Health

Fitbit Charge 4 review: An extra ingredient to becoming fit and healthy

Aside from determination, dedication, and motivation

Published

October 6, 2020

MJ Jucutan

Imagine drinking for five to seven days straight, no exercise, drinking less water than usual, and eating whatever was available. It was a recipe for disaster — for my body, that is. Back in 2019, I spent a week being sick. I was severely dehydrated that I needed to pump in gallons of Pocari Sweat and Gatorade.

That stressful experience led me to take care of myself seriously. Before and at the start of 2020, I made an effort to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle. I enrolled in a gym, started cooking healthy meals, and packed lunch for work instead of eating at fast-food restaurants.

Finding the right companion

But the pandemic struck, and my plans were derailed. My hopes of having a healthy and fit body were slightly crushed. I found myself switching smart bands — Samsung Galaxy Fit E, Honor Band 5, and Garmin’s Forerunner 235 — while trying to follow a workout and meal plan.

Of course, it wasn’t a smooth ride. There are days where I got sick due to stress caused by the pandemic, burning out from work, and a whole lot of other things. My desire to get healthier intensified.

When the Fitbit Charge 4 arrived, I had second thoughts about whether a tracker can undeniably help me achieve my goals. I used the Fitbit Charge 3 before and nothing happened. It was such a gag, trying my best to be healthy and fit, and I only lasted for three weeks.

Yet this time around, I had the Charge 4 for two months and I could say I had a great time using it. Unlike before, I was able to continuously develop my body and follow my workout plan.

Pairing it with phone and colors

Having a tracker was the last thing I considered before starting my journey. At first, I bought a water bottle, quick-dry towel and gym clothes, and wireless earbuds so those gym activities won’t be boring.

Moving to home workouts during the quarantine didn’t make any changes to my usual equipment, except now I have extra dumbbells, a yoga mat, mini bands, and a resistance band.

When I got the Charge 4, I paired it quickly with my phones. Back then, I had a hard time pairing it with my Samsung Galaxy S20, but it was easy when paired with my Huawei Mate 20 Pro — which I used with previous Fitbit wearables.

Thankfully, it didn’t come in a striking hue. The band’s color is named Storm Blue, reminiscent of Prussian Blue or Parisian Blue, if you’re into fine arts — a color prominently seen in the Hokusai’s famous artwork The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

The material used for the band is comfortable and water-resistant, I had no problems wearing it in the shower or while sweating during my exercises.

Like a fitness BFF

This smart tracker wasn’t the sole reason I’m starting to get healthier and fitter now. It was discipline and commitment that got me through — something I lacked last year.

Relying on a wearable — smart tracker, smart band, or a smartwatch — won’t get you anywhere in reaching your fitness goals. It’s not their job to make you healthy and fit, only guide you through it.

But to say the Charge 4 didn’t help in reaching my fitness goals is unfair. While determination, dedication, and motivation are necessary ingredients, having a wearable can help you pull yourself together.

Its effects were like having a best friend reminding you of your goals; that’s just how it feels wearing its weight around my wrists. It doesn’t snap at you for not being able to follow through your goals, it simply nudges you to try to do your best.

The right workout

If you’re a Fitbit user, you’d know the magic isn’t at its trackers or smartwatches. It’s the smooth connection between your devices, the Fitbit app, and Fitbit Premium.

ICYDK, Fitbit Premium is filled with guided programs, health and fitness content from partner brands, and fitness challenges to stay active. I’ve tried some, but I realized these workouts aren’t for me.

Finding the right workout is always subjective and personal — what’s working for you might not work for someone else.

I crafted my own workout plan to achieve my goal: gaining weight, toning my muscles to achieve a lean figure, and of course, look sexy in my thirst trap photos on Instagram. Also, so I feel good about myself.

Luckily, Fitbit knows the value of personalization through Active Zone Minutes. It’s a metric calculated using your age and resting heart rate, providing you a more personalized measurement. There are also real-time alerts on your wrist to help you become more efficient in your workouts.

To a hydrated body and better heart

When I was living a sedentary lifestyle, my resting heart rate reached 100 bpm (beats per minute) compared to having 60-70 bpm during my active days. Since I’m still just starting again, I made it a goal to get a better resting heart rate.

Having a lower heart rate is a sign of good cardiovascular fitness. As of writing, I’m back at 65-75 bpm — that’s because sometimes I still fail to do consecutive workouts because of my job and I’m still high on caffeine intake.

If you can’t exercise regularly, you need to walk around. The Fitbit Charge 4 buzzes every hour to remind you to get up and walk, and it was a habit I enjoyed doing in my working hours.

When my Charge 4 buzzes, I walk to the kitchen to refill my water bottle and drink my water. I also stretch my hamstrings while I wait for the bottle to be refilled. Talk about hitting three birds with one stone: moving around, drinking water, and stretching my tight hamstring from too much sitting.

The struggle to exercise

Ask anyone. The hardest thing to do is always getting out of the bed to exercise. Sometimes, you just want to lie down, roll over to watch Netflix, get up to eat and drink, then find your way to bed again. Sounds tempting, right?

I’ve been a victim of this situation, many times especially last year. Committing to a regular workout is such a daunting task. When you’re bogged down with work and your mind is heavily preoccupied, it’s easy to give up on exercise and tell yourself to do it tomorrow.

But you keep saying that until you realize it’s been a month since you last worked out then beat yourself up for not trying hard.

Trying to reach fitness goals was never an easy task. It requires mind tricks and mental fortitude. The struggle in discipline and commitment during your health and fitness journey mostly stems from your emotional and mental health.

How we feel can manifest physically, which is why we need to be in a better headspace so we can push ourselves to work out.

Taking care of our mental health won’t be easy in this pandemic, but you can take little steps. I’ve done yoga and meditation, and it helped me breathe easier.

What I’m doing might be a little bit intimidating. For beginners, you can start with guided meditations accessible through the Fitbit app, Headspace, or Spotify. If you want to really start with something easy, the tracker has a breathing exercise that you can follow easily.

Unplugging made me happier

When you learn how to be mindful, you’ll realize the importance of unplugging and disconnecting. Being glued to our smartphones can wear our minds and extremely take our time. Sometimes, all we need is to step away from our smartphones.

The Fitbit Charge 4 can preview a few notifications on your screen. This helped me disconnect and focus on my tasks that require concentration such as painting, writing, and working out.

I tend to get distracted by my phone and other messages, and having a few notifications can help me decide which one requires immediate response and which one can wait later.

You can customize your notifications through the Fitbit app, and you can sync your messages, emails, and calendar, which appears in the tracker’s notifications bar.

You can also connect Spotify so you can easily control your music without using your phone. It worked seamlessly with my Galaxy Buds and my phone, and this disconnection definitely made me happier.

Give me a good night’s sleep

The most important thing I realized, later on, is the importance of a good night’s sleep. No matter how much working out or mindfulness practices you do in life, you won’t see any results when you’re hellbent on sleeping past midnight.

The tracker has a Sleep Mode to ensure you won’t be disturbed in your sleep (unless you have nightmares from your trauma wherein I have to ask you to go see a therapist).

Kidding aside, it turns off the notifications and disables the screen display. I didn’t find any use for this feature since I find it easy to sleep whenever I meditate or turn off my gadgets and put it away from the bed.

To ensure I had a good night’s sleep, I track my Sleep Score every morning through the app. The data might be taxing to look at, but it’s rich in insight based on your heart rate, restlessness, time awake, and your sleep stages. Although, the summary can be checked easily through your wrist.

Frankly, getting better sleep is what I’m still working on. Adults usually need seven to nine hours of sleep, but six hours can be enough. At most, I usually get six to seven hours of sleep.

However, I tend to sleep at 12 midnight recently, caused by watching Lucifer, chatting with friends, reading a book, or painting. I tend to wake up at five or six and seven in the morning, depending on what time I slept.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The Fitbit Charge 4 offers a lot of features to help anyone starting on their health and fitness journey. It’s an advanced fitness tracker that detects your heart rate and improves your sleep. Moreover, it measures pace and distance through a built-in GPS, and packs with essential features.

It’s a worthy companion, since it lasted seven to eight days on a single charge based on my experience. Fully charging it takes only just an hour and a half. There’s a lot more to explore, but there’s one thing for sure: The Fitbit Charge 4 is a tracker made for everyone.

The Fitbit Charge 4 retails for PhP 9,590 (US$ 198). It’s available in black, rosewood, storm blue, and storm black. You can purchase it through Fitbit’s authorized retail stores like Digital Walker.

Accessories

HUAWEI Watch GT 4: Stride in style

Look good while doing your best

Published

October 24, 2023

MJ Jucutan

Gone are the days when smartwatches look hideous while slapped on your wrists. Back then, you could only choose between a stylish yet dumb watch or an actual smartwatch but with an ugly casing.

Huawei bridges style and smart technology, fusing both into one timepiece through the latest Huawei Watch GT 4.

Carrying that stylish DNA

The Huawei Watch GT 4 — like its predecessors — carries a style that makes you want to look like a serious adult who got their life together.

For an athlete, a fashionable statement isn’t what I’ll be going after. I’d need a smartwatch that keeps up with my training so I can be at my best during my races and competitions.

However, it looks sleek with its octagonal design on the 46mm variant that I was wearing. The diamond cuts and chiseled exteriors resembled luxurious, performance cars.

Somehow, the GT 4 has both: the ability to keep up in terms of performance and appearance. It complemented my race day outfits while also having enough power to provide me with relevant data at my fingertips. Its Always-On Display gave easy access to the information I needed, which I previewed on the 1.43-inch AMOLED screen.

With a 326 PPI density, it was easy to look at the screen and digest the information I needed when going out for a walk or a run — even under direct sunlight.

Put your best foot forward

A lot of my pre-race preparations include looking good. That means getting a wax, a haircut, a mani-pedi, and all other rituals to make me look and feel good. It’s literally putting my best foot forward — both for how I look and how I perform.

The Huawei GT 4 accompanied me for more than a month in preparing for my upcoming races. With a battery that lasts up to 14 days of usage (sometimes less when I train every day), I didn’t have to worry about recharging my device every day or two.

It’s more common for other smartwatches to drain their batteries after heavy usage. By heavy, I meant using the GPS, staying connected to the WiFi and Bluetooth, and using built-in apps while tracking relevant health information in the background.

Having a long-lasting battery means I can focus on working out and hitting my training schedule. Trust me, a lot of times you’ll postpone your training sessions because your smartwatch is still charging.

It’s an easy excuse, and sometimes, it becomes a habit that you won’t easily shake off.

Train at your own pace

A lot of smartwatches come with personalized plans that don’t really feel personalized. Sometimes, newbies find it difficult to follow through with a plan since the exercises are a bit more intermediate than a beginner.

Structured workouts are always the way when it comes to improving your physical progress and reaching your fitness goals. When I put on the GT 4, it didn’t have the data I accumulated throughout the year. Of course, it’s a new smartwatch.

But after using it for a week, it got access to the information it needed to build a plan tailored for me. The TruSeen 5.5+ heart rate monitoring technology helped in creating the health data since our heart rate is a great indicator of our overall fitness level.

Linking the GT 4 to the Huawei Health app gave me access to the running plans utilized through Artificial Intelligence (AI). The very first time I ran again after a three-week-long hiatus, the GT 4 gave me a run/walk guide based on the parameters I set. This felt like a nice touch, especially for beginners who don’t know where to start.

While I didn’t follow the training plan since I know myself and my body better, the smartwatch gave me the accurate pace I needed to complete my run on a terrain with over 200-meter elevation gain. (Yes, I still did walk for a total of three minutes — shorter than the 15-minute total suggestion of the smartwatch.)

Total control over your health

The Huawei Watch GT 4 is packed with health monitoring tools and intelligent features to help you live smarter. The smartwatch detects the regularity of your heart rate, tracks your sleep, and even assesses your lung function through a respiratory check.

To be honest, the GT 4 is far from being a health device. But having relevant information through your smartwatch which you can also preview on your smartphone through the Huawei Health app, gives total control of how your body’s functioning.

If you really care about your well-being, the overwhelming data can provide insights into how you can change your lifestyle. Until then, the Huawei Watch GT 4 will look like a mere accessory to help you look like you have your life together. It can be a powerful accessory if you let it.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The Huawei Watch GT 4 isn’t the top-of-mind for athletes of all kinds. However, it’s beginning to look like it can be a great choice for athletes with a tight budget.

The compatibility isn’t limited to a Huawei device since it syncs well with both iOS and Android smartphones. That means anyone can enjoy the smart technology in this little trinket.

There are plenty of features that you can use or choose not to. I swear, I didn’t even need all of it since I’m focused on tracking my performance more than anything.

But for a smartwatch to have nearly everything to cater to everyday users, fitness enthusiasts, and other athletes — it’s remarkable.

The Huawei Watch GT 4 is a smartwatch that deserves your attention. You should look and gaze at it sometimes because that’s what they’re made for.

Price, availability

You can now purchase the HUAWEI WATCH GT 4 through offline and online HUAWEI Stores, authorized retail outlets, and leading e-commerce sites Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok price starts at PhP 12,999. Get freebies worth up to 6,297 until October 13.

Installment payments in Offline Huawei Stores are also available via Home Credit for up to 18 months and participating credit cards for 24 months with 0% interest.

Here are the prices for each variant:

Huawei Watch GT 4 (46mm)
- Black Fluoro Rubber — PhP 12,999
- Brown Leather — PhP 13,999
- Green Nylon — PhP 13,999
- Stainless Steel — PhP 18,999
Huawei Watch GT 4 (41mm)
- Black Fluoro Rubber — PhP 12,999
- White Leather — PhP 13,999
- Silver Two-Tone — PhP 18,999

Health

Honor’s eye comfort solutions promotes healthier sleep

A glimpse of HONOR’s novel technology and its battle against the effects of blue light

Published

August 15, 2023

GadgetMatch

We’ve all seen it.

A smartphone’s attempt to reduce blue light with display modes; eyeglasses specifically built to combat the light’s exposure; tips on preventing eye strain, and a lot more.

Blue light exposure from our digital devices has disrupted our health, particularly our circadian rhythm which helps regulate our sleep. It blocks the production of melatonin, a hormone inducing sleep.

Global technology brand HONOR aims to launch a crusade against blue light by incorporating eye comfort features into their smartphones.

Two of their devices — the Magic5 Pro and HONOR 90 — change the amount of blue light produced based on the time of the day.

Taking eye comfort for real

While most smartphones have a feature to reduce blue light exposure, they don’t really adapt to the environment, unlike HONOR’s devices.

The Magic5 Pro and the HONOR 90 have an eye comfort and sleep function that reduces the blue light by almost 40 percent in a spectral shift. This feature aims to contribute to better sleep patterns and reduce eye strain for the user.

In an interview and research with Dr. Glen Jeffery, professor of Neuroscience at University College London (UCL), the HONOR Magic5 Pro and HONOR 90 were tested for their eye-comfort solutions. Together with HONOR, Dr. Jeffery uncovered how the devices can contribute to promoting healthier sleep and relieving eye strain.

Watch the video to see how both devices fared.

Health

Redmi Watch 3 Active: Basic but better

This might just be the smartwatch to kickstart your fitness journey!

Published

August 9, 2023

MJ Jucutan

I always get questions on which smartwatch to get, knowing that my people know me as the guy who always has the latest smartwatch — changing wearables as if it’s just another pair of underwear.

Being in the intersection between fitness and technology for over three years now, I would attest that smartwatches are expensive. With only a few bucks to spare, you’re lucky to get a functional smart band that can track your basic needs. Up your budget a notch, and you might get a decent smartwatch to accompany you on your fitness journey.

This is where Xiaomi aims to break the barriers of smartwatches. The Redmi Watch 3 Active is an affordable smartwatch that’s definitely a step up from a smart band, especially when it comes to features, design, and of course, price.

Monitor what you only need

Smart bands barely have any screen real estate to preview your fitness data. Smartwatches, on the other hand, are built differently. The same goes with the Redmi Watch 3 Active, which has a 1.83-inch screen that makes it easy to view information.

Truth be told: Smartwatches can get intimidating, especially when it packs plenty of features. I sometimes get overwhelmed when I get my hands on flagship and premium smartwatches. There’s so much going on, tbh.

The Redmi Watch 3 Active, somehow, provides comprehensive data by showing only what you need. With its full-scale fitness tracking, it’s easy to monitor your heart rate and blood oxygen level. You can also see how many calories you’ve burned, how many steps you’ve taken, and if you’ve been moving enough to be closer to your goals.

Tracking your sleep, as well as stress levels, help give an overview of your current lifestyle and what you still need to change. These data may sound overwhelming, but these are pretty basic for a smartwatch. These are the only information you’ll ever need. Nothing fancy, just straightforward figures that might help you in your fitness journey.

The screen is big enough to house plenty of data, and swiping between widgets is easy. Although, not as smooth as most smartwatches. But then again, this smartwatch is considered entry-level, so temper your expectations.

More than just a fitness tracker

The most important indicator of your fitness level, for me, would be your heart rate. It shows how many beats per minute depending on the activity you’re doing. When I was taking photos of the Redmi Watch 3 Active, my heart rate spiked to over 100 bpm since I was under the sun trying out some calisthenics workout with my dip bar.

The accuracy may not be the same as most smartwatches, but seeing my resting heart rate go between 60-65 bpm means it’s close enough to my Apple Watch. FYI, my current resting heart rate as of writing is 58 bpm.

It’s pretty normal for athletes (some actually have lower) to have that low resting heart rate. A good indicator would be having 60 up to 90 bpm, which is counted as normal. If your resting heart rate is around 100 or beyond, it’s time for you to get off the couch and stop being a potato.

If you don’t have a gym membership — and a coach, even — then you don’t have to worry. The Redmi Watch 3 Active is equipped with over 100 workout modes, which include 10 professional workout modes.

It’s highly suitable for beginners since you can find workouts like running, walking, freestyle, hiking, and cycling. There are specific workouts as well, categorized into outdoor activities, training, dancing, combat sports, ball sports, winter sports, and recreational sports.

Suitable companion

After completing my first elite race at Spartan Stadion (a grueling 5KM race with 20 obstacles inside New Clark City’s Athletic Stadium) last mid-July, I took a short hiatus to recover from the race burnout.

Running in a category filled with national and pro athletes was exhausting for my mind, body, and spirit. It was a difficult test of my strength, pride, and willpower. The Redmi Watch 3 Active came a week after, prompting me to get back to taking care of my body with grace.

Somehow, the smartwatch’s advent into my life has impeccable timing. It was raining in Manila, endlessly, for days. I also didn’t have the energy to sign up back to the gym and start my training for Spartan’s Trifecta Weekend in November, dealing with post-race blues and personal affairs that caused me to lose weight.

I knew I had to resume training. Luckily, the Redmi Watch 3 Active’s different workout modes accompanied me in getting my strength back.

Train your mind and body

With jump rope as a workout mode, I get to measure my skips in the morning. There are also workouts that are highly specific depending on your equipment such as Dumbbell, Wall Ball, Barbell, Weightlifting, Deadlift, Burpee, and Sit-Ups.

Something more general includes strength, physical training, and functional fitness training. If you’re focused on certain parts of your body, the workout modes have the option to focus on the upper body, lower body, abs, and back.

As for me, I only pick functional fitness training when I do home workouts since I use bodyweight exercises that help with my athletic performance. When I’m training my muscle strength, I opt to do calisthenics using my dip bars and pull-up bar. There are no guides if you’re clueless about what workouts to do.

The training modes just allow you to see how many kilocalories you’re burning, the duration of your workout, and the intensity of your heart rate while performing the exercises. It’s usually categorized between light, intensive, aerobic, anaerobic, and VO2 Max — which refers to the maximum oxygen consumption. Usually, that’s when you hit your limit.

For everyday life

The Redmi Watch 3 Active pairs easily whether on an Android smartphone or an iPhone. With only the Mi Fitness app, you can see comprehensive data regarding your health and fitness.

Since it pairs seamlessly with any smartphone, the smartwatch makes it easy to read notifications, answer calls, check your calendar, and adjust music playback. You can even remotely capture photos from your phone using just the camera button on the smartwatch!

Even if it’s connected with Bluetooth and WiFi, the smartwatch lasts for at least 7 days — even when using it for different workouts. When on standby, the Redmi Watch 3 Active also indicates how much battery is left and how many days it would last. Fun fact: With several settings off and a full battery, the smartwatch promises up to 12 days of battery life.

In a way, the Redmi Watch 3 Active gives off an everyday smartwatch vibe. It has all the bells and whistles of a smartwatch, in a design that looks elegant when working out and balancing work and life.

The watch faces are customizable, with over 200 options to choose from. It also comes with optional straps to match your everyday style. Lastly, it’s lightweight and waterproof with a 5ATM. Just what you need out of a reliable smartwatch!

Is this your GadgetMatch?

The Redmi Watch 3 Active is quite packed for an affordable smartwatch. It has everything you’ll need to kickstart your fitness journey, and a little bit more. You can stop making excuses about having a smartwatch before starting to work out or sign up for a gym membership. This one’s highly affordable, priced at PhP 1,999, and available at Xiaomi’s exclusive Shopee store.

It’s not as smooth, powerful, and feature-packed as most smartwatches. You’ll need to shell out money for that, especially if you want to elevate your performance. But if you’re just starting out, this smartwatch is a must-have to cop. Xiaomi breaks the notion that smartwatches have to be expensive to be functional. The Redmi Watch 3 Active might just be the best value-for-money smartwatch right now.