7 best fitness tech for college students in UAE, for 2024

But between chugging down litres of coffee, snacking with friends, and hours spent seated at your desk or in the campus library, you may start to feel a little heavy and stiff. It’s why making time for fitness is important, no matter how busy your schedule.

Even moderate exercise – that’s 20 minutes a day, three days a week, according to the World Health Organisation – has been shown to improve mental health and lower stress in college students. But if you’re finding it tough to prioritise a quick jog or HIIT session, it might be worth investing in fitness gear that can help motivate you and keep you active, regularly.

From fitness trackers that help you set up and achieve goals to workout earbuds that help you disconnect from stressors and focus on your favourite music, as you sweat it out, there are lots of options that can make a difference.

We spoke with Tasneem Habil Hussain, lead physiotherapist at UK-based Halsa Chiropractic and Physiotherapy, who stressed the importance of making health a priority. She said: "Making time for exercise is crucial for university students. Regular physical activity not only helps improve physical health but helps in mental health, which in turn gets them to excel academically." Scroll down to gain more advice from our expert.

We also talked to university students to gain insight into their favourite tech, and how it’s impacted their fitness routine. Shop from our curated list below, with an Amazon Prime membership, and have these items delivered to you as early as tomorrow.

1. Best Fitness Tracker: Fitbit Charge 6 

Pros

Cons

When Amna Shahid, a 20-year-old business student at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, wanted to get more active, she said she was confused whether she should buy a smartwatch or a fitness tracker. In the end, she chose Fitbit Charge 6: “I realised a smartwatch, with all its notifications and non-fitness related features, would just distract me when I’m in the gym or in the middle of a run. I’m happy with my choice!” The Fitbit Charge 6 costs half as much as a high-end smartwatch, but still offers plenty of useful apps, like Google Maps, YouTube Music, Google Wallet and even smartphone app notifications for calling and texting, which you can turn off if not required. It features over 40 exercise modes, a built-in global positioning system (GPS), heart rate tracking, sleep tracking and lots more. With seven-day battery life, and water resistance in up to 50m, it’s a versatile and durable fitness tracker for college life. Reviewers say it’s easy to use, and charges back up in less than 1.5 hours. However, some find the blood oxygen saturation readings to be inaccurate and inconsistent.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh49.92 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh35, and two-year extended warranty for Dh57.

2. Best Weighing Scale: eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro 

Pros

Cons

Ask any fitness expert and they’ll tell you that getting healthy is not about the numbers on the weighing scale. But if your scale helps you monitor your progress, it can serve as excellent motivation in your fitness journey. The eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro is a great way to do so – this scale doesn’t just track your weight, but also your heart rate, body mass index (BMI), muscle and bone bass and much more. Download its companion app and you can get your full body composition analysis delivered right to your phone. The high-precision manganese steel sensors in this scale can detect subtle weight changes by up to 50g, and reviewers say it’s quite accurate. You can also sync the scale with your Fitbit, to track your progress in one place. However, some reviewers find its daily push notifications to be irritating and intrusive – although do note that this feature can be turned off.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh12, and two-year extended warranty for Dh17.

3. Best Sports Earbuds: Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 

Pros

Cons

A good pair of active earbuds can make all the difference in your workout – it can motivate you to push yourself further and enjoy your experience, or leave you frustrated and dissatisfied. Jabra’s Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earbuds are the best of the best – they use Dolby Audio technology with enhanced tuning for a surround sound effect. There’s also a Natural HearThrough feature that lets you stay aware of your surroundings, and Active Adaptive Noise Cancellation (ANC) to block out all sounds around you. The fit is great, say reviewers, who have worn the earbuds for hours without them sliding off. The earbuds and charging case are fully water- and sweat-resistant, thanks to their IP68 rating, and you can expect a battery life of eight hours with ANC on, and 14 hours with it off. The best part, however, may be the plug-and-play smart case, which turns itself into a wireless transmitter – you can plug it into a 3.5mm output (for example, in a flight) and enjoy spatial audio without any latency. Do note that there is no head tracking here, and Jabra doesn’t offer advanced support for ANC.

Bonus: Buy with 0% installments and pay Dh69.64 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers one-year extended warranty by Salama Care for Dh52, and two-year extended warranty for Dh73.

4. Best Massager: Therabody Theragun Mini 2.0 

Pros

Cons

A massage tool that’s small, portable and powerful, is exactly what you need after a demanding workout, or even a day spent hunched over your desk. The Theragun Mini 2.0 is the smaller version of the brand’s other massage devices - it fits in one hand, and slips easily into gym bags for a relaxing post-workout recovery routine. The ultra-portable device features three pre-set speed options and its brushless QX35 motor applies over 9kg of force, maintaining speed and depth with Active Torque Control for a vibration that suits you. It runs for 120 minutes on a single charge, and uses QuietForce Technology to ensure it doesn't disturb others. The device comes with three attachments – standard ball, dampener, thumb – but you’ll have to buy other attachments separately.

Bonus: Buy with 0% instalments and pay Dh62.92 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers a one-year extended warranty for Dh46, and a two-year extended warranty for Dh65.

5. Best Jump Rope: Tangram Rookie Smart Jump Rope 

Pros

Cons

A jump rope that keeps track of your jump count and calories burnt? Yes, please! Tangram’s Rookie gives you the ability to ace cardio workouts right in your dorm room. Osama Zahid, who's in his final year of biomedical engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University, in Canada, said: "I start my day with a Tangram jump rope and knowing I can just get into the flow, without worrying about counting, is so helpful! I just push myself to the limit." The jump rope's companion smartphone app lets you check all related metrics, like time spent jumping, and also motivates you to do better, by placing you on a leaderboard, unlocking awards, helping you connect with a community of Smart Rope users, and challenging you to interval trainings. Powered by a coin battery that lasts up to nine months, Tangram’s Rookie is the exercise tool you didn’t know you needed, for university. However, some reviewers comment that the jump count resets after just 10 seconds on inactivity, so you might end up with dozens of ‘workouts’ within a 30-minute session, on your smartphone app.

6. Best Water Bottle: Larq Self-Cleaning Bottle 

Pros

Cons

How does a water bottle count as fitness tech, you ask? It’s because of Larq’s innovative ultraviolet-C LED technology (located in the bottle cap), which self-cleans and purifies water in the bottle, eliminating 99.9 per cent of E-coli, as well as bacteria, viruses and contaminants. Ideal for fitness enthusiasts who often forget to clean and wash their water bottle on a regular basis, Larq is a game-changer. It works at the touch of a button and also intelligently activates every two hours to keep your bottle’s contents fresh. The double-wall, vacuum insulated, stainless-steel interiors can keep liquids cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours. It can last up to one month on a full charge, and recharges with a micro-USB cable (included in the box). The connector itself carries an IPX7 waterproof rating, so it’s splash-proof. Reviewers love the premium look and feel of this lightweight bottle, but some wish it had a universal USB-C connector instead.

7. Best Alarm Clock: Hatch Restore 2 

Pros

Cons

Since restful sleep and good health are so intertwined, a good alarm clock can aid in ensuring you wake up refreshed and raring to go. This sleep machine doubles as a sunrise alarm. It can relax and lull you to sleep, with its ambient music, library of stories, and white, pink and brown noises. It can also wake you up gently to gradually brightening light that mimics the natural light of sunrise. Adjust the brightness level as you prefer, and even select the kind of hue you like best – you can choose from warm white to peach or coral. Reviewers say the alarm clock is easy to use and customise, although it is quite expensive for a student budget.

Bonus: Buy with 0% instalments and pay Dh80.75 for 12 months with select banks.

Warranty: Amazon offers a one-year extended warranty for Dh6, and a two-year extended warranty for Dh81.

How does technology help in one's fitness journey?

While investing in gadgets is in no way necessary for a successful outcome, it can offer real-time tracking and give you a clear idea of your progress over time.

Hussain said: "[Such] devices provide real-time feedback on various metrics, like heart rate, activity levels, and calories burned, which can help individuals gauge their exertion levels and ensure they’re not overtraining or going towards any overuse injury."

She cautioned against overdoing it, though. The excitement of surpassing your daily goals or chasing awards on fitness apps, can be addictive. Hussain said: "The best way to prevent injury is to pay attention to your body’s needs. Not every trendy exercise is suitable for everyone, so choose your workout based on what works for you. Ultimately, a fitness routine should help you become the best version of yourself. To determine what your body needs, get assessed by health and fitness professionals and then follow a regimen that’s right for you."

Apart from appropriate fitness gadgets, she recommended using foam rollers as they offer a range of benefits that are particularly suited to the needs of university students. Hussain added: "They provide an effective, low-cost way to enhance recovery, improve flexibility, relieve stress, prevent injuries, and maintain overall muscle health, making them a non-radiation/non-electric tool for health maintenance."

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