Hey weekend warriors, let's talk about a new way to make sure that you're drinking enough water!
~SPONSORED POST~
Wednesday pre-ordering began for the LVL (pronounced "level") - a new activity monitor from BSX Technologies measuring your heart rate, sleep, and hydration (the only product to do so) in real time. So now we have a new stat to check and track to see reasons why we're feeling good or bad throughout the day.
The Technical Side
Unlike other wearable tech LVL uses near-infrared light (NIRS) to monitor your body. This red light is the same as they use in hospitals because it's more accurate and can measure more. Other wearable tech uses green light because it's both cheaper and enables the product to be put on the market faster than red light.
BSX Technologies used a patented multi-wavelength NIRS technology for LVL to go deeper and measure more parameters at once compared to the traditional green light technology. Their fancy algorithms predicts and identifies your current health and fitness state from anywhere on your body.
All About That Hydration
Hydration is a fickle beast because frankly we suck at judging how much we should be drinking. Studies have shown hydrating solely upon feeling thirsty results in only 30-70% consumption compared to match how much we lose from sweating. Just 1-2% dehydration could lead to a 5.8% decrease in performance. This kind of decrease results in poor skills testing similar to those at the legal limit for blood alcohol!
Being dehydrated also affects recovery. If you're not drinking enough you don't sleep well, you're moody, your memory slips, and more. Your body also gets confused between hunger and thirst, leading you to overeat.
SHOCKING FACT: 75% of Americans are in a chronic state of dehydration!
The good news is we CAN overcome dehydration, after all being properly hydrated has saved more lives than antibiotics. Using science and cutting edge technology to track more physiological data it's possible to provide real time stats that'll help us perform better.
Who is Behind LVL?
BSX Technologies was started in 2012 down in the heart of Austin, TX, by Dustin Freckleton, MD, and Nithin Rajan. Shortly before his 25th birthday Dustin suffered a stroke due to severe dehydration. He was completely paralyzed on his left side and it took months for him to learn to walk again. Once he finished medical school Dustin walked away from his career and started BSX. He is dedicated to developing smarter tech to have better real time stats to keep everyone healthy.
In 2014 BSX developed and shipped the first wearable lactate threshold sensor (BSXInsight) that's now used by everyday athletes, pros, and Olympians worldwide who want to train with professional grade data. This sensor identifies your optimal training zones, measuring your fitness capacity. The technology has been independently validated by several academic and research institutions. BSXInsight uses the same NIRS tech as LVL.
How & Where Do I Get LVL?
This first batch of LVL is scheduled to begin shipping next summer. They are available for pre-orders at a discounted price for a limited time.
Let's all get LVL'd up and really Measure What Matters!
All LVL product images are courtesy of BSX Technologies in conjunction with this sponsored post.
Oh, very cool! I hadn't heard of LVL yet. I'm always interested in more data and definitely don't drink enough water.
ReplyDeleteSo this device measures your hydration status by wearing it on your wrist? The medical person is me is a little skeptical.... But hey, if it gets people to drink more water, I'm all for that!
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting! I am wondering how it measures your hydration level or is it just keeping track of how much you drink?
ReplyDeleteI could use something like this. I know I'm usually under-hydrated.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this yet! I need to check it out.
ReplyDeleteThat dehydration fact is quite shocking, but not at the same time. If only more people would cut out soda and other "bad" beverages and drink more water instead.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this brand but it looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I have never heard of this. I am terrified to see what my hydration and sleeping levels are like. I know I don't get enough of either.
ReplyDeleteHydration? Really? Did it change levels needed based on temp and activity? Interesting gizmo!
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I got a fitbit and then didnt end up using it much. I should use it more though, especially for sleep. The few times I wore it, I found out I lose an hour of sleep because I wake up so much. ugh!
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