exercising

Let the octogenarians have their Wii Bowling. At the other end of the life cycle, kindergarteners are getting their own indoor workout with virtual bikes.

As childhood obesity persists as a mainstay in headlines, more companies are looking for ways to make exercise fun--or at least seem like fun--and e-bikes are apparently leading the trend. Fisher-Price debuted its "Smart Cycle" earlier this year, for example, but it has some competition from across the pond in U.K.-based Gymkids and its "Cyberbike."

Both have brightly colored toy-like designs and can hook up to a TV … Read more

Maybe we've seen too many bad sci-fi movies, but the thought of a gadget that talks to us is a little unnerving--especially if it involves our physical well-being. We suppose that the intentions are good, given that it's about exercise and all, but the last thing we need is some mechanical voice assessing our performance. Even if it is a "pleasant female" one, as GadgetGrid says.

Aside from that, the "Talking Digital Hand Grip" is just an updated version of the old squeeze strengtheners you can still find lying around gyms and hall closets … Read more

Our personal opinions about exercise notwithstanding, we grudgingly acknowledge that the convergence of consumer electronics and fitness equipment does make some sense. What better way is there, for instance, to get slovenly creatures like us onto cardio machines than games and iPods?

Yet we can't help but question the wisdom behind the "Elite Cross Trainer" from Star Trac. The main technological feature of this elliptical machine seems to be the ability to send personal fitness stats wirelessly and on the fly to a Palm device, according to Luxist. There's nothing wrong with keeping track of your … Read more

Appearances notwithstanding, we take our health seriously here at Crave and try to highlight as many fitness-related technologies as possible, ranging from the Wii Fit to robotic drill sergeants. We've even passed along some weird exercise machines for the more adventurous out there.

But this was the first time we'd ever heard of anything like the "Hawaii Chair." Although it's tempting--the name alone is stress-reducing--we're not quite sold on its aerobic effectiveness: All you're supposed to do is sit down and let the $350 chair swivel your hips in a circular, hula-style motion--like … Read more

The link between digital entertainment and exercise seems to be fairly well documented on the Wii alone, so it stands to reason that the combination would be fertile ground for other companies. And when's the last time you saw anyone on a cardio machine at the gym without an MP3 player?

Yamaha has clearly figured that out with its new "BodiBeat," a wearable gadget scheduled for August that it says is "the world's first music player/heart rate monitor that selects and plays songs to match the pace of the user's workout." It … Read more

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Sophisticated motion sensors are part of an Intel project to help couch potatoes monitor their physical activity from the, um, couch.

Beverly Harrison, a senior research scientist at Intel, did a lot of jogging in place Wednesday at Research@Intel Day, the company's science fair of ongoing projects inside its labs. She was demonstrating how someday sensors could be used inside mobile devices to measure the frequency and intensity of a person's daily physical activity as part of a weight-loss program or to help someone rehabilitate an injury.

Sure, gyms these days have all kinds … Read more

Nintendo has figured it out: Why should it let others take all the glory for the Wii's supposed health benefits? Tech Digest says the company is developing a game called Wii Health that will "test your fitness and send the results off to an unspecified UK hospital for analysis."

Not everyone is on the Wii's fitness bandwagon, daring to suggest that real-life exercise is better for kids than playing games regardless of how serious they are about them. But at least one personal trainer has created a workout routine based on Wii play, and others say … Read more

It was bound to happen, wasn't it? Zander Urquhart, a personal trainer from Glasgow, has reportedly come up with an official exercise regimen based on playing the Wii.

It's not as silly as it may sound. Research has suggested that digital games can help people lose weight, and at least one blogger says he lost several pounds playing Wii Sports 30 minutes a day. According to Newlaunches, a study by Liverpool John Moores University reports that 12.2 hours of Wii playing each week can burn 1,830 calories.

We have no personal knowledge of how well it … Read more

We're convinced that the electronics industry is conspiring with our personal trainer, because he knows that built-in gadgets are the only way to get us on the cardio machines. The latest invention goes far beyond the iPod fitness equipment we mentioned earlier; this diabolical device really hits home--with games.

And we're not talking DDR either. The "ProForm 20.0 Elliptical CrossTrainer" includes a backlit console with a screen mounted right in front of your flushed face, according to Newlaunches. As if that weren't enough, additional cruelty comes in the games themselves, which the manufacturer says … Read more