At the start of each year many Vancouverites have the best intentions to get active and healthier, however few of us truly turn our goals into a consistent lifestyle change that lasts. But with the introduction of wearable tech devices recently a real shift seems to be happening, one that I've personally felt. I started my adventures in wearables by picking up a Nike Fuel Band a couple years back, and it worked pretty well until a few months in when it broke. After that I moved on to a Galaxy Gear which was a bit big and was like I was wearing a watch; good for some but for me it was just too much. I finally settled into a Fitbit Flex, which I love because it's small and super durable. What I found with all of these products is that having an on-my-person reminder that challenges me to achieve goals like simply walking 10,000 steps per day, it keeps me aware of the fact that I should be more active. On the same token, it rewards me when I am. Beyond doing those 10,000 steps, I haven't found much of a fit for me in the traditional world of fitness. Sure I like the idea of getting physical activity and staying healthy, but there's something about the regular ol' grind that just seems like a waste of time, no matter how much my body (and my mental well being) benefit from it. I prefer to get out and go fishing on a river, or for a hike, or both, and I often go WAY over what I hope to achieve when I check my Fitbit stats after getting out there. HERE is a list of local hikes we published a while back, in case you'd like to get out into nature on your own. I can't in good faith provide you with a list of traditional gyms to hit up so I've also put together this helpful guide of 6 places that are doing things a bit differently. They've all managed to turn fitness into an experience that their members want to do, as opposed to it being something they don't look forward to participating in and drop out of a couple months after resolutions are made. If you want to learn more about wearable tech our friends at TELUS have an established a team of Health Tech Trainers; TELUS Learning Specialists who are trained to provide expert, 1 on 1 counsel on wearable health technology. They carry a variety of wearable health technology, suitable for all levels and activities. Save yourself the experimentation like I did to find my way to the right fit and leave it to them to guide you through the ins and outs of all of it. And in the meantime check out TELUS.com/betteryou.