Fitbit software adds smarter, personalized guidance

This post was originally published on the Fitbit press site. It has been adapted from its original format.

Fitbit, the leader in the connected health and fitness market, is enhancing its health and fitness platform to deliver more personalized insights, smarter guidance and more motivation with new interactive features in the Fitbit app and Fitstar Personal Trainer app, and updates to Fitbit Blaze. These features include a more engaging social experience through a new Community section and tailored insights with Personal Goal Setting in the Fitbit app; more personalized guidance with a new Fitstar Personal Trainer app; and advanced health and fitness features coming to Fitbit Blaze.

“In order to help drive true behavior change, you have to make health fun, engaging and meaningful. For nearly 10 years, we have been the leader in the connected health and fitness category because we have consistently delivered innovative products, software and services that work together to create an engaging experience our users love and can’t live without,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “With these latest advancements, we’re delivering even more ways to interact with your social network and provide a smarter, more tailored experience, transforming the personal value of Fitbit devices from beloved fitness trackers to an integral part of your life.”

New Social Experience That Inspires and Motivates You to Move More

With more than 54 million devices sold and as the number one health and fitness app, Fitbit has created one of the largest fitness social networks in the world.

• Over the past year, Fitbit saw a 98% increase in the number of users who have at least one friend on the Fitbit platform with overall Fitbit users averaging more than six friends.
• Fitbit data also shows that having support from friends and family helps you move more, with users who have one or more friends taking 700 more steps per day on average than users without friends on the platform.

Fitbit has always recognized the motivational power of a strong support network. As a result, Fitbit has designed a more engaging social experience with a new Community section in the Fitbit app that offers more ways to connect with others for support and inspiration as you progress along your path to better health. Fitbit Community consists of:

• Feed is a new social feature that provides an engaging way to connect with friends, family and groups of like-minded individuals so you can find added support and inspiration to help reach your health and fitness goals.
  • Share inspirational moments from your daily routine, including exercise summaries, badges, trophies, photos and more, to receive encouragement and celebrate progress.
  • Read content written by Fitbit’s health and fitness experts to educate, inspire and empower you to achieve your goals.
  • Discover and attend workouts led by the most talented trainers in your area, making it easier to find workouts you like and meet people who share your interests.
• Friends easily connects you to friends, family and other Fitbit users across the globe who can help encourage you to reach your health and fitness goals; compete with your Friends to take the most steps, and cheer, taunt and direct message them as you climb the weekly leaderboard.
• Groups lets you discover and join communities of like-minded people to help support and inspire you on your journey; choose from over 20 groups related to fitness, nutrition, wellness and weight loss.

Personalized Guidance to Help You Work Out Smarter and Reach Your Goals Faster

In addition to social support, Fitbit has always understood there is no one size fits all approach to health and fitness. Everyone is unique with individual interests, needs and fitness abilities that require tailored advice and information.

With this in mind, Fitbit is introducing an updated Fitstar Personal Trainer app experience that delivers personalized, adaptive video-based exercise routines that can be done by anyone, whether at home or on the go, and are customized to your fitness level and evolve as you progress. The Fitbit app is also becoming more intelligent with a new Personal Goal Setting feature that uses insights from your own activity to help you set reachable goals.

• Fitstar Personal Trainer offers a completely redesigned app experience that delivers greater customization and motivation.
  • Access recommended workouts based on your daily activity tracked with a Fitbit device, or from the new “Guidance” tab coming soon to the Fitbit app. For example, if you completed a five-mile run yesterday, the app will suggest a customized session that lets your lower body recover and targets your abs and arms.
  • Two new certified personal trainers, Adrian and Lea, will guide you on your fitness journey. You decide who motivates you more and swap between the two as you see fit.
  • Customize your workout soundtrack with Fitstar Radio, which offers a variety of popular music stations from Pop to Hip Hop, to motivate you while you exercise.
  • Redesigned look and feel provides a fresh and inspiring exercise experience that you can view on any format, from mobile phones to the latest high-def TVs.
• Personal Goal Setting in the Fitbit app provides a step-by-step guided process to help create achievable goals based on insights from your data and health and fitness objectives.
  • Define your health and fitness objectives by identifying your focus areas like steps, exercise, sleep, nutrition, or weight, and answering questions that help establish the motivation behind your goals.
  • Get personalized recommendations based on your objectives and historical Fitbit data. For example, if your motivation is to get more fit and your data shows you walk an average of 9,200 steps per day, Fitbit may recommend setting a higher goal of 10,000 steps per day.

New Tools Enhance the Health and Fitness Power of Fitbit Blaze

Fitbit is extending two powerful health and fitness features to Fitbit Blaze that are powered by PurePulse continuous wrist-based heart rate tracking. Cardio Fitness Level and Relax guided breathing sessions first appeared on Fitbit Charge 2, the #1 fitness tracker in the U.S., and allow users to take an even more active role in their health and wellness. With this software update, Blaze is also receiving three new clock faces to give you more ways to personalize your tracker.

• Cardio Fitness Level provides a snapshot of your cardiovascular fitness. Based on estimated VO2 Max – calculated by your user profile, heart rate and exercise data – you can easily see how your fitness level relates to others of the same age and gender, and get guidance on how to improve over time.
• Relax guided breathing sessions help calm your body and mind through two- and five-minute sessions personalized to your breathing rate, so you can gain the benefits of a guided breathing practice, which research shows can reduce stress and anxiety, and lower blood pressure.

Availability

• Updated Fitstar Personal Trainer is available globally today on Android phones, iOS devices and online; in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish
• Community will be available to Fitbit app users in the U.S. in March 2017 and globally later this year
• Personal Goal Setting will be available to all existing Fitbit app users globally in January 2017
• New features for Fitbit Blaze will be available globally in February 2017