Can Pilates Really Help Your Posture? I Tried It for 30 Days and This Is What Happened

Your friends boast about never-better sleep. Your whole social feed flaunts functional jewelry. Your dad is suddenly into breathwork (um, curveball). These days, it seems like everyone’s on the wearable-fitness-tech train—and everywhere you look, there’s an easy-to-spot, ever-trending Oura Ring on a pointer finger. If you fall in the camp of someone who’s resisted jumping aboard because of the price tag, well, same. But you can give personal health tracking a try without an Oura-level investment. The Ultrahuman Ring AIR Titanium & Waterproof Smart Ring offers all the same features and benefits (at a lower cost) to keep you connected to your health—and it’s currently $80 off.

A quick thing about me: I spend a lot of time, energy—and yes, money—prioritizing wellness on a daily basis. I love a good sweat and a farmer’s market run, and I can begrudgingly admit that meditation actually does shift my energy. All that makes me a pretty strong candidate for smart health technology—and yet, despite its ubiquity, I’ve never been able to take the plunge. Logging everything I eat and drink in a day? Remembering to tap “go” every time I walk around the block? Deciphering metrics like heart rate and skin temperature? All for a ballpark cost of $400? No thanks.

Still, as an avid yogi-runner, an advocate for all-day-long snacking, and an infuriatingly restless sleeper, the whole concept does get my attention. So when I learned more about the features of the Ultrahuman Ring, sifted through reviews from people who’ve tried it, and got wind of a major one-day sale (it’s just $270 on November 7 only)—I decided to finally place an order.

Ultrahuman Ring AIR Titanium & Waterproof Smart Ring for Sleep & Fitness — $270.00

Originally $349, on sale for $270 on November 7 only

Pros:

• Half the price of the Oura Ring (when on sale) with many of the same features
• Four to six days of battery life
• No subscription required once you purchase
• Unobtrusive on your finger and lighter weight than the Oura Ring

Cons:

• Pricey when not on sale (although more affordable than competitors)
• Does not include menstrual-cycle tracking
• May take some time for non-jewelry-wearers to get used to

If you’re on the fence about trying any kind of tracking, here’s what you can expect with the Ultrahuman Ring (which I’m officially deeming the Ultra Oura Ring Dupe). Once you choose from one of five metals (from gold to matte black), you’ll receive a ring sizing kit in the mail. Download the user-friendly Ring AIR app on your phone, where you can select your ring size and get started navigating features like your movement index, workout tracking, and recovery score, plus personal health info like heart-rate monitoring, heart-rate variability, skin temperature, and circadian data. Bonus: All these metrics factor into your stress levels, which the ring tracks for you, too.

I’m especially excited about the new breathwork mode, which includes a library of breathing protocols, ranging from three to 25 minutes long. They’re designed to help enhance your body’s parasympathetic activity and reduce its sympathetic response, which can help lower your stress levels and improve your cardiovascular health. I’m also committing to using the sleep index feature in my relentless pursuit of more restful zzz’s (yes, I know dark chocolate before bed doesn’t help).

Unlike many other wearable-tech products, you don’t need a monthly subscription to use the Ultrahuman Ring. You just download the app and get instant access to personal data that doesn’t require a PhD to discern (I promise): sleep statistics from the night before, all your movement throughout the day, how well you’ve recovered from a workout, when to stop drinking caffeine for better wind-downs, and much more.

I’m just getting started on my wearable-tech journey, but the accessibility and affordability of the Ultrahuman Ring—with the same quality and function you find in the Oura Ring—feels like a very solid head start. I’ll be rocking some new index-finger bling and geeking out over my stats while I settle into my new, more-connected-than-ever personal-health phase. Snag one while it’s on sale, and join me?