Would You Wear a Bracelet That Tracked Your Eating, Sleeping and Exercise Habits?

With studies confirming the importance of the proper combination of sleep, eating and exercise habits as all contributing to a healthy lifestyle, app and tech developers have begun upping creation of devices that can constantly track personal data and measurements as you pursue your health goals.

Nike's FuelBand was among the first to really create a buzz earlier this year, but a new device by lark, a company that makes wearable wellness monitors, is being said to take the technology a step further. The device larklife tracks circadian rhythms -- not just diet and activity -- to monitor how your energy levels "peak and dip."

larklife works through the iOS platform, tracking activity, diet, sleep and providing "expert-backed coaching" on small changes that could lead to an overall increase in "productivity and wellness both at home and on the job," according to the company's press release.

"Among many other metrics, larklife tracks steps and calories burned, the kinds of foods you are eating and when you are taking breaks throughout the day, and, using a smart machine learning algorithm, larklife can identify the kinds of activities you undertake," the promo video description states. "Using this information, larklife harnesses the power of behavior change science to help users build long term healthy habits."

Watch this promo video about the $150 wristband and app:

When it comes to connecting your daily habits and bodily measures with an app though, what are the privacy restrictions placed on the company collecting said information? According to larklife's's privacy policy, the information it collects is knowingly provided by app users and, as you might expect, it is used to "personalize and improve" services. They do acknowledge the right to share some of your personal information with third parties, such as affiliated businesses. larklife also states that it could release your personal information when it believes "in good faith that realize is necessary to comply with laws; enforce or apply our conditions of use and other agreements; or protect the rights, property, or safety of lark, our employees, our users, or others."

larklife also includes a HIPPA privacy policy, because it handles personal information regarding health. The policy states:

It is the policy of the Company that for all
routine and recurring uses and disclosures of PHI (except for uses or disclosures made 1) to or as authorized by the customer, client or end-user or 2) as required by law for HIPAA compliance such uses and disclosures of protected health information must be limited to the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish the purpose of the use or disclosure. It is also the policy of the Company that non-routine uses and disclosures will be handled pursuant to established criteria. It is also the policy of the Company that all requests for protected health information (except as specified above) must be limited to the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish the purpose of the request.

[...]

It is the policy of the Company that all members
 of our workforce have been trained by the compliance date on the policies and procedures governing protected health information and how the Company complies with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. It is also the policy of the Company that new members of our workforce receive training on these matters within a reasonable time after they have joined the workforce. It is the policy of the Company to provide training should any policy or procedure related to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule materially change. This training will be provided within a reasonable time after the policy or procedure materially changes. Furthermore, it is the policy of the Company that training will be documented indicating participants, date and subject matter.

lark founder and CEO Julia Hu described the band in a statement like being "a fitness trainer, nutritionist, productivity, stress and sleep coach" all in one. The process is gradual, Hu said, but "failure isn't possible."

Larklife advisor and neuroeconomist at Stanford University Baba Shiv in a statement said what she researched about habit-building has been included in app to help the wellness program stick.

"This product doesn't just give people data and expect them to know how to use it," Shiv said.

Sarah Rotman Epps reviews the device on Forbes writing that she sees it as a "new phase of personal computing that will transform the way we live and work." She points out similar devices coming before larklife and why she thinks this one is here to to stay. Epps writes that instead of just focusing on weight loss, the app looks at increasing productivity and energy levels for daily activities. It works with existing infrastructure -- the iPhone and other iPod. It also has a wearable design that gives information to users and what they should do with it "in a way that’s not boring."

The device is available for pre-order now and is expected to ship before the end of the year. Learn more about larklife on its website here.

(H/T: Wired)