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OWATONNA Three men played table tennis in the multipurpose room at SeniorPlace in Owatonna Wednesday afternoon, while rooms on the second floor of the building were occupied with the weeks usual pinochle and bridge card game participants.

These activities and others were offered to the public at SeniorPlace, West Hills Tennis and Fitness Center and Morehouse Park by Owatonna Parks and Recreation in partnership with Straight River Sports and Fitness and Semcac Senior Dining as part of the 24th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day.

Its an opportunity to attract more seniors to SeniorPlace and encourage them to get out and get active, said Josh Thompson, Owatonna Parks and Rec summer intern.

National Senior Health & Fitness Day is a nationwide health and fitness event for older adults held the last Wednesday in May during Older Americans Month. This years event was expected to draw more than 100,000 older adults to participate in local events at more than 1,000 locations across the country on the same day. The events goals are to promote the importance of regular physical activity and to showcase what local organizations are doing to improve the health and fitness of older adults in their communities.

In observance of the day, the usual membership requirements at SeniorPlace and West Hills Tennis and Fitness Center were waived to encourage members of the public who are 55 and older to participate in programs and services offered locally, like Tai Chi, darts, billiards, table tennis, cards and shuffleboard as well as fitness and water aerobics sessions.

The city offers a wide variety of activities for seniors, so we want to show them how to be active and how they can improve their quality of life, Thompson said.

Many of those spotted at SeniorPlace Wednesday, however, were members who visit on a regular basis.

On the second floor, Larry Ruehling, Gary Staats, Mary Swank and Pat Willhite were seated at one of four tables occupied by bridge players.

No one new showed up today, Staats said. Almost everyone here comes every week.

And they have done so for years, he said, pointing at tables with individuals in their 90s.

For Ruehling, Staats and Willhite, theyve played bridge for years, while Swank learned a few years ago under the guidance of Ruehling.

She was a student of mine and she won last week, Ruehling said with a smile. Im proud of her.

Ruehling and Swank, who were partners, didnt win their round against Staats and Willhite. After each round, a pair rotated to another table.

Staats said anyone is welcome to play Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at SeniorPlace, where there is camaraderie.

That mentality was shared by Willie Peterson and Darryl Hill, who were willing to teach shuffleboard and table tennis, respectively, to anyone interested in learning.

Peterson, who will be headed to the National Senior Games in Birmingham, Alabama, next week for shuffleboard doubles and singles, was on hand Wednesday afternoon to provide lessons or play with anyone who showed up.

Itll be a practice day for me, he said. I have no idea who will show up.

Peterson said about four or five people usually do, but participation slows down in the summer and returns in the fall.

He has been playing shuffleboard on and off for years and said its a fun and strategic game. In mid-May, Peterson completed at the Minnesota Senior Games in Mankato and received gold in shuffleboard doubles and bronze in singles

Hill said about eight to 10 people show up for table tennis on a regular basis but said hed work one-on-one with anyone who would like to try it.

Anyone can come, he said. It doesnt matter their ability.

Reach reporter Ashley Stewart at 444-2378 or follow her on Twitter.com @OPPashley

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Owatonna residents take part in National Senior Health & Fitness Day - Southernminn.com

When Jeff Johnson was given a one month pass to Get Some Fitness in Beverly Hills, little did he know he would enjoy it so much that he would buy it and transform it into one of Metro Detroit best training facilities.

Johnson is hosting a grand re-opening event for the fitness facility, 7 p.m.-midnight, Friday, June 2 with refreshments, music, and giveaways. A new mural created by nationally known artist TYP (Troy Murray) of the famous Muhammed Ali pose will also be unveiled. The new $50,000 mural is being painted on boxing gloves from the era Ali fought.

Johnson invested approximately $250,000 to take Get Some Fitness to a new level by hiring nationally known trainers like Glenn Wilson, three-time gold glove champion, Michigan State champ, Junior Olympic champ, and world champion coach of the year in 1983 and other accomplished master instructors.

The staff offers 60-minute classes from 6 a.m.-noon and 4-10 p.m. Drop in classes are $15-$20 depending on the class and memberships range from $59-$149 depending on the class.

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Get Some Fitness is a 7,200 square-foot facility. It is located at 31119 Greenfield Road in Beverly Hills.

For more information, call 248-385-3043 or visit http://www.getsomefitness.com.

Submitted by Franklin Dohanyos

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Get Some Fitness of Beverly Hills to host grand re-opening - The Oakland Press

By Stephanie Kanowitz By Stephanie Kanowitz May 31 at 7:00 AM

As executive director of Destination DC, which markets the capital to travelers, Elliott Ferguson knows a thing or two about hotels. When he travels, one of the first things he looks for is a good fitness center.

Before I physically go up to my room, I stop by ... to assess what they have and figure out what I can do, Ferguson said. Some hotels offer yoga and cycling and/or at least access to some of the various companies that do that here in Washington, D.C. That really makes a big difference when people are looking at where theyre going to stay.

A growing number of hotels are making exercising on the road even more accessible taking equipment to guest rooms.

At the end of May, the Hilton McLean became one of two Hiltons to offer Five Feet to Fitness rooms, which have 11 pieces of workout equipment and accessories. They include an indoor Wattbike bicycle and Gym Rax, a training station that lets users tackle body-weight moves with TRX straps. The main attraction is the fitness kiosk, a touch-screen display that offers more than 200 videos, including tutorials on all the equipment, cycling, high-intensity interval training and yoga classes.

Customer feedback drove Hilton to build these rooms, which cost $45 to $90 more per night than standard rooms. About 10percent to 15 percent of guests use the fitness center, and a quarter expressed interest in an in-room option, said Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness at Hilton. He also cited a February report by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration that says that 46 percent of guests expected to work out in the fitness center during their stay, but only 22 percent actually did so.

Fitness centers will remain really important and I think the hub of activity for fitness-minded travelers, Crabbe said. We just have a lot of guests who have told us that having an in-room fitness option would provide really nice convenience.

[BWIs new gym doesnt just provide space to exercise, but clothes, shoes and a shower]

The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown reopened its spa and fitness center in April after a $1.5 million renovation that included the addition of 13 spa-level rooms. Costing $65 to $100 more per night, they include a wellness ball, yoga mat, aromatherapy and a white-noise machine.

Some of those rooms are larger than the standard room, but what we did ensure is that you have enough space in either one of those rooms to do your basic workout and use the equipment that weve added, said Marcus Loevenforst, the hotels general manager.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, which has 12 Washington-area locations, offers Gaiam yoga mats in every room and on-demand TV programming that guides guests through 15- to 75-minute flow or power yoga or Pilates sessions. Theres also the free roll-out service, in which a staff member takes flavored water and fresh or dried fruit and nuts to the room, lays out the mat and turns on the fitness channel.

With no communal gym, Kimptons Topaz Hotel has been providing fitness rooms stocked with an elliptical trainer, treadmill or recumbent bike since 2001. They cost $25 to $30 more than standard rooms, said Ben Timashenka, a regional vice president at Kimpton.

The person that wants to workout, they want to have the ability to do so, whether that be a fitness center or individualizing your guest room, Timashenka said.

Danielle Young, 32, of San Mateo, Calif., changed her reservation when Westin Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, on April 26 announced its partnership with Peloton, seller of indoor cycling bikes with screens for streaming real-time or on-demand classes. The deal puts the commercial-grade bikes in WestinWorkout rooms and fitness centers in 32 hotels nationwide.

I literally got off the red-eye and went straight to the gym, Young said of the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago Hotel, where she stayed on a recent business trip.

An avid Peloton user since 2014, she travels two to three weeks each month. I prioritize my fitness when I travel. Its just a really important element to me, Young said. This has made it that much easier for me to know Im going to get those high-quality workouts.

About 70 Westins have been offering fitness rooms with cycling bikes or treadmills. The Peloton rooms also have yoga mats, blocks and straps, and light weights that guests can use with Pelotons Beyond the Ride stretching, core and toning classes.

The partnership came about after a survey by the hotel last year found that 70 percent of global travelers struggle to maintain their wellness routines on the road, said Sarah Lipton, the brands global director of marketing and management, and that 51percent of Westin guests are likely to have gym memberships.

Gyms have become something that cannot be an afterthought in hotels, Lipton said.

Another chain taking fitness to the room is Even Hotels by InterContinental Hotels Group. The 167 rooms at the Rockville location come with yoga supplies and resistance bands.

[From room service by robots to a loaner Porsche, hotels are upping the amenity ante]

Tryp Hotels Worldwide, part of Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, has fitness rooms that come with a treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike, plus workout gear, clothing and a mat, while guests of Trump Hotels can request in-room equipment, Under Armour workout clothing and loaded iPod shuffles through the Travel Fit program.

With 85 percent of hotels offering an exercise room or fitness facility last year, up from 63 percent in 2004, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Associations 2016 Lodging Survey, its clear that fitness is growing in importance.

When hotels began adding fitness centers, they were relegated to the basement and had a couple of basic cardio machines, said Abid Butt, an instructor in the global hospitality leadership program at Georgetown Universitys School of Continuing Studies. Weve come a long ways when it comes to fitness at hotels, Butt said. I think it will be there for a long time.

The hotel industry is also responding to a changing demographic, said Larry Yu, professor of hospitality management at George Washington University.

Evolving from baby boomers to millennials, fitness has really become a lifestyle, Yu said. Its not just your typical amenity now. Hotels are all working very hard to figure out how they can provide the best service and equipment to the guests because the guests expect and value those.

But in-room fitness isnt an option for every hotel. A treadmill or an elliptical or a big piece like that is still a little bit impractical, especially treadmills because there are sound issues the pounding of the treadmill, the size, said Kurt Broadhag, president and lead designer at K Allan Consulting, which helps hotels design gyms. It really lends itself more to mind/body classes, where you want an intimate setting.

Because of that, I dont think the fitness center is ever going to go away, he added.

Jeff David, general manager at the Watergate Hotel, agrees. This year, it opened its $3.5 million spa and wellness center, including a 1,831-square-foot gym. Additionally, the hotel has started offering fitness classes such as rooftop yoga, power sculpt and aqua barre in the pool.

The new renaissance is the gym facilities are starting to be quantified and key differentiators [in] how people decide their stay, David said. I see that fitness is starting to become a pillar, much like food and beverage or rooms.

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Hotels put bigger focus on tness with in-room equipment - Washington Post

England manager Gareth Southgate has encouraged collaborations between FAs and clubs regarding player fitness.

England boss Gareth Southgate admits the Football Association has yet to persuade all Premier League clubs about the benefits of data sharing around player fitness.

The FA has been working on a more collaborative process surrounding the mass of statistics generated by elite players for a long time and is keen to have a completely transparent model where clubs have full access to data from international breaks and vice-versa.

The aim is to fine-tune training plans, build a more complete profile of individual conditioning and better identify those in danger of injury.

But Southgate, speaking at St George's Park on Tuesday, conceded some sides harboured concerns about releasing such information, while it is also understood the different collection and recording methods at various clubs make a 'like for like' database all but impossible.

"To clarify, we share our data. We don't always receive data,'' Southgate said. "That's where we would like to head towards, because it helps more around working out a training schedule when they first come into camp. But we can't enforce it. That's got to be an agreement, sharing, and at the moment some clubs are more comfortable with it than others.

"We've not got it from every club at the moment. One of the dangers, I guess, is the perception of it being leaked. I guess it's just a case of building up trust.''

Southgate was eager to point out that his footballing instincts were augmented by the numbers, rather than led by them.

"It's very rare data throws something up that as a coach you haven't clocked but it does back up your thinking,'' he said. "There has to be context around data.

"If you have a team who presses high compared to one that counter-attacks it has a big bearing on distances covered and high intensity distances. It can't just be about numbers. I need my coaching eye and understanding of how clubs play to back that up.

"I never want to send players back injured. A couple of players were injured last time, but relationships are as good as they can be. They have these relationships in other countries too but in terms of data, there aren't many countries that send the data back. We are open on that. Relations are as healthy as you could expect.''

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Gareth Southgate pushing for clubs, FAs to share data on player fitness - ESPN FC

It is no secret that the blogging industry is rapidly gaining popularity and respect in the corporate world as a developing unconventional career for millennials. What was once considered to be as a hobby has found its rightful place in the new digital age, with many making a living off of it.

During my time as a uni student last year I ran into one of Australias most talked about fitness public figure, Tammy Hembrow. Given the impact she has had on social media, I was keen to catch-up with her and talk about all things fitness, personal branding, business and being a mom.

Growing up in rural Australia surrounded by animals and nature, Tammy knew she wanted something different for herself. In search of a different scenery she left her hometown and travelled overseas, living in countries such as Malaysia, and Switzerland she discovered a new way of life that went beyond her front door.

Fast-forward to today, Tammy is now based on the Gold Coast, has a 6.6million following on Instagram, over 720 thousand YouTube subscribers and a brand that just keeps growing bigger. Bloggers and Influencers have become the new marketing tool brands use to sell their product due to how relatable and accessible they are with their followers.

Their transparency lures and increases buying power all the while maintaining long lasting brand loyalty with customers. Something celebrities are now battling to do -even the Kardashians realize the undeniable power influencers pose and this is evident in Khloe Kardashians new campaign for her denim line, Good American.

Khloe Kardashian recently gave the Australian mom a shout out on Instagram, welcoming her to the good squad, mentioning that she has motivated me on my fitness journey for longer than she probably is aware of. Seeing how she juggles her beautiful babies and hubby, her ever growing business and making fitness look easy and glamorous, of course I wanted her to be a part of our #GoodSquad, said Khloe.

Daily Mail UK

For Tammy this was a great feeling to think that from her humble beginnings of being a country girl she is making big moves in the city life on an international scale. It was amazing, I was lucky enough to meet Khloe Kardashian when I was shooting for her Good American brand and she was so lovely! I believe in women supporting other women and she is a great example of that. Im proud to be a part of her Good Squad and what it represents, says Tammy.

In between starting her family, she began her fitness journey, sharing her personal fitness tips using social media as her platform. My interest in fitness became an addiction, and I was inspired by how good I felt but also the changes it was making to my body. Not only was she making changes to her body, she was also inspiring her 6.6million Instagram followers and moms to get their bodies back into shape after pregnancy.

From sharing her pregnancy experience to post baby body, she has her fan base wondering how shes managed to build a strong brand for herself on both a national and international level. For me it happened really organically and my main motivation is to share what Ive learned with women all over the world. Grateful to her followers, Tammy appreciates the support and encouragement she gets. My fans inspire me to keep pushing further and I hope to give back to my followers by sharing knowledge, experiences and expertise, says Tammy.

When it comes to sharing your personal life and being in the public eye, most people automatically assume they know everything there is to know about you based on what you put out there. I think a big misconception is that my Instagram is a direct reflection of who I am. I dont always look my best, I have nights where Im up all night with the kids, Im working, or just having downtime. People can be quick to label me based on my looks but that is just one part of me. A massive misconception is when people equate my looks with my intelligence, says Tammy.

Another misconception Tammy faces about her career as an influencer is how people think its easy, you have to be able to present something of value to your audience and build upon your following, she says. Having worked with some major brands such as Tarte Cosmetics, Womens Best and Fashion Nova, Tammy mentions that it is important to me to have an honest and open approach among all my social media and if you have watched any of her YouTube videos, her bubbly personality and relatable approach to life is no doubt one of the many reasons she has become such a notable figure in the blogging industry.

Armed with two little cuties, Wolf and Saskia, who flood our timelines with their adorable infectious laughs, Tammy is also in the process of building her own fitness clothing brand called Saski Collection, an active wear thats comfortable and specially designed to complement body figures and enhance different shapes while working towards your fitness goals.

Blogging has definitely opened the doors for other forms of business to be expand outside the realms of a digital space, agreeing with this, she says Its becoming a more popular field of occupation because it works and if youre smart about it you can build a strong brand. Behind the business mogul she is, Tammy gives credit to her family for the support they provide her, giving all the praise to her partner Reece for giving the space she needs to work on her dreams while working as a team to raise their children.

This article was edited by Tiffany Lekuku, a 23-year-old South African Lifestyle blogger. As a health enthusiast , she is passionate about trying to live a healthy and balanced life all the while documenting & sharing her experiences In-between.

Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most.

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The Rise of Australia's Fitness Influencer Tammy Hembrow - HuffPost

FITNESS

Tai Chi Balance Sunrise Chapel, 8421 E. Wrightstown Road. Mondays: Tai Chi basics; Thursdays: yang 10 for beginners. 11 a.m.-noon. Mondays and Thursdays. $10; $30 a month. 296-9212.

Tai Chi for Health Resurrection Lutheran Church, 11575 N. First Ave, Oro Valley. Improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being through natural breathing and slow, gentle, meditative body movements. 1-2 p.m. Mondays. $10; $60 for nine weeks.780-6751.

Tai Chi for Health St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Road. Safe, effective and fun way to improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being. 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays. $10; $60 for nine weeks.780-6751.

Seated Tai Chi for Health Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. For those who want to improve their health but cant stand to exercise. 1-2 p.m. Wednesdays. $24 for four classes. 465-2890.

Divine Joy Yoga Rincon United Church of Christ, 122 N. Craycroft Road. Visit divinejoyyoga.com to see 13 locations. 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $6. 808-9383.

Yoga in the Buff Movement Culture, 435 E. Ninth St. Clothing optional co-ed. 4-5 p.m. Thursdays. $5. 250-2331.

Hot Yoga Rooted, 1600 N. Tucson Blvd. Full body flow. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $10. 1-435-671-9033.

Vinyasa Yoga Tucson Chiropractic Center, 570 N. Columbus Blvd. Strengthen, stretch and tone. 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $5. 1-435-671-9033.

Tucson Tuesday Laughter Yoga Quaker Meeting House, 931 N. Fifth Ave. To promote peace and healing. 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays. Free. 490-5500.

Tucson Capoeira intro class Movement Culture. Introduction to the four core expressions of Capoeira : Movement, music, philosophy, and history. 5:30-7 p.m. Mondays. Free.

Taekwondo Wellness Intuition Wellness Center, 5675 N. Oracle Road. Learn traditional Taekwondo philosophy and core principles, self-care, stress management, coping skills, social skills and mindfulness meditation. 4:15 p.m class for ages 7-12; 5:15 p.m. for ages 12 and up. 4:15-5:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $20. 333-3320.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax, 2928 E. Broadway. Children learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. First class free; $15. 990-1820.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax. Learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. First class free; $15.

Kids Capoeira Movement Culture. Develop; balance, motor coordination, speed and strength. Wear loose pants/sweat pants and any t-shirt and training will be in bare feet or martial-art/dance shoes. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Mondays. $10.

Qigong/Tao Meditation St. Francis in the Foothills. Gentle movements, focused attention and full natural breathing. 10:15-11:15 a.m. Tuesdays. $10; $75 for nine week series.

Read more:
Tucson Tai Chi, Yoga and more fitness June 8-16 - Arizona Daily Star

Mashable

Apple's obsession with fitness and fashion is hurting the Apple Watch Mashable I recently began wearing an Apple Watch regularly. Generally I'm not a watch guy haven't been since I gave up my calculator watch in the late '80s but in recent years I've learned to appreciate some of the utility features of smartwatches. I ... and more »

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Apple's obsession with fitness and fashion is hurting the Apple Watch - Mashable

The original Huawei Watch was one of my surprise favorites. It didnt have an overabundance of features, but it ran Android Wear nicely and it looked good doing it. With the new $299.99 Huawei Watch 2, the company pivoted hard. It put an emphasis on function over form in an attempt to make it more of a fitness device rather than a casual fashion piece. Thats exactly what a number of other companies such as Apple, Samsung, and LG have done with their recent smartwatch attempts, but in the case of the Huawei, the result is a mixed bag.

To test the watch, I linked it with my primary Google accounts and wore it constantly, except when charging it or swimming. I wore it while hiking, running, playing basketball, and doing a couple of at-home workouts. I used it as a second screen for my phone, as an activity tracker, and even for tracking my sleep (via a third-party app) you know, the stuff that smartwatches are typically used for. But before we get into how it did, lets talk about whats new in this model.

The big new feature is that the watch now has its own GPS radio. This means you can leave your phone at home, then go for a run or ride and all your important, brag-worthy stats will be recorded. It also has a built-in optical heart rate monitor that tracks your ticker 24/7; it should deliver a good look at your resting heart rate over time, which is an important metric for your overall fitness. Its one of the few Android Wear watches that has a built-in speaker, which you can use for notifications and alarms, as well as playing music directly from the watch. You should, theoretically, be able to make phone calls through it, but the app crashed on me every time I tried it. The global version of the watch has LTE as an option, but unfortunately that model hasnt yet made it to the US.

To accommodate these additional components, the body of the Huawei Watch 2 is 1.3mm thicker than the original (12.6mm vs. 11.3mm). That doesnt seem like a lot on paper, but on a watch, you notice every tenth of a millimeter. One of the things the original had going for it was that it was fairly unobtrusive. It laid more or less flat against your wrist, and it wasnt overly prone to catching on your cuff. The Watch 2 juts out more and makes it feel closer to the chunky GPS watches you associate with trekking but at least those are typically waterproof to 50+ meters. The Watch 2 tops out at IP68, which means its water resistant up to a meter for up to 30 minutes. In other words: you can shower with it, but swimming is out.

The body of the watch is now plastic instead of metal, which gives it a decidedly cheaper look and feel. The biggest loss, however, is that the screen has decreased from 1.4 inches to 1.2 inches. At first I thought Huawei did this to reduce the overall size of the device, but despite the smaller screen the new version is larger than the original in every dimension. The Watch 2 has a thicker, more utilitarian-looking bezel encircling the screen (again, probably to make room for the additional sensors and such), so its possible that shrinking the screen was how it kept the watch from being even larger than it is. If so, it wasnt worth it, as the display is very hard to read. Icons get jammed together and its extremely easy to over-scroll when swiping, or select the wrong item by mistake. For context, the Apple Watch has a 1.65-inch screen (square), and the larger Moto 360 has a 1.56-inch screen (round). Both are much easier to use. The Watch 2 also lacks a rotating bezel or crown, so all of your interaction happens on that tiny screen. The exceptions are the two buttons on the side: one is used to open apps and launch Assistant, and the other launches workout tracking.

The Huawei Watch 2 runs Android Wear 2.0, which is a big improvement over earlier versions. It can run native, standalone apps and even download them directly from the Google Play Store on the watch. Watchfaces can display far more complex data fields, and the notifications are easier to interact with or they would be if they werent so tiny on this diminutive screen. I actually encountered a surprising amount of bugginess: apps randomly freezing on a couple of occasions, and the watch generally being slow to respond to input. The screen times out all too quickly, which forces you to navigate all the way back to the thing you just had up (though this may be an Android Wear issue).

While Google Assistant is built in, it seems that not all Google Assistants are created equal. I can ask my Pixel XL "What time do the Warriors play tonight?" and itll tell me they are playing the Spurs at 6PM tonight. When I ask the watch the exact same question, Assistant tells me, "Sorry, I couldnt do that." Go figure. Also, Android Wear still wont let Google Voice users initiate an SMS conversation from their own Google Voice phone number, which remains infuriating for me.

Android Pay is another new addition with Wear 2.0 and it works smoothly. Once you have your credit cards loaded into the watch (youll need your phone for that, too), you can use the watch to pay for goods pretty much anywhere NFC payments are available. You must have a lock screen enabled on your watch, but once its unlocked, you just open the pay app, select the card you want to use, and tap your watchs screen to the point-of-sale machines NFC reader. This could come in handy if youre running without your phone and you find yourself in desperate need of a drink or a taxi back home.

Huawei did build some of its own apps to take advantage of the Watch 2s new hardware features. Simply press the physical button on the bottom right of the watch and you can track running, walking, outdoor cycling, treadmill, indoor cycling, and "other," which you can use for general workouts. There are also modes for cardio and "fat-burning," which will help you stay within a predetermined heart rate zone while running. If you also use the phone-based Huawei Health app, it can help you train for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, or full marathon based on your current fitness level and your goals. Huawei Health can also integrate with Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, and (strangely) UP by Jawbone so your stats wont languish in a silo, alone forever.

The workout app is really pretty decent. It has an embedded Google Map which you can use to see your location (though only if you have preloaded the map or have your phone with you), and it can display your running cadence (i.e., steps per minute), which is an important metric and a pretty rare one for a watch to display.

Unfortunately, this is somewhat neutered by the small screen. Cadence is displayed on a page with five other data fields. When crammed into a 1.2-inch screen, those data fields are entirely illegible while running. If I wanted to see my cadence I had to stop and look, and then I only had a few seconds to see it, because it changes when your feet stop moving. This could easily be solved by separating some of these data fields onto other pages, so a larger font could be used. Of course, you can just as easily install Runkeeper, Strava, Runtastic, and other favorite mobile fitness apps, but even then the tiny screen is prone to cutting off text at the corners.

Heart rate monitoring was surprisingly accurate

Wrist-based optical heart rate monitors are notorious for having accuracy problems, which is why I was surprised to discover the quality of this one. I did a workout with the Huawei Watch 2 on my left rest, and on my right I used the Garmin Fenix 5X paired with a very trustworthy chest strap HRM. I found that the Huawei tended to be 510 seconds behind the Garmin when it came to displaying changes in my heart rate, but once it caught up it was almost always within five beats per minute, and more often it stayed within two. Thats really quite good! The lag was definitely annoying, but in the context of a long workout I wouldnt call it a deal-breaker.

One of the things the watch does best is function as an activity tracker (a la Fitbit and co). When you open the built-in Daily Tracking app, youre greeted with a ton of data thats laid out very nicely. It tells you how many steps youve taken, how many feet of elevation youve gained, how many times youve stood up, how long youve spent standing, how much time youve spent in different heart rate zones, how many calories youve burned, and even your resting heart rate for the day (and a graph for viewing all the spikes and valleys over the last six hours). Many of these data fields can be integrated into your favorite watchface, too. It will also advise you to get up and move if youve been inactive for more than an hour, and it will even show you some stretches you can do.

Unreliable battery life is frustrating

Unfortunately, battery life is extremely variable and unreliable. The Watch 2 has a 420mAh cell in it (up from 300mAh on the previous model), and there were times when I used the watch to track a couple of activities with GPS and it still made it nearly two full days. The next day, I used the watch very lightly and it drained to 12 percent after 24 hours. The day after that, it was down to 12 percent after just 18 hours. There doesnt seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. You can use it in a low-power mode which Huawei claims will get you 21 days of battery life but the only thing it can do in that mode is tell you the time of day and how many steps youve taken. This kinda defeats the point of wearing a bulky smartwatch.

Maybe "bulky" isnt fair, at least not when compared to behemoths like the LG Watch Sport, which at 45.4 x 51.2 x 14.2mm is handily wider and thicker than the Huawei Watch 2 (48.9 x 45 x 12.6mm), but its not exactly svelte, either. It seems that Huawei was hoping to sway some daintier-wristed individuals with this iteration, but I dont think theyve quite cracked the code here. I think it looks fine on me, personally, but my wrists are on the larger side of the spectrum. On thinner wrists, it protrudes a bit awkwardly, and I cant see it bringing many fashionistas into the fold.

Overall, I found that the Huawei Watch 2 was one of my more frustrating Android Wear experiences. Trying to read the tiny screen while exercising made me want to chew off my own hand. (It was even worse when I was wearing polarized sunglasses.) I actually found the watch to be pretty comfortable, and it was surprisingly accurate for the things it could track. That said, for a watch this big and sporty-looking, I want it to be, well, sportier. I want it to be waterproof and capable of tracking my swimming or kayaking. And if its trying to be a smartwatch, then it simply needs to work better without glitches or precipitous dives in battery life.

Ultimately, it feels like Huawei was trying to make a watch that could be right for everybody, and it ended up with a watch that isnt really right for anybody.

Photography by Brent Rose for The Verge

Brent Rose is a freelance writer, actor, and filmmaker, currently traveling the US living in a high-tech van, looking for stories to tell. Follow his adventures on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and at ConnectedStates.com.

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Huawei Watch 2 review: a fitness focus that falls flat - The Verge

Six fitness tracking devices measuring step counts and other fitness features are worn Wednesday July 20, 2016, in New York. Clockwise, from top left are the: Garmin Vivoactive, Fitbit Blaze, Garmin Vivoactive HR, Samsung Gear Fit2, Apple Watch and Fitbit Surge. Before spending as much as a few hundred dollars on one, see if your expectations align with its capabilities. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Calorie counting is useful to lose weight, but a fitness tracker could sabotage your efforts.

The devices are very popular. The leading brand, Fitbit, has sold at least 30 million. The company promises that Fitbits "track steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes & hourly activity." Others - such as PulseOn, Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Samsung Gear S2 and Microsoft Band - promise the same.

A team of Stanford University researchers, however, recently called foul after testing these trackers. Although the devices purport to help users track calories - daily energy expenditure - the number is often markedly incorrect, the scientists said in a paper published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

The least accurate, PulseOn, was off by an average of 93 percent. The most accurate, Fitbit Surge, was off by an average of 27 percent, the Guardian reported.

In a statement to NPR, PulseOn said the extremely high level of inaccuracy may "suggest that the authors may not have properly set all the user parameters on the device."

The consequences of such large margins of error could, of course, be significant.

"People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices," said Euan Ashley, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford and co-author of the study.

Let's say some users check their device at the end of a long day and discover that they burned 1,000 calories when they actually only burned 730. They might have an extra dessert or glass of wine since they think they've met their goal.

Over time, that adds up. In this scenario, that's 1,890 extra calories each week the users don't know about. Each pound of fat consists of 3,500 calories.

"It's just human nature," said Tim Church, professor of preventative medicine at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University.

He wasn't involved in the study but told NPR: "People are checking these inaccurate counts, and they think they've earned a muffin or earned some ice cream and they're sabotaging their weight-loss program."

Some margin of error is inevitable, but the scientists said it should be far lower.

"For a lay user, in a nonmedical setting, we want to keep that error under 10 percent," said Anna Shcherbina, a Stanford graduate student and study co-author, in a news release.

"It's very hard to train an algorithm that would be accurate across a wide variety of people because energy expenditure is variable based on someone's fitness level, height and weight, etc.," Shcherbina said.

The study participants included a "diversity of ages, male and female, and then also we looked at diversity of skin tone, and then size and weight to try and represent the population generally," Ashley told the Guardian.

The devices proved most accurate for white women who were already fit, meaning "for those for whom it might matter the most, who are trying to lose weight, the error was actually greater," Ashley told NPR, speculating that perhaps the companies only test the devices on a narrow group of people.

While the energy expenditure numbers were woefully off, Shcherbina said it's much easier to assess heart rate, which can be measured directly and not through proxy calculations.

Indeed, Ashley said, "The heart rate measurements performed far better than expected." Most were off by only about 5 percent.

A multiyear study published last September in JAMA split into two groups almost 500 people hoping to lose weight. One used fitness trackers; the other did not.

Those with the trackers lost about 50 percent less weight than those without.

Lead study author John Jakicic, a researcher of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh, at the time said it likely had to do with people incorrectly interpreting the trackers.

"These technologies are focused on physical activity, like taking steps and getting your heart rate up," Jakicic told NPR.

"People would say, 'Oh, I exercised a lot today, now I can eat more.' And they might eat more than they otherwise would have."

The Stanford study, though, suggests that perhaps the participants were merely working with faulty data.

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Fitness trackers largely inaccurate when counting calories, Stanford researchers say - Colorado Springs Gazette

Sid Lowe explains why it would not be worth the risk for Zinedine Zidane to start Gareth Bale over Isco in Cardiff.

Regardless his offensive credentials and his track record of scoring in top-level matches, Gareth Bale is not Real Madrid's biggest fitness concern for Saturday's Champions League final versus Juventus. The Welshman could well be a key element to keep Dani Alves in check, but if he can't recover for the duel, Zinedine Zidane's team have other satisfactory options to cover for Bale.

However, that is not necessarily the case if Dani Carvajal does not make the final in Cardiff. The energetic full-back has enjoyed an outstanding season, during which, coupled with Marcelo's forays on the left flank, they've given opponents plenty to deal with when trying to contain Real Madrid's offense from both wings.

When in shape, Carvajal is a physically gifted dynamo able to run up and down for all 90 minutes. He can dominate the fastest wingers while making them work defensively, as he enjoys venturing forward as much as any other right-back in world football. Unfortunately, he tends to suffer muscular injuries, something that Madrid's medical team needs to address. If they do, the club will have a phenomenally reliable full-back for the next eight to ten years.

This season, Carvajal has shown new weapons in his arsenal. His passing looks more menacing, and he has added an outside-of-the-boot cross that hadn't appeared in previous years. For his offensive moves, he links up quite well with Luka Modric, but when Zidane decides to use Lucas Vazquez as a winger in front of Carvajal, the combination is especially potent.

It's hard to explain Carvajal's remarkable ability to influence matches from such a theoretically isolated position on the pitch. He's no Alves, as his participation is much less frequent, although almost equally damaging: They both have four assists in 10 Champions League matches this season.

He's no Marcelo either, lacking the Brazilian's skill to dribble and fool defenders with his footwork. Carvajal resembles more a classic full-back: fast, persistent, often times defeating his defender because of his sheer force of will rather than because of his technique.

One could say that good things tend to happen, both offensively and defensively, when Carvajal is involved in the match. This is the exact opposite of the feeling that his potential replacement, Danilo, conveys when he's on the pitch.

Zidane obviously trusts the Brazilian, who has been his first option to cover for Carvajal this season, especially during the past month. Danilo has indeed grown in confidence and performance, but he's still quite below the level expected for a Real Madrid starter. In a few instances per match he rushes his decisions, loses his defending assignments, misplaces key passes, mistimes his challenges.

When Danilo plays, the centre-back next to him (usually Sergio Ramos) needs to pay special attention to the Brazilian's back, while Modric refrains from venturing forward to avoid leaving him in one-on-one situations versus opposing wingers. In such a high-performing team, a weak link such as Danilo generates an imbalance that impacts the whole lineup, especially when Real Madrid's opponents in the final, Juventus, can send the likes of Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic to put serious pressure on him.

Again, Zidane has given the Brazilian huge doses of confidence. Before the beginning of the season, had someone said that Danilo would start in 17 La Liga matches, it would have sounded like a joke, but that's exactly what has happened, and the club won La Liga anyway. But even though Zidane's confidence is apparent, Danilo has not upped his game as much as he should have. The Brazilian has not done enough to show that he can be trusted as a starter, even less in the biggest match in club football.

Zidane does have other options. The most evident, using Nacho Fernandez as a right-back, would quiet the concerns of most fans. Nacho has performed admirably in both full-back spots as well as in the centre of the defence whenever he's been required to do so, and looks a very safe bet to start on Saturday. But Madrid's French manager opted against this alternative in each of the final three La Liga matches, all of them key for the title, so it seems that if Carvajal can't make it, Danilo will get the nod.

Zidane knows better than any of us looking from the outside. But if Danilo is announced as a starter on Saturday afternoon, the match will have an extra dose of adrenaline for Real Madrid supporters.

Eduardo Alvarez covers Real Madrid and the Spanish national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @alvarez.

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Real Madrid's greatest fitness concern is not Gareth Bale, but Dani Carvajal - ESPN FC (blog)

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