Jamaican Olympian and track star, Asafa Powell, has created a fitness band targeted at Jamaicans seeking to better maintain their health.
Dubbed Active by Asafa Fitness, the product was launched on Friday.
The wearable watch and smart device, which is similar to the popular Fitbit product, is designed to allow individuals to keep track of their daily activities and fitness regime. It features technology that can monitor heart rate, calculate calories, record workout sessions, measure hydration, and monitor sleep.
According to a release from the track star, the Active fitness band enables users to set specific goals and keep on track at the click of a button. Coupled with a user-friendly app, Powell noted that people will be able to check their progress with charts and graphs and can compete against each other and earn achievement cards.
“Notably, this sleek armband doesn’t just fit snugly on the wrist as it tracks the user’s fitness journey, but it’s also waterproof and allows people to share their goals and progress with each other with a built-in message component and an app selfie feature. Along with a call and text notification feature the Active fit band boasts a security feature that alarms once the band is separated from the user’s phone,” the release read.
The product, which comes with three interchangeable bands including one that boasts Jamaica’s national colors, a diet and an exercise band, will be distributed in Fontana Pharmacies islandwide and on Amazon.com at an estimated cost of $6,500.
Powell reckons that the fit band is the perfect tool to help Jamaicans better manage health issues such as diabetes and hypertension.
A study published by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation in 2016 revealed that life expectancy for females stood between 75 and 76 and for males it was a consistent 73. The data also revealed that among the top 10 diseases that resulted in deaths in Jamaica between 2005 and 2016 are cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, ischemic heart disease and hypertensive heart disease.
According to Asafa Powell, who holds the world-record for the most sub-10s in the men’s 100m, “A healthy life is a happy life, and that is why I am launching this fitness band. I want to encourage everyone to be active and live healthy with the aid of a simple but efficient device.”
The launch of the fitness band comes on the heels of the Jamaica Moves campaign launched by Health Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, which focuses on community-level interventions to facilitate increased physical activity among the population.
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