For a small piece of kit, the UP band by Jawbone makes some big promises. With a mission statement of helping you ‘Know Yourself, Live Better’, there’s some impressive technology tucked inside this sleek and stylish shell.
We were asked to try out the UP band for a week or so and report back on our progress, so I took it on in the hopes that seeing my eating habits, exercise and sleep patterns written down in front of me might shame me into acting healthier, if nothing else.
UP keeps track of how you sleep and how you move, and you can input your food and drink intake via the accompanying App, which you use to collect and view your data.
The band will last for up to 10 days from one charge, then you simply plug it into a USB port on your computer to recharge. So, you can leave it on for a full week at a time, only removing once or twice a day to sync your data on the phone, which takes seconds.
While they’re are more colourful options available, I was sporting a nice slate onyx coloured band with silver tips for my week, and the discreet design sat comfortably amongst my stacks of bangles and alongside a chunky watch. There’s no fear of proclaiming to the world that you’re on a health kick, it’s subtle enough to just look like a piece of funky jewellery.
Downloading the app and plugging in to get started took only a minute, although you could spend longer taking in the wealth of info, hints and tips available through the app.
That done, I was good to go.
Within a day I could see why the slogan for UP was chosen, and it is a good one. This is a product that really does help you get a better understanding of your body; what you’re doing with it, what you’re putting into it, and how you’re resting it.
Looking back at a day where you’ve exceeded your exercise expectations is very self-satisfying, but on days when you’ve let yourself down it really motivates you to improve.
The same will apply to any food diary, which you obviously don’t need an app for –but it’s handy to have all the info in the same place. You can also search for the dishes on a wide pre-loaded list, so it will break down the calories, fat, protein and salt intake you’ve had for the day. No doubt you would be surprised to realise what you’re actually eating when you get the break down of some meals…
When I hit the leaba at midnight one night to sync I got a little shock to realise all I’d put into my body that day was two glasses of wine and a packet of Chickatees (true story). For shame Michelle, for shame.
For me, the most interesting part of the process was the sleep analytics. There is a little button that you press each night when you get into bed, and this changes your UP band to sleep mode. I know I’m a poor sleeper, but I didn’t realise until now quite how poor. The best night’s sleep I’ve had since starting (we’re close on two weeks now) is just over six hours, and for the most part it’s closer to four. It regularly takes me close to two hours to fall asleep after laying down for the first time too, which when you think about it is a lot of wasted time spent being frustrated you can’t sleep. This sleep info is broken down into deep sleep and light sleep too, and shows how many times you woke up during the night. Again, this has helped me change my habits, so now I’m really trying to make sure I’m on a wind-down for an hour before bedtime and I’m banning technology. Baby steps.
You can also use the UP band as an alarm also, with a cool function that lets the band choose which time in a specified window your body would best react to being woken up in, with a gentle vibration from the band. No shrill alarm – another big plus point. There’s an ‘idle’ alarm too, which you can set to remind you to get up and move if you haven’t done so in a specified timeframe. Working at a desk all day, I’m a devil for that, so the little buzz reminded me to get up and move about, even if only to get a glass of water.
All in all, the UP band delivered on its promises. My only issue might be subject to my own laziness at tracking everything I eat and drink, but I’m firmly in favour of the sleep and movement tracker, and will admit that following my initial skepticism, I’m now hooked. My one week of trial has turned into two, and I won’t be taking mine off anytime soon. At least not until I’ve managed one glorious eight hour sleep, with the record to prove it…
Three mobile offers the Up Band by Jawbone to Irish customers. Using Three’s All You Can Eat Data plan with the Up band ensures Three customers can enjoy a healthy lifestyle without fear of exceeding mobile data limits.
