I don’t have much trouble getting motivated to exercise; it relaxes me and helps me control my weight. My husband, however, would rather do just about anything than work out, even though he knows full well all the myriad reasons he should.
So I have been searching for a Father’s Day gift that could make exercise less boring, or dare I say even fun, for him… well I have had fun looking anyway. There are some pretty innovative new exercise tools on the market that are effective, easy to use and affordable. From devices that monitor caloric intake and burn to those that add dynamism and new challenge to your routine, boredom is seriously no longer an acceptable excuse to not exercise, which I guess presumes that it ever was. Anyway…
FitBit: This two-inch-long, half-inch-wide electronic clip-on device is actually just a high-tech pedometer with accelerometers (motion sensors that detect movement in three directions — similar to ones used for Nintendo Wii) to measure your movement. On your belt, in your pocket or attached to a wristband, it measures how many steps you’ve taken, how many calories you’ve burned, how active you are in general, and so on.
Best thing about it: You can upload your data from the device to the company’s Web site and easily track your activity level. There’s a database with a registry of about 50,000 foods to track your caloric intake, too.
Bonus feature: It also can track how long and how efficiently you sleep, including whether you toss and turn or get up often.
Demerits: You can’t use the FitBit to track cycling or swimming because accelerometers are accurate only for walking and running.
Price: $99; access to Web site is free after purchase.
Info: www.FitBit.com.
Philips DirectLife: Designed to be carried in a pocket, this is another accelerometer-based device that keeps track of how much you move.
What’s cool: The purchase price includes e-mail access to DirectLife fitness coaches who can serve as personal trainers and answer such questions as “how do I set goals?” or “how can I improve my workouts?”
Unique: It’s waterproof.
Less cool: DirectLife can’t track calorie intake or burn, and there is a monthly membership fee.
Price: $99 for the device, which includes a four-month membership to the coaching service… then $12.50/month to keep the coaching feature active.
Info: www.DirectLife.Philips.com.
Bodybugg: The Bodybugg “personal calorie management system” is an armband that measures your skin’s galvanic response (basically, electrical conductivity due to your sweat,) temperature and heat output, along with motion — all to calculate how many calories you burn throughout the day. It also works as a pedometer and is unobtrusive enough to be worn under your shirt without attracting attention.
Intriguing feature: The galvanic device makes the calorie expenditure measurement extremely accurate, and there’s an online log as well.
Not as great: It’s expensive.
Price: $249 for the device and a six-month Web-service membership, then $9.95 per month, $49.95 for six months or $79.95 for 12 months.
Info: www.Bodybugg.com.
Garmin FR60 (featuring ANT +): I like this fitness wristwatch. It’s a system to which you can add your own preferential features. Besides functioning as a watch, the basic unit lets you track your heart rate and calories burned. If you attach the optional wireless foot pod to your shoelaces, you can track speed and distance covered. Add a speed/cadence sensor and you can use the FR60 on your bicycle to track your pedaling speed and how fast and far you’re going. There is also a body-composition scale you can use as you monitor your weight and body fat. You can easily upload all this data to the Garmin Connect Web site for storage.
Even better: Garmin uses technology that is compatible with many fitness equipment manufacturers, perhaps even including some at your local gym. (Look for the words “ANT+ enabled” to see where it can be used.)
Downside: Personally, I think the watch looks too big and clunky.
Price: $99.99 for watch, $199.99 with foot pod included. $60 for the bike sensor. There is no additional charge for web access.
Info: www.garmin.com.
Nike + iPod: The Nike + iPod Sport Kit works with iPod Nano, iPod Touch and iPhone 3GS; the device is compatible the Nike+ line of exercise shoes. It’s basically a sensor (1.3 inches long, oval-shaped and thin) that gets placed in a special pocket in the insole of the Nike+ sneaker to track your walking and running. It then sends data on time, distance, pace and calories burned to your iPod/iPhone.
Value added: The kit includes a catalog of suggested workouts, and you can download additional ones from Apple’s iTunes Web site. Also, you can upload your fitness data to www.NikePlus.com to keep track. And since some professional fitness equipment includes Nike + connectivity, you might be able to use it with equipment at your gym.
What’s missing: There’s no calorie intake tracker.
Price: $29.
Info: www.Apple.com/ipod/nike. The Nike+ sneakers cost about the same as the firm’s other high-end running shoes — between $85 and $160. There’s no additional charge for web access.
The real secret to fitness costs nothing and is as low-tech as it gets: Move more. But if adding some technology to the mix makes it more interesting or motivating, then by all means- tech up your workout.
Source(s):
Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, an exercise science instructor at Quincy College and a fitness consultant with the South Shore YMCA, both in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is an expert on getting fit. He is author or coauthor of 24 fitness books.
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Reprinted with the permission of:
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