Eliza Thompsonbuy Now — Every year, TIME’s editors and correspondents work conjointly to compose a collection of the most interesting and groundbreaking new products and innovations for the Best Inventions list. As holiday season approaches, the TIME team has pulled out a selection of the 10 best health and fitness items from the list that would make a perfect gift for the most sporty people in your life.
Speediance Gym Nano
Portable weight training
Gym Nano is a portable digital resistance engine that can latch onto most racks, with a 16.7 ft. cable and a weight range of 7.7- to 220-lb. It also has sensors to capture athlete data and performance progression. —TIME Staff
Buy Now: Gym Nano on Speediance
Form Smart Swim 2 Pro
Goggles that coach
Because you can’t hear underwater or check your watch while swimming laps, accessing real-time metrics has been nearly impossible. Now, Form’s augmented reality goggles not only project split times onto their patented glass but also guide athletes through personalized pool workouts and offer technique coaching right in their field of vision. The ergonomic goggles also come with open-water navigation built in, a feature inspired by triathletes who, according to Form founder and CEO Dan Eisenhardt, “complained they had a hard time in races going straight between two points.” And yes, you can also upload your workouts to Strava. Therefore, —Matthew Huff
Buy Now: Form Smart Swim 2 Pro on Amazon
MyCelsius Cooling Bracelet
Instant relief for hot flashes
While treatments for perimenopause and menopause symptoms have gotten more sophisticated, sometimes you just need immediate relief from hot flashes. The MyCelsius Cooling Bracelet sends a cold sensation to the wearer’s wrist, a thermally sensitive area, with the push of a button. But there’s no cooling agent involved; instead, its patent-pending miniature thermoelectric system actively pulls heat away from the skin. Therefore, the device, now sold in Europe and headed for the U.S. next year, also has a Night Mode for gentler, periodic cooling. “It’s almost like a switch to tell the brain, ‘You do not need to sweat all of this heat out,’” says cofounder and CEO Maxime Kryvian. However, —Eliza Thompson
Buy Now: MyCelsius Cooling Bracelet on MyCelsius
GoRuck Spy Ruck
A weighted vest for women
Rucking—or walking while wearing a weighted backpack or vest—is all the rage, with weighted vest sales surging more than 50% to $27 million in the year ending May 2025. But many rucks are bulky and designed with men’s flatter chests in mind. “Our bodies are more complicated,” says GoRuck founder and former CIA case officer Emily McCarthy, who devised a solution with the Spy Ruck. Therefore, the weights sit on the back and sides, meaning the front part of the chest stays unencumbered while the wearer gets her workout in. The low-profile design is not nearly as unwieldy as a traditional ruck, so women on-the-go can build muscle while running errands. —Eliza Thompson
Buy Now: GoRuck Spy Ruck on Amazon
Nike ACG Radical Airflow Shirt
A cooling running top
Nike’s “All Conditions Gear” label has historically been focused on casual hiking. But when Beaverton began conceptualizing a relaunch of the line in 2024, the designers shifted their focus to the growing sport of trail running, where marquee races are rarely shorter than 50km. At last year’s Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, Nike equipped ACG athlete Caleb Olson with the Radical Airflow Shirt, a loose-fitting long sleeve pocked with hundreds of large holes. Therefore, each of these perforations is shaped like a funnel, leveraging the Venturi effect to suck cooling air to the skin as you run. Despite sweltering conditions, Olson not only managed to win the race, but was only two minutes off the course record. The shirt is now available to the public. However, —Daniel Varghese
Buy now: Nike ACG Radical Airflow NXT at nike
Laced Golf Gen 1 Alignment System
Sensors that fix your alignment
In an era where golfers can adjust their game with a wide array of tech-forward gadgets, it’s mind-boggling that alignment is still best corrected using simple wooden sticks. Which is why golf buddies Tyler Kenney and Zach Smith founded Laced Golf, a digital device that clips onto your shoelaces and gives you real-time feedback on your stance using lights and haptic vibration. When the light turns green, swing—and hopefully hit your shot with more accuracy than ever. Therefore, tourney Mode, meanwhile, records movement silently so competitive golfers can review data after a game. “It uncovers blind spots for almost everyone we test with,” says Kenney. —Eliza Thompson
Buy Now: Gen 1 Alignment System on Laced Golf
Hypershell X Ultra S
Smooth-moving exoskeleton
The global exoskeleton market is poised to reach $1.79 billion by 2033, so it’s safe to say robotic wearables are in demand. But if there’s a common complaint, it’s that they can feel rigid. Hypershell X Ultra S addresses that with its HyperIntuition algorithm. This analyzes and anticipates a user’s movements in real time, allowing for more fluid motion. Therefore, “It’s similar to end-to-end driving systems in autonomous cars, mapping human motion directly into assistive movement,” says Toby Knisely, Director of Global Communications. Whether you’re running, hiking, or cycling, the all-terrain Hypershell can offset up to 86 pounds of weight, adding an almost literal spring to your step. —Matthew Huff
Buy Now: Hypershell X Ultra S on Amazon
Swift Hockey ZT Pro 2
Making pro-quality sticks more accessible
The high cost of ice hockey gear can be a barrier to entry for players—particularly composite sticks. This can cost around $400 and may break after just a few months of play. Former minor-league player Zechariah Thomas founded Swift Hockey in 2022 at age 19, with the goal of delivering pro-quality sticks for less via a primarily direct-to-consumer business model. This year, the company released the ZT Pro 2, a second-generation of its flagship stick: priced at up to $199.99, its shaft features unique rounded edges for easier handling. Additionally, added layers of carbon in both its core and blade for extra durability. Therefore, players at the highest level now use Swift sticks, including 2026 NHL draft pick Landon Halfele and multiple players in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the NCAA. —Avery Stone
Buy Now: Swift Hockey ZT Pro 2 on Swift
Garmin Cirqa
No screen, no subscription, just fitness
Whoop and Oura Ring helped popularize screenless wearables, but they also normalized paywalled health insights. Garmin’s new Cirqa smart band changes that. “We’re giving you your insights without having to lock you into additional prices” says Jill Kaiser, Cirqa product manager. Therefore, the Cirqa looks nearly identical to a Whoop and addresses one of the category’s biggest frustrations: unreliable automatic workout detection. A dedicated side button lets people manually start and stop their most popular activity without their phone, giving them the freedom to run, lift, or play ball without distractions. —Hannah Singleton
Buy Now: Garmin Cirqa on Amazon
Reebok Smart Eyewear Powered by Lucyd
Audio sunglasses for athletes
There’s so much gear associated with working out—fitness trackers, watches, headphones, sunglasses. Reebok is lightening that load by combining two into one. Made in partnership with smart eyewear company Lucyd, the Reebok Powered by Lucyd sunglasses let you play music, listen to podcasts, take phone calls, or receive voice instructions, all through the sport sunglasses’ arms, without tuning out the world around you. Therefore, available in six styles—two of which are prescription-ready—each pair features polarized lenses, lightweight frames, noise-cancelling microphones, and open-ear hi-fi audio. —Matt Alderton
Buy Now: Reebok Smart Eyewear on Amazon
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