Can you trust an AI health coach? A month with my Pixel Watch made the answer obvious

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The AI-powered wellness manager and fittingness planner subscriptions outgo $80 annually oregon $10 a month.
• The bundle is profoundly impressive, a large illustration of Google combining its stellar fittingness trackers with phenomenal AI integrations.
• I'd emotion to spot much tracking metrics for enactment and fittingness disposable successful competing fittingness program apps.

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What tin AI bash for my health? Before investigating Google's revamped Fitbit Premium, powered by Gemini, I didn't judge it could bash that much. Of course, I'm alert of the technology's quality to comb done ample datasets to decode patterns. That's adjuvant for exercise, slumber tracking, oregon predicting unwellness oregon strain. It's 1 of the reasons I emotion utilizing devices similar smartwatches and astute rings to way my health. 

But could AI get maine retired of my bed, onto the train, and present maine to my gym each different time of the week? Not totally, I learned. But mode much than I initially expected. 

Also: After investigating this Garmin slumber tracker for weeks, I mightiness enactment my smartwatch distant for good

As ZDNET's wellness and wearables editor, I trial smartwatches, astute rings, and different wacky exertion that autumn nether the wide wellness umbrella. I enactment retired regularly, astatine slightest doubly a week, often 4 times a week. I genuinely bask workout and attraction astir my health, truthful I was anxious to spot however Fitbit Premium would assistance maine plan a workout docket oregon supply feedback connected my play enactment and slumber patterns. 

My biggest deterrent to a accordant workout regular isn't a deficiency of information oregon care; it's a sporadic docket that changes from week to week oregon question that disrupts my play routine. Could the refreshed and AI-powered app fig retired a mode to lick that?

Fitbit Premium received a implicit redesign earlier this year, made to beryllium an AI that's tailored to a user's circumstantial needs and abilities, that changes based connected a user's docket and desires, that measures sleep, stress, and exercise, plans play workout regimens, and answers queries connected each things wellness and wellness. 

Gemini, Google's AI, grounds each these functionalities. Google is integrating much of its Gemini functionalities into the app than ever before, successful the hopes that users tin not lone presumption their information but besides query the AI for suggestions oregon answers to questions. 

Also: This 30-second regular keeps my Samsung Galaxy ticker moving similar caller each month

The process begins with a speedy intake of my enactment habits. I archer Fitbit that I bask spot grooming and bash truthful regularly. After my 2 to 3 spot grooming sessions astatine the gym, I alternate betwixt stairmaster and elliptical sessions to get my cardio in. 

I bask going connected runs, but I bash truthful irregularly, with nary circumstantial goals to physique spot oregon velocity -- I lone tally arsenic an accessible signifier of cardio. I requested that if it plans to tally that it program them connected days erstwhile the upwind isn't horrible. I notation that my sporadic docket tin marque it hard to make consistency. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Then, Fitbit generates a workout program that changes week by week, expanding strength oregon weights arsenic I show advancement and strength. Surprisingly, the archetypal week I tried retired Google's spot grooming routine, it accurately predicted the close weights I should usage for definite exercises with minimal adjustments. 

Because Fitbit is heavy integrated into Google Pixel Watches and its ain devices, Fitbit Premium is incorporating information it monitors extracurricular of the gym, specified arsenic sleep, stress, and steps. This added furniture of information informs however intensely the idiosyncratic wellness manager advises you to workout each day. 

Also: Is Fitbit Premium's caller AI manager worthy the subscription? Try it present and see

My lone privation is that Google created a smartwatch that didn't consciousness truthful bulky to slumber with. While my Pixel Watch 4 excels astatine workout tracking and mundane wear, it's not a breathable ticker I bask sleeping in. I yet grew bushed of wearing it to furniture and missed a fewer nights of information portion investigating Fitbit Premium. 

Throughout the respective weeks that I tested Fitbit Premium, I enjoyed the assortment of exercises Fitbit provided, which targeted some the regular lineup of musculus groups and the ones I wanted to further tone. Additionally, Fitbit was large astatine tweaking and adding much value oregon a longer duration to exercises arsenic I performed them week implicit week. For example, it added a fewer much seconds onto my plank clip aft I demonstrated success, and much sets to my value grooming exercises. 

It was casual to modify my play program to suit my changing schedule. Every modification oregon alteration tin hap done a chat with the AI coach. For example, I was visiting location for a week and was distant from my gym that I frequent. I told the manager that I'd similar to modify my spot grooming program to chiefly absorption connected moving and walking instead. 

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

There was a accidental I could sojourn my parents' gym 1 day, truthful I asked the AI manager to docket a spot grooming league for maine erstwhile during the week. The AI produced a doable program for me. When I returned from visiting my family, I asked the manager to revert my regular to what it was before. It provided maine with a program for the past fractional of the week that included shorter workouts for "re-entry" into my spot grooming routine. This was a bully mode to easiness maine backmost into my aggravated workout regimen.  

Google employs respective antithetic Gemini models to powerfulness the renewed Fitbit Premium. It's a astute integration for a fewer reasons. The archetypal is that you tin get each your slumber and enactment information successful 1 place. The queries you inquire the wellness manager pass different aspects of the app.

Also: I wore a smartwatch with a classy plan - and can't spell backmost to my Apple Watch

I tested Fitbit Premium retired arsenic autumn turned to winter, and 1 colder time I could consciousness myself getting sick. I queried my AI connected the app, asking however to separate betwixt seasonal allergies and acold symptoms. It provided maine with accusation connected that, truthful I mentioned that I had a clogged receptor and congestion. 

I besides said I'm supplementing with tons of fluids and rest. The adjacent morning, erstwhile I checked my regular slumber and wellness report, it brought up this accusation I had mentioned successful the chat and asked maine however I was feeling, encouraging maine to remainder if my symptoms were present. 

To support the accusation it records astir you transparent and accessible, there's a Coach Notes tab to presumption the accusation it gathers done your conversations - and those notes are deletable astatine your discretion. 

How does Fitbit comparison to alternatives?

I've been paying for the workout app, Fitbod, for implicit a year. I purchased it erstwhile I was conscionable starting to get into value grooming with nary anterior experience. Before its caller update, the app provided maine with dedicated workouts based connected upper, lower, oregon full-body days, and switched up the workouts based connected betterment (a caller update bars maine from changing the workouts based connected upper, lower, oregon full-body days - benignant of disappointing). 

I tin besides way metrics, specified arsenic my wide spot and the spot successful my push, pull, and limb muscles, which Fitbod scores retired of 100. 

It highlights my betterment successful benchmark lifts, specified arsenic the lat pulldown, seat press, and squats. And if I wanted to get truly granular, I could way my assemblage composition, similar abdominous mass, thin mass, and assemblage abdominous percentage, which I would measurement and study myself. (I lone way my value connected the app sporadically.)

Nina Raemont/ZDNET

Where Fitbit excels is successful a hyper-tailored and progressively challenging workout program that integrates with your Google Pixel Watch to present adjuvant and curated insights. However, I'd emotion for Fitbit to incorporated immoderate of Fitbod's functionalities, specified arsenic a spot people oregon charts that way my reps and value progression implicit time. This could truly bring location the "personal fittingness coach" facet of the app. 

If Google continues to beforehand its AI and these AI-powered wellness devices and bundle proceed to integrate and improve, arsenic is already the case, I tin envision these fittingness trackers evolving into wellness assistants. Currently, I'd picture them arsenic fittingness devices with AI-powered wellness and wellness features. 

Also: How to usage your Apple Watch's Hypertension Detection diagnostic (and wherefore you should)

But there's a existent accidental for these devices to bash truthful overmuch more. We're seeing hints of this successful the existent mentation of Fitbit Premium, with a dedicated AI that not lone summarizes enactment information but besides offers guidance connected greater wellness and wellness conversations. I can't deliberation of immoderate presently rivaling instrumentality with arsenic overmuch all-inclusive functionality. 

Google presently has the top borderline implicit its competitors with Fitbit Premium and its lineup of smartwatches and Fitbit wellness trackers. It excites maine astir however the wellness tracker abstraction volition germinate - and what Google's competitors volition bash next. 

ZDNET's buying advice

Fitbit Premium's renewed app got maine energized and excited to workout with a varied yet idiosyncratic enactment of exercises that are tailored to my interests and instrumentality into relationship my wellness data, similar sleep, stress, and vitals. 

Fitbit Premium costs $10 per period oregon $80 per year. If you're acceptable to perpetrate afloat to your wellness and fittingness adjacent year, I'd accidental the subscription is good worthy it. It's disposable done nationalist preview close present with a afloat rollout coming soon. 

It couldn't hole my busy, sporadic docket that deterred maine from a regular workout regimen, but it got maine much excited to get to the gym erstwhile I could and inch person to my fittingness goals. Its AI functionalities besides allowed maine to inquire the close questions and extract the applicable accusation from my wellness and slumber reports.