Nike activity band gets mixed reaction

Oct 26, 2012 | News

The Nike FuelBand is coming to Canada but reviews at Humber are mixed.

The announcement was made Thursday that the Nike Fuel Band, already on sale in United States, would be released in Canada next week.

The solid black band is expected to cost $149.

Jen Byers says her activity throughout the day has greatly improved because of the Nike FuelBand. PHOTO BY CHANELLE SEGUIN

It also tracks daily activity through an accelerometer – essentially counting your steps and calories throughout the day. The statistics a user acquires on the band can transfer to the Nike+ Fuel app or online accounts.

Joseph Latina, 23, a fourth-year kinesiology student at the University of Guelph-Humber and a personal trainer with Humber Athletics, said the band is motivating

“It puts a number on things for those who are not usually active, or that don’t really track their activity,” said Latina. “It gives them a number so they can see exactly how active they are.”

Latina, who considers himself a fan of the Nike brand, said a product like this would be really useful for him and his clients.

“A lot of times I’ll tell my clients to choose some sort of exercise to do, and they’ll come back to me and either lie to me or they just tell me they didn’t do it,” said Latina. “I think it would help provide a little bit of information so that I can see what they’ve been doing when they’re not training with me.

Jen Byers, 21, a second-year advertising media sales student at the Humber Lakeshore campus, said the band forces her to be more active.

“If I notice that I’m not reaching my Nike Fuel goal for the day it will make me go out and do something,” said Byers. “I’ve noticed myself checking it constantly to see if I’ve reach my Nike Fuel goal so I’m always trying to do more activity than I used to do before I got it.”

Byers said the motivation it provides is worth the price.

“I wear it every day and the fact that it motivates me so much to get off the couch or get out of bed or something like that, I feel like I need that sometimes and so the price if worth considering,” said Byers.

Despite its flashing lights and accurate activity counter, the price of the band is a little too hefty for some.

“At the price point that it’s at, I think it’s a little prohibitive. I’m not sure how many people would want to spend that kind of money,” said Leanne Henwood-Adam, fitness coordinator at Humber Athletics. “It might be a little bit more attractive to an avid fitness goer who likes gadgets and that kind of thing.

Henwood-Adam explained there are various pedometers that perform similar actions, and the web has many free alternatives for people wanting to track their activity.