Stylish, Smart—And Healthful—Holiday Gifting (NAPSA)—Once limited to the superathletic or fantastically techy, fitness tracking is going mainstream—andjust in time for the holidays. Now available in a rainbow ofcolors, variety of styles, and multiple different shapes and sizes, there is a fitness band for almost everyone on yourlist. And with companies like Pivotal Corporation continuing to innovate and reduce costs (the Pivotal Tracker 1 band and mobile app cost only $12!), there is also a tracker available for almost every budget. About 3.3 million fitness bands and activity trackers were sold between April 2013 and March 2014 in the U.S., according to the NPD Group, and sales are expected to continue to grow ata rate of 500 percent each year! So what’s all the fuss about? There are many reasons for wearing a fitness tracker. They help you better understand your day-to-day activity levels, arming you with the information you need to make smarter lifestyle decisions. Perhaps that means remembering to take stairs instead of the elevator, or setting a reminder to get up and walk around the office to shorten the length of time you stay sedentary at work. Many trackers also monitor steps, distance traveled during the day, as well as sleep quantity and quality, and have software or mobile apps that track hydration and weight. They can also motivate you to become more active, drink more water or get more sleep by allowing you to set personalized goals. Some insurance companies are even offering both employers and employees discounts for participation in programsthat utilize the goal-setting and day-to-day tracking capabilities of these trackers. Keeping tabs on your activity level is also incredibly rewarding and fun. Take, for example, the Pivotal Living app and Pivotal Tracker 1 (www.pivotalliving.com), a great $12 stocking stuffer for all ages this holiday season. Widely available for both iOS and Android devices, the app has a colorful and easy-to-read dashboard that pro- Wearing a fitness tracker can help you understand your day-today activity levels and provide information to help you make smarterlifestyle decisions. vides a quick snapshot of your daily progress. Fully interactive, a tap on the sleep icon, for instance, provides you with a more in-depth analysis of your sleep patterns, and the app’s gentle reminderswill encourage you to log activities, track your water intake and regularly syne the data collected from the Pivotal Tracker 1 band. The most exciting feature of this app, however, is the social functionality. You can share your goals or progress levels with friends, family and other members of the community, all of whom are easily discoverable in the “Network”tab of the app. You can even build a special team with custom goals, working together and cheering each other on to achieve success. Both teams and individual accounts can be public or private, so data from the app is only shared with the people you choose. Available in basic black as well as a navy and lime-green option, the Pivotal Tracker 1 band has a built-in screen displaying the time, distance traveled, number of steps or the percentage met of your daily goal with a push of the button. This is a huge advantage to those wholike to check their stats while on the move without also having to carry aroundtheir mobile phone. Whether you opt for an expensive tracker with all the bells and whistles or for a more stylish and team-oriented offering like Pivotal Tracker 1, the gift of a fitness tracker this holiday is sure to put a smile on recipients’ faces and a little more pep in their step— especially if they’re tracking them!
