Moov Now activity tracker - review

Marketed as more than just a fitness tracker, Moov Now is a lifestyle coach designed for workouts to help you get the most out of every training session.

While the first Moov – released in 2015 – was designed only to be worn during training, the Moov Now has a slimmer, more attractive look and comes complete with all-day activity tracking, sleep monitoring, improved battery life and a waterproof design. This means it can be worn throughout the day, even while you shower.

The activity tracker is contained within a small and light plastic sensor which is about an inch wide. It fits snugly into a rubber strap designed to be worn on the wrist or ankle, depending on your workout and comes in a variety of colours. I was rewarded with the exceptionally funky aqua blue design, which stands out a treat against the back rubber strap.

Now, onto the important stuff – how does the Moov Now stand up as an activity tracker?

You might think that daily activity tracking of the Moov Now is a little basic compared to other wearables on the market as it doesn’t count your steps. Instead, it presents your daily activity on a 24-hour graph, calculating how many calories you have burnt throughout the day. While some might take issue with the fact that the tracker doesn’t serve as a glorified pedometer, it seems to make a lot more sense. I’ve used other sensors which can mistake a wave of the arm as a step – the Moov Now doesn’t, instead using sensors to track your exertion throughout the day, giving you an overview of overall activity, not just steps taken. 

As an activity coach, the Moov Now has something that other wearables seem to be lacking at the moment. The device syncs via Bluetooth to an app on your phone, which you inform when you are ready to work out. On-land activities including running and cycling are carried out with the activity tracker attached to your ankle and using headphones linked to the app. Using GPS and Bluetooth, the Moov Now monitors your activity and distance travelled, giving you tips to improve your form and get the most out of your workout.

For example, take your Moov Now for a ‘Brisk Walk’ and the coach will let you know when you are going too fast or slow according to your current level. It will also warn you when your ground/foot impact is too high. It reminds you to keep your shoulders back, stand up straight and gives other suggestions to improve your posture, too.

Further options, including circuit training and boxing, also work while using your phone. The app guides you through workouts using videos while the Moov Now tracks activity, advising when it registers deviation from the task at hand, such as if your arm is slipping out of line during a boxing session.

I was a little confused as to how the Moov Now would stand up as a swimming coach – you can’t be expected to take your phone in the pool, surely? It turns out the tracking is a little more basic than the other options, but it certainly does the job. Using the tracker on your wrist, you sync the device to your phone, letting the app know that you are off for a swim. Once you are done with the swim, end the workout and the data downloads onto the app. This, combined with inputting information on the pool size, allows the app to work out the specifics.

I had a few issues with the swimming coach at first, but I put that down to using the swimming pool in the late afternoon at the height of the summer holidays, when the local pool was literally crammed with wriggling bodies. My erratic swimming seemed to confuse the Moov Now which registered my total distance as 46 lengths – more than a little generous. I assume the issue was down to my having to constantly change direction to avoid being kicked in the face by a passing child.

I took the Moov Now for another spin around the pool at lunchtime once the kids had gone back to school. The pool was a veritable oasis of solitude and I had much better results. It seems that the Moov Now registers each change of direction as a new length, so if you swim a couple of metres at the end of the pool to move around other swimmers, it will register as a lightning-fast length. 

On the whole, the Moov Now is a great addition to the wearables market – offering not just an activity tracker, but a device that you actively use to assist with a healthy exercise regime.

My one criticism is the wristband. It is a little flimsy and I have, on a number of occasions, found it dangling precariously from my arm. At one point, while relaxing in a park in the middle of Mexico City, I realised to my horror that the Moov Now was gone, leaving behind a pale patch of skin that hadn’t seen sunlight in a while. Hoping upon hope that it was back at the apartment, I made my way home, only to find my beloved face-down in the middle of a dirty carpark – which the day before housed an incredible busy market. A near miss if ever there was one.