The sky was blue, the air was warm, and the sun was shining. The opening of the TUI BLUE Palm Garden went smoothly and everyone was looking forward to the upcoming months. We were ready for a great season! As though I had spoken that thought out loud, I got a call from Dirk at the TUI BLUE headquarters in Hanover with a new order for the BLUE Blog! This time I was supposed to test the Polar A360 fitness tracker, and I was quite curious about what the little blue marvel had to offer. The Polar A360 is used in our “special” fitness classes, so I quickly perused the programmes in the BLUE App and spontaneously decided on the BLUEf!t Camp special. This course is pretty demanding, but – as always – I thought, “Why not?”
Of Childhood Memories and Burning Muscles
I was standing with five other participants in the BLUEf!t Park. Surrounded by soothing green scenery and idyllic bird calls, we got a briefing on the Polar A360 Fitness Tracker from Lars, the BLUEf!t Guide: “We will be controlling our training with this tool today. We’ll closely monitor our heart rates, look at respective regeneration times, and observe how many kilocalories we burn.” At the end of the class, we were supposed to individually discuss and evaluate the data collected by the fitness tracker. I put on the dark blue watch and we were off!
We started off the course with a relaxed warm-up. Next, Lars showed us some exercises on the trampoline, which we were supposed to follow. This exercise was easy to imagine; it reminded me of my childhood when I would jump on a trampoline and giggle on warm summer days. However, I quickly realised that this exercise had nothing to do with my early childhood memories – my leg muscles were burning and a glance at the Polar A360 told me that my heart rate was already increased slightly. And that was just the beginning!
Getting Maximum Control with the Fitness Tracker
Next up was interval training: 30 seconds of action followed by 30 seconds of resting. After three rounds, I was completely out of breath, my legs burned like fire, and I wondered why Dirk was always giving me blogs on the subject of fitness. During a short recovery break, I saw that all the course participants were out of breath, but everyone had a smile on their face. The group dynamics were crucial for just this reason. Everyone was cheering everyone else on. A female participant was looking anxiously at her fitness tracker with Lars, the BLUEf!t Guide. “Your heart rate is pretty high. Sit out for one round.” I heard Lars say. I also looked at my Polar A360; after the recovery time, I had a heart rate of 122! I took the opportunity to ask if I shouldn’t also sit out for a round. He looked at my fitness tracker, grinned, and said, “No, everything is in the normal range.” Keep on going!” I didn’t object, since I knew that could create some more exercises for my colleagues – and I really couldn’t take any more!
We did further interval training with slacklines, conditioning, and – last but not least – push-ups. The Polar A360 showed me that my stats were going up and down dramatically, depending on the interval or pause. The phrase “On the last round…” had been uttered three times, and I was certain that I couldn’t move another centimetre. The burning in my leg muscles had settled, and now they just felt shaky and weak. I didn’t want to even think about the next day’s soreness. Then, after “only” two more rounds, we stopped! At last!
Individuality and Perfectly Coordinated Training
As a reward, there was a delicious BLUEf!t drink, which was also cleansing. While I enjoyed this, Lars was committed to discussing all the individual Polar A360 data with each participant. I was amazed that I had made it through the entire BLUEf!t Camp, and I think the mutual motivation had a lot to do with it. The fitness tracker also made a huge contribution. There were several times when I thought I would break down, but then I would look at the watch and realise that my heart rate was normal and I hadn’t reached my limit yet.
The Polar A360 fitness tracker was ideal for a workout tailored to my own needs. I could see my calorie consumption, keep tabs on my heart rate, and check the percentage of my fat metabolism. Thanks to its lightweight construction (31.7 grams) it wasn’t a bit annoying during the workout. A chest strap – as other models use – was not necessary. The fitness tracker could also measure, of course, the distance I traveled in a day and – if I wanted – my sleep patterns.
Oh, and I shouldn’t forget its sportiness. The Polar A360 also made a nice accessory – the blue fit very well with TUI BLUE.