<\/p>\n
The world of wellness wearables and gadgets continues to expand in delightful (albeit data-intrusive) ways. Case in point: as I write this, I\u2019m getting a foot massage to soothe my aching, marathon-training feet with a device called the Chirp Sole Vibe ($140), while my Oura Ring ($349+) dutifully tracks my physiological stress. And these two are just a small sample of what\u2019s involved in my life\u2014and the broader wellness community\u2019s\u2014right now. But the WHOOP Activity Tracker ($359+) is especially timely, thanks to some major news in health care.<\/p>\n
As announced today, WHOOP is expanding from wearables to a new program called WHOOP Connected Care, and for some people, it\u2019s completely free. Here\u2019s what to know about eligibility, what\u2019s included and how to sign up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
To qualify, you need to be enrolled in Original Medicare (Parts A and B, not Medicare Advantage), have a qualifying condition such as high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, high cholesterol or another metabolic risk factor, own a compatible smartphone and live in a supported service area (the program launches today in 14 states, with a full nationwide rollout expected within the month). <\/p>\n
One detail worth flagging: if you already own a WHOOP, you can\u2019t transfer your existing account into the program\u2014you\u2019d start fresh with new data.<\/p>\n
If you qualify, Connected Care isn\u2019t one of WHOOP\u2019s standard consumer tiers (One, Peak or Life); it\u2019s its own package: a 12-month WHOOP membership, a WHOOP 5.0 device, an FDA-cleared Omron blood pressure monitor and cuff and ongoing support, for free. You can check your eligibility directly through WHOOP to see if you qualify.<\/p>\n
For anyone unfamiliar with what a WHOOP actually does: it tracks your sleep, recovery and strain around the clock. (That\u2019s WHOOP-speak for how hard your body\u2019s working and how ready it is to keep working, based on heart rate variability and resting heart rate.) It also comes with an FDA-cleared ECG, blood pressure insights and a longevity feature called Healthspan, plus, if you\u2019re willing to pay for it, bloodwork through WHOOP Advanced Labs. WHOOP says daily wearers log 90 extra minutes of exercise a week and pick up two more hours of sleep. Self-reported, sure. Still not nothing.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been WHOOP-curious but not quite willing to pay the price, this could be your opening. If it doesn\u2019t apply to you, pass it along to someone it might help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The world of wellness wearables and gadgets continues t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}