Tech Solutions for Everday Annoyances: The Newest Tech for Getting Fit

One thing that has been totally buggin me this year is the lack of time and energy I have to work out. In high school I played sports year-round and got plenty of daily exercise, but with work and school taking up so much time, it's been harder to stay motivated.

This week I'm going to focus on all the newest toys that may help me get back into field hockey shape, and some that are just for fun...

One can't talk about technology in fitness without bringing up Nike+. It's the type of innovation that I love: seamless integration of technology and human activity. Until a couple weeks ago, I couldn't get my self to buy it since you had to have an iPod nano to use it; but (probably thanks to the iPhone) Nike realized that not everyone owns a nano and created a nice alternative. This new sports band keeps track of number of steps, calories burned, length of run and more; and also gives you access to the Nike+ website which allows you to track every workout. The website acts as a personal trainer by tracking your progress, setting up challenges, and keeping you motivated to do more.

Nike has decided not to stop at that though, and recently announced plans to add a slew of features to the band including a monitor for heart rate, body temperature, and hydration level; and possibly a gps tracker that will allow you to map out your runs. Rumors are that this will take a quite a long while to materialize, but I will certainly be looking out for it.

Another product that allows you to focus on other things while working out are these Everlast Talking Dumbbells. They count your reps and calories burned for you, so that if you tend to get engrossed in the latest episode of Top Chef while working out, you don't have to worry about losing count. The only downside is their shrimpy four pound weight, but I'm hoping they upgrade that size soon.

For everyone who likes to hit the water for their workout, H2O Audio has come out with a line of waterproof cases for almost every version of the iPod. Normally I roll my eyes at the insane amount of products created for the king of mp3 players, but this one seems purely functional and has no tacky design additions. Yay!

Now for some of the strange:

One Swiss engineer dreamed up shoes that actually toned your muscles for you and helped get rid of cellulite, so a new fitness fad was born. MBT "Physiological Footwear" has become extremely popular in the last few months, with talk shows featuring them and celebrities wearing them around the town. Physicians seem to be skeptical of any real fitness benefit other than maybe new, expensive shoes will force people to be more active. I am unconvinced but open to being proved wrong on the hopes that a wonder shoe will improve my legs.

Now I am all for multitasking, but this net product is just ridiculous. I am not totally against the idea of being able to walk while I'm on my computer, but the fact that NetRunner is selling these velcro straps for $99 is just wrong. If you're going to come up with a solution for being able to exercise while on the computer, then go all the way. The picture below shows the homemade solution in action (computer and treadmill not included). Again, they are charging $99.