Indulging in sweet mince pies, Turkey and a myriad of alcoholic treats this Christmas doesn’t mean you have to accept a larger waistline. It is possible to enjoy all the trappings of the festive season whilst keeping yourself fit and healthy, and it involves embracing technology as part of your everyday life. The Fitbug Orb is here, and it could be the only thing that stands between you and some serious weight gain this Christmas.

How does it work?

The Fitbug Orb is a small device that tracks your every movement throughout the course of your daily life. It is there to provide you with a constant stream of data regarding your activity levels, so you can be sure that you’re burning off those excess calories that are usually part and parcel of a good Christmas.

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The small fitness tracker is designed to fit almost anywhere on your person. You can store it in your pocket, attach it to your shoe or wear it proudly on your chest. There’s also a wristband which allows you to wear it in the same way you’d wear a watch. It can be connected to a mobile device via a Bluetooth connection in order to provide a running commentary on your activity levels. However, if you’re not in range of your mobile device, the Orb will store your data for up to 14 days – until you connect to your device and download your activity statistics to the app.

What does it track?

This intuitive device tracks the number of steps you’re taking throughout the course of your daily life. Whether that involves your Christmas shopping trips or your dancing at the office Christmas party, the device is constantly monitoring your movement and reporting that information in a number of ways via a mobile app. It also differentiates normal steps from ‘aerobic steps’, which means you can keep a record of your more strenuous workouts.

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There is an in-built calorie counter, which records how many calories you are burning in relation to the intensity of your activity. This is crucial during the Christmas period, as it is very easy to eat and drink too much without even realising it. You can use this information to dictate your workout schedules or to adapt your eating rituals accordingly.

Research has shown that broken sleep can increase your stress levels, which in turn can leave you prone to significant blood-sugar fluctuations. If your blood-sugar levels are constantly crashing, this could make you more likely to binge on comfort foods – which are invariably high in calories. The Orb monitors your sleep, and will report back if you’ve been particularly restless at certain times of the night. You can then use this information to make improvements to your sleeping arrangements – something that is crucial during the Christmas party season.

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Create a Christmas health and fitness regime of your own

The Orb has been designed to allow you to be the master of your own fitness destiny. You can set yourself activity goals based on your current level of fitness, and set up manual workout logs for activities such as Pilates, yoga and cycling. And to bring every aspect of a healthy lifestyle together, the Fitbug app allows you to log foods – giving you net calorie consumption totals.

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Staying fit, trim and healthy during the Christmas period doesn’t mean you have to abstain from all your favourite festive treats. With the help ofthis intuitive fitness tracker, you can look forward to an indulgent Christmas and a slimmer New Year.