For the first time, users can receive a DNA-based snapshot of their health potential and needs, and track it and the effects of personalized training — all in real time.
With the wealth of apps and wearables promising insights into better health and wellness, it is understandably difficult to know who is truly offering what — and whether it’s actually valuable for you.
And while the data and approach that will work best will likely vary by individual, this week InsideTracker revealed a peek at what fitness tracking might actually look like in the future.
In collaboration with Garmin, InsideTracker can now leverage its DNA-based insights and knowledge of your body’s biomarkers with real-time data pulled from your wearable device. According to InsideTracker co-founder, Dr. Gil Blander, this creates a “360-degree of [users’] health and wellness.”
Here are the details.
InsideTracker x Garmin: Personalized Performance Data
On their own, InsideTracker and Garmin each provide valuable info for those who want to understand their health and fitness, and who also wish to improve it. Garmin, like many other tech innovators, has a number of wearables that provide users with in-the-moment snapshots of information like heart rate, steps, blood oxygen, pace, and more.
InsideTracker, meanwhile, looks at DNA and blood-based markers to identify not only where your health is at, but potentially why as well. These include things like vitamin and mineral levels, white blood cell count, and more. This information can help inform nutritional needs, as well as set realistic training goals.
Now that the InsideTracker app can read Garmin wearables’ data, those two related but separate caches of information combine for the first time.
“With this integration, we believe InsideTracker has unlocked the gold standard of health analytics to give our users a true inside view of wellness and deliver real-time holistic health insights,” Dr. Blander said.
“Blood biomarkers are a true reflection of what’s going on inside your body, but are typically only tested once per quarter; DNA insights can provide clues to genetic potential, but only need to be tested once in a lifetime; health metrics and activity data from Garmin watches, however, show the daily impact of positive lifestyle and nutrition habits you can adjust with the right science to get closer to your goals.”
In a press reveal, representatives for the brand used the example of sleep tracking — a common feature among Garmin and other wearables — to demonstrate what this integration can do.
If the Garmin device tracks poor sleep, the InsideTracker app will pull that info and correlate it to the user’s known biomarker for low magnesium. The app will ping the user that taking a magnesium supplement, or eating magnesium-rich foods, can help with better sleep.
The app will also provide diet suggestions to meet any deficiencies.
To start, InsideTracker will utilize the Garmin integration for data on resting heart rate, sleep duration, and sleep quality (REM sleep and deep sleep). InsideTracker customers with a Garmin wearable need only enable the Garmin integration through their InsideTracker app to activate the new features.
As a bonus, InsideTracker is offering a free Garmin Vivoactive4 watch to anyone who purchases an Ultimate Plan by May 31, 2021. Be sure to use the code RUNGARMIN during checkout or visit this page to get the deal.
For more information on how InsideTracker works, check out our rundown of the process here.
