exercise

Prodded by the aging Boomer population, wearable exercise monitors have themselves boomed in recent years. But the obvious discomfort of wearing a monitor against the chest has pushed manufacturers to devise other scenarios--sometimes as far away from the heart as possible in the body's extremities.

The "Mark of Fitness MF-180" exercise monitor is one such example, keeping track of the body's performance through a fingertip. Not only does it measure the heart rate, Red Ferret says, but its built-in LCD will also display goals, calories burned, and recovery rates. All this was integrating into a … Read more

Here's an idea that only goes half way: Furniture maker and D6 sponsor Steelcase was showing off its Walkstation product. It's a stand-up desk integrated into a treadmill. So now you can take a walk while you're working.

I tried it and it's not as awkward as you might think. You have to get the speed on the treadmill just right, so you can walk without thinking, but once you do it is actually possible to read and type while walking.

The device is thousands of dollars, steep for the average worker. I fully expect the … Read more

Can a video game get you in shape? Nintendo says that Wii Fit will definitely point you in the right direction. With more than 40 exercises and activities, the game helps you keep track of your BMI (body mass index) over a period of time, allowing you to become more aware of your body.

While the game may not have you losing pounds left and right, it'll certainly help you improve your balance and posture--it can even make you work up a sweat.

The Wii Fit package comes with the Wii Fit software and balance board. The board is … Read more

The full product launch of Wayfinder Active is arriving in North America just in time for seasonal outdoor pursuits. This free edition of the premium GPS phone navigation system, Wayfinder Navigator, includes goodies that are just right for outdoor enthusiasts taking their phones on a stroll, jog, hike, or geocaching expedition. There are tools for monitoring your speed, distance, and caloric burn, for mapping routes and points of interest, for pulling up a dynamic compass, and for sharing routes or stats. For solo wanderers, there's also a panic button for calling out your location to an emergency buddy.

Appropriately, … Read more

It's always nice (and rare) to see a manufacturer actually release a product when promised. And Nike says it will be doing just that with the April 10 debut of its "Nike+ SportBand," which had been promised to come out this month.

It seems pretty much as billed before: The main difference between this latest portable fitness system and previous versions from Nike is that it doesn't require a media player to work. The armband gauges such stats as speed, distance, time elapsed, and calories burned while giving runners access to features on Nikeplus.com for … Read more

Pedometers are probably among the oldest digital fitness gadgets around, continually morphing into new forms for both man and beast. But we didn't think they'd have any potential as fashion items until we saw these latest models from Japan.

The "Slim Stick" seems fairly mundane so far as features are concerned, with the requisite tracking for calories burned, miles walked, and the like. Where it stands out, according to Gizmodiva, is a sleek design in silver, gold, or pink that resembles some kind of high-tech Pez dispenser. Function and appearance aside, this takes represents an important … Read more

This whole workstation fitness thing is getting out of hand. It's bad enough that some employers would have us working out at the desk, but now a monitoring equipment is being developed so that they can keep track of our physical state at all times.

Exmocare's "BT2" system monitors heart rate, body temperature, and other vitals with Bluetooth devices strapped to the wrist that send regular reports wirelessly for supervisors to peruse, according to Gadget Venue. Although it's sure to be touted as a safety mechanism in workplaces where employee health might be compromised, it'… Read more

There's been a lot of talk lately about a pending release of Nike's SportsBand fitness device, the latest being a report from German site Mac Life that it's coming in April.

The wrist device, which looks pretty much like a digital watch, is designed to work similar to the Nike + iPod Sports Kit, sans the media player. In other words, it allows runners to track their exercise routines even if they don't own an iPod.

In addition to time display, the SportsBand can collect data on speed, distance, elapsed time, and calories. According to the Mac … Read more

Here we go again. We've warned repeatedly about the insidious nature of fitness equipment attached to the desk, and now there's yet another way for unscrupulous employers to do us a "favor" by providing exercise opportunities without leaving the cubicle. Few, however, look as ridiculous as the setup depicted here.

The "Springflex UB" clamps onto the desktop and affords the opportunity to do "over 120 exercises that tone and firm your upper body" without ever leaving the chair, according to Inventor Spot. We certainly hope that the guy pictured here is a … Read more