. Oura had tapped another Apple executive late last year, onboarding Jason Oberfest as its VP of healthcare. 

The post Oura Acquires Veri Amid Wider Metabolic Health Push appeared first on Athletech News.

A recent consumer study conducted by Parks Associates reveals that nearly 50% of U.S. internet households now own and actively use wearable devices, underscoring the growing demand for health and safety features in these products. 

The study, Wearables: Advances in Health and Safety, surveyed 8,000 U.S. internet households and provies insights into consumer behavior surrounding smartwatches and other emerging technologies like smart rings.

According to the study, 32% of wearable device owners subscribe to services attached to their wearables, while 92% of those planning to purchase a device are willing to pay extra for at least one health-related feature. Health metrics, particularly blood pressure monitoring, are highly sought after due to the increasing prevalence of hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions.

Kristen Hanich, research director at Parks Associates, commented on the trends shaping the wearables market, noting that while purchase intentions surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have since leveled off as the urgency for health monitoring diminished post-pandemic. 

However, the perceived value of wearables remains closely tied to healthcare benefits, with consumer satisfaction significantly higher when devices come with added functionalities and services.

“Success for these devices goes beyond the initial sale,” Hanich said. “As consumers attach more services to their wearables, such as safety monitoring or health coaching, their satisfaction grows. The connection between the owner and the device strengthens as new services become available.”

The study also suggests significant opportunities for growth in premium services and subscriptions, particularly in areas like personal safety and emergency monitoring, which are becoming increasingly popular use cases. Wearables are evolving from standalone devices into platforms for ongoing services that enhance consumer engagement and device value over time.

This information could be useful for personal trainers and health coaches, who can use the data from wearables to customize programs and provide highly informed direction to clients.

In related news, ATN reported in May that Garrmin saw a 40% revenue increase to $343 million in its fitness category during the first part of 2024, setting a record that the tech company says was led by strong demand for advanced wearables.

Notably, revenue from Garmin’s outdoor segment trended upwards,  increasing 11% in the first quarter to $366 million — which the company says was driven by growth in wearables, supporting the results of the study. 

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Hyrox, the competitive fitness racing company, has announced a two-year partnership with Zepp Health Corporation. Zepp Health’s smart wearable brand, Amazfit, will serve as the Official Wearable and Timekeeping partner of Hyrox, supporting its 300,000 athletes per season across Europe and the United States.

Amazfit offers affordable smartwatches in a saturated market, including the Amazfit Cheetah Pro, Falcon, T-Rex Ultra, Balance, Active and the Helio Ring. The brand will physically activate its partnership rights at various Hyrox events. Amazfit smartwatches will also introduce a Hyrox race mode and integration into HYROX365 to empower Hyrox Training Clubs and Coaches with smart digital solutions.

Wayne Huang, CEO of Zepp Health, commented, “I am delighted to announce our partnership with Hyrox, aligning two forces dedicated to pushing the boundaries of athletic achievement and unlocking human potential. Through our smartwatches and fitness wearables, we aim to empower athletes to reach their peak performance and transform their everyday lives.”

Hyrox races include both running and functional workout stations, where participants run 1km, then perform a functional workout, repeated eight times. This race format is consistent globally for a standardized workout. Hyrox founder and CEO Christian Toetzke told Athletech News that the brand sees itself as the “marathon of fitness.”

Unlike many fitness competitions, Hyrox focuses on inclusivity; the competition has no cut-off times and any competitors aged 16-89 can compete at their own pace.

Moritz Fürste, Hyrox co-founder and CMO, added, “The sport of Hyrox is evolving rapidly, and the future of fitness racing is now intertwined with cutting-edge smartwear technology Amazfit. The upcoming development of a Hyrox race mode and integration within Hyrox365 will be a great aid for athletes and training clubs going forward. We are always committed to giving our athletes the best chance at success, and we’re pleased to be doing this alongside Amazfit.”

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Outside Inc. has acquired MapMyFitness from Under Armour in a major push to scale its digital platform, making it the largest advertising network in the outdoor and active lifestyle space and solidifying its position as one of the biggest mapping and activity-tracking companies.

MapMyFitness, which includes MapMyRide, MapMyRun, and MapMyWalk., allows users to track activities using built-in GPS on their mobile devices, has grown to over 80+ million members who will now have access to Outside’s community and editorial content while simultaneously bolstering Outside’s mapping capabilities.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“As the original co-founder of MapMyFitness, I am excited about bringing the MapMy community into the Outside network to enhance the value of our platform for our users and paid members,” Outside founder and CEO Robin Thurston said. “I believe that by continually adding high-value services to the Outside platform, consumers win, and ultimately we achieve our mission of getting more people outside daily.”

Outside recently announced the launch of a community-based social platform connecting users and syncing activity data from other devices, apps and events to inspire people to get outdoors. Similar to other popular social media platforms, users can create a universal Outside profile, customize their activity feed by following friends, creators and brands and share their activities, photos, leave comments and more.

“Our new social platform is a culmination of all the brands we’ve brought together so that our users can consume the digital content that inspires them, activate through our mapping and event technology, and finally, celebrate their achievements with a community of outdoor enthusiasts and brands,” Thurston said.

Additional app integrations are in the pipeline, with Outside sharing that members of Outside+ will soon discover premium benefits in the coming months.

Earlier this spring, Outside announced a series launch in partnership with Toyota, “Ultimate Mountain Athlete,” where male and female outdoor athletes competed in a challenging backcountry environment in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.

For those headed on outdoor adventures this fall, check out a round-up of Athletech News’ top five product recommendations.

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