Filip Brož A person should walk ten thousand steps a day. A well-known phrase that most manufacturers of smart fitness bracelets and accessories for a healthy lifestyle rely on. Recently, however, several articles appeared in foreign magazines on the topic of where the magic number came from and whether it is scientifically based at all. Is it possible that, on the contrary, we harm the body by taking ten thousand steps a day? I don't think so and I use the motto that every move counts.
Over the years, I've gone through a number of smart wristbands, from the legendary Jawbone UP to Fitbit, Misfit Shine, classic chest straps from Polar to Apple Watch and more. In recent months, in addition to the Apple Watch, I've also been wearing a Mio Slice bracelet. He impressed me with a completely different method of counting the mentioned steps and physical activity. Mio targets your heart rate. It then uses algorithms to convert the resulting values into PAI units – Personal activity intelligence.
When I heard this label for the first time, I immediately thought of several science fiction films. Unlike ten thousand steps a day, the PAI algorithm is scientifically based on HUNT research conducted by the Faculty of Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The research followed 45 people in detail for twenty-five years. Scientists have mainly investigated physical activity and common human activities that affect health and longevity.
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From a large amount of data, it became clear how much activity and in which persons led to an increase in life expectancy and an improvement in its quality. The result of the study is the mentioned PAI score, which every person should maintain at the limit of one hundred points per week.
Every body works differently
In practice, PAI processes your heart rate based on your health, age, gender, weight, and commonly reached maximum and minimum heart rate values. The resulting score is thus completely personalized, so if you go for a run with someone who is also wearing a Mio Slice, you will each end up with completely different values. It is similar not only in a number of other sports activities, but also in ordinary walking. Someone can work up a sweat mowing the garden, babysitting or walking in the park.
For this reason, it is important to choose the default heart rate values right from the first setting. Specifically, it's your average resting heart rate and your maximum heart rate. For this you can use a simple calculation of 220 minus your age. Although the number will not be completely accurate, it will be more than sufficient for basic orientation and initial setup. You can also use various professional sports testers or measurements by a sports doctor, where you will receive absolutely accurate values of your heart. After all, if you actively play sports, you should undergo similar medical examinations from time to time. You can thus prevent a number of diseases, but back to the bracelet.
Mio Slice measures heart rate almost continuously at certain time intervals. At rest every five minutes, at low activity every minute and at moderate to high intensity every second continuously. Slice also measures your sleep every fifteen minutes and continuously records your heart rate. After waking up, you can easily find out when you were in a deep or shallow sleep phase, including detailed information about waking up or falling asleep. I also really like that Mio detects sleep automatically. I don't have to turn on or activate anything anywhere.
You can find all measured values including the PAI score in the Mio PAI 2 app. The app communicates with the wristband using Bluetooth 4.0 Smart and can also send heart rate data to other compatible apps. In addition, Mio Slice can communicate with sports testers or cadence and speed sensors via ANT+, which is used by cyclists and runners, for example.
Optical heart rate measurement
Mio is no newcomer to our market. In his portfolio, you can find several smart bracelets that have always been based on accurate heart rate measurement. Mio owns technologies based on optical heart rate sensing, for which it has received numerous awards. As a result, the measurement is comparable to chest straps or ECG. It is not surprising that their technology is also used by competitors.
However, the Mio bracelet does not only show the current heart rate values, but on the clearly readable OLED display you will also find the current time, PAI score, steps taken, calories burned, distance expressed in kilometers and how much sleep you got the night before. At the same time, you will find only one plastic button on the bracelet, with which you click the mentioned function and value.
If you're going to do sports, just hold the button for a while and Mio will immediately switch to exercise mode. In this mode, Mio Slice measures and stores heart rate every second. The display only shows the time and stopwatch, PAI units gained during the exercise and the current heart rate.
Once you've synced with the app, you can see in detail how you performed during your workout. Mio will keep the records for seven days, after which they will be overwritten with new data. It is therefore advisable to turn on the application on the iPhone from time to time and save the data safely. The Mio Slice lasts for four to five days on a single charge, depending on usage. Recharging takes place using the included USB dock, which fully charges the Mio in an hour. You can save battery by turning off the automatic display lighting when you turn your wrist.
Simple design
In terms of wearing, it took me a while to get used to the bracelet. The body is made of hypoallergenic polyurethane and the electronic components are protected by an aluminum body and polycarbonate. At first glance, the bracelet looks quite massive, but over time I got used to it and stopped noticing it. It fits very well on my hand and has never fallen off on its own. Fastening takes place with the help of two pins that you click into the appropriate holes according to your hand.
With the Mio Slice, you can also go to the pool or take a shower without worry. The Slice is waterproof to 30 meters. In practice, you can also count the PAI units obtained during swimming. Notifications of incoming calls and SMS messages are also a handy function. In addition to the strong vibration, you will also see the name of the caller or the sender of the message on the display. However, if you're using an Apple Watch, these features are useless and just waste your precious juice again.
As previously announced, Slice specializes in your heart rate, which is analyzed by two green LEDs. For that reason, it is also necessary to pay attention to the strength of the bracelet, especially at night. If it is tightened a lot, you will wake up in the morning with nice prints. If, on the other hand, you release the bracelet, the green light can easily wake up your wife or partner sleeping next to you. I tried it for you and several times the woman told me that the light coming from the diodes of the bracelet was not pleasant.
The heart must race
In the few months I've been testing the Mio Slice, I've found that the number of steps really isn't the deciding factor. It happened to me that I walked almost ten kilometers during the day, but I did not get a single PAI unit. On the contrary, as soon as I went to play squash, I had completed a quarter. Maintaining the limit of one hundred points per week may look quite easy, but it really requires honest training or some kind of sports activity. You will certainly not fulfill the PAI score by simply walking around the city or shopping center. On the contrary, I sweated a few times pushing the carriage and some PAI unit jumped up.
Simply put, every now and then you need to get your heart pumping and get a little breathless and sweaty. Mio Slice can become the perfect helper on this journey. I like that manufacturers are taking a completely different path than the competition. Ten thousand steps certainly does not mean that you will live longer and be healthier. You can buy the Mio Slice all-day heart rate monitor in different color options at EasyStore.cz for 3.898 crowns.
I would like to see the study showing the same accuracy of wrist TF measurement compared to ECG.
I know of many studies that show the exact opposite of what you write here. Higher accuracy can only be achieved in laboratory conditions, where we have ideal conditions. During physical activity, the measurement results differ by tens of t/s.
Interestingly. I wonder then what studies conducted in Asia, for example, would say about this. Where I imagine the masses of "rippling" people who, despite their advanced "training", would not have gained a single mentioned PAI point, even though they are also demonstrably cultivating longevity. Which, on the other hand, is degraded by intense sport.. It is not for nothing that they say that life is defined by the number of inhalations/exhalations. So it's probably not a very good idea to desperately try to fit them into the shortest possible time...? So if I don't follow the fashion guide, when it doesn't hurt - I'm not living.
And these may be studies that have lasted thousands of years. Compared to which 25 years is like nothing.. see marginally for example http://taoismus.webnode.cz/michael-winn2/odpovedi-na-caste-otazky/proc-je-pro-zdravi-lepsi-cchi-kung-nez-pravidelne-cviceni-nebo-sport-/
Or what about all those "immortal" yogis who have extended their heart rate to unimaginable spans? When the mat is mentioned in the video.
that's advertising again. It's best to run with a carrot stuck in your ass. Put a thermometer in it and we get an overview of brain function... In short, the content of the article, if someone wants to save time.
Ziiv ..Apple watch…they also do it based on heart rate and not just the number of steps..chrrr