Big Data has been a buzzword in almost every industry for most of the last decade.   Despite the term being grossly overused, it relates to a fundamentally beneficial type of data gathering that can provide real value.

In the past, businesses have made decisions mostly on immediate data and small isolated data sets.   With Big Data and analytics, it is now possible to make smarter business decisions, predict industry changes, and even anticipate how customers will behave.

While Big Data is typically applied to industry, tech, and the corporate world, it also has a significant presence in the world of health and fitness.

Wearable technology like the Fitbit and smart watches from companies like Apple and Samsung has changed the way that people track their health and fitness.   Wearables can be thought of as modern-day pedometers, and they track much more than just the distance of exercise.

Smart devices can monitor heartrate, oxygen saturation, calorie burn, exercise duration, exercise intensity, and they can track a fitness route in real time using GPS and cellular signals.

All the information collected by wearables helps to make up the Big Data of the health and fitness world, and it can be used for more than just personal training.

Researches now have more data than ever before to study human physical activity patterns and the impact that they have on health and fitness.   Researches can look at healthy people and how they exercise and compare this data to relatively unhealthy people and the exercise that they perform.   By collecting the data, it is possible to give advice on the type of activity that is most effective for certain body types and age groups.   Data from a wearable could allow researchers to determine the exact speed of running, swimming, or cycling that is most beneficial from a 30-minute workout.

The opportunity for learning and the implementation of that learning is almost unlimited.

In the next ten years, the Big Data that comes from wearables will be able to be analyzed by personal trainers, physicians, and sports coaches. With the right computer algorithms, data sets will be quickly compiled and interpreted.

The potential for society is difficult to fathom, especially for people who are just realizing how important Big Data is.   Essentially, people will start to make smarter decisions based on real data that can easily be corroborated between hundreds of thousands of individuals.

Healthcare is also changing due to Big Data, and the changes are positive.   With massive datasets collected digitally through medical codes, healthcare providers are now able to build highly accurate patient profiles that allow them to predict future health issues and take steps to mitigate the risks.   With large data sets, including nationwide datasets, organizations like the CDC can track disease spread and other trends.   The data collected can help to determine where research and treatment funding should be directed.

IoT (Internet of Things) medical devices are also making a massive breakthrough. These devices connect to the internet and other systems wirelessly, allowing physicians and specialists to track patient data in real time.   This data can be used to develop treatment or monitor patients in high risk scenarios.

Just as with health and fitness, the Big Data and emerging technologies in healthcare will change rapidly in the coming years.

In fitness, general wellbeing, and medical healthcare, technology is making massive changes.   Business owners and professionals that understand the importance of Big Data are those that are most likely to utilize and profit from it in the future.