Welcome to Fitmodo, your regular weekly round up of the news you need to know to keep your earthly form in top shape — from fitness advice to breakthroughs in medical research.
This week: Australian scientists find a link between short-sightedness and lack of sunlight, we review the Razer Nabu and why juice the “juice revolution” is a load of bull.
Medicinal Marijuana Will Be Available In Victoria From 2017
Following on from the federal legalisation of medicinal cannabis in February, Victorian parliament has now passed the Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2015.
This month will see the first cultivation trail begin, with the treatments being available to selected patients from early 2017.
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Australian Scientists Discover Lack Of Sunlight, Not Computer Screens, Causes Eyesight Problems
Increasing exposure to outdoor light is the key to reducing the myopia (short-sightedness) epidemic in children, according to ground-breaking new research by Australian optometrists.
Optometrist and lead researcher on the project, Associate Professor Scott Read, who is the director of research at QUT’s School of Optometry and Vision Science, said that children need to spend more than an hour and preferably at least two hours a day outside to help prevent myopia from developing and progressing.
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The Juice Revolution Is Bullshit
The latest startup to “catch Silicon Valley’s eye” is a company called Juicero that’s selling, essentially, a $US$920 Nespresso for organic cold-pressed juice. Even though it offers the kind of overpriced, niche gizmo you’d find in a Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue, the company is flush with $US120 ($158) million in investment capital. Silicon Valley giants are betting on its success.
Juicero raised investment capital from Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Campbell’s Soup, among others. These companies are making a foolish bet, and the story of Juicero’s rise is the story of what’s wrong with startup culture.
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Razer Nabu Review: Smart Features Made Stupid
“For gamers, by gamers” is the kind of motto that sells liquid-cooled spec-obsessed towers, headsets, rumbling lounge chairs, and ergonomic mice with more buttons than a double-breasted suit. Razer, however, has these words stamped into the back of its wearable Nabu, which it’d like to remind us is not a smartwatch, but a watch with smart features.
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This Dude’s Fitness Tracker May Have Just Saved His Life
A 42-year-old man from New Jersey recently showed up in an emergency ward following a seizure. After looking at the data collected by his Fitbit Charge HR, the doctors decided to reset his heart rate with an electrical cardioversion. It’s the first time in history that a fitness tracker was used in this way.
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Also catching our eye:
- Needing fitness habit building motivation? Lifehacker Australia has a guide on how one person got started — and kept it up.
- Business Insider says we’ve been doing diets all wrong.
- Nude yoga? Nude yoga. Head over to Popsugar Australia to check it out.