That's Fit

I know what you're thinking -- it's a hand weight. Big deal. But is that really all it is? The XCO Trainer promises to "boost your cardiovascular system and increase weight loss by up to a third more" by building and toning muscles while strengthening surrounding tissue and stabilizing joints.

That sounds pretty complex to me -- let's look a little closer at what it does.

Each movement you make creates a delayed soft-impact due to the free-flowing silicone granulates within each foot-long tube. Based on the notion of "Reactive Impact," your body has to work harder to accommodate this shifting of weight, or secondary load, which generates faster results for you.

When I worked in an office, I was that girl who pushed her swivel chair away in favor of sitting on an exercise ball. To be honest, I don't know that I noticed a huge difference, but I actually found it to be really comfy and kind of fun. The only problem was when I'd get up from my desk -- it would roll away and get in the way, which is totally embarrassing if you're talking to a customer. Trust me.

Gaiam has come up with a solution -- the BalanceBall Chair, which, according to their website, "combines exercise and fitness with comfort and ergonomic support for an affordable price." At $99, it is pretty affordable, especially when you consider the fact that you'll get use out of it every day at work!

But how does it improve your fitness level? Well, for one thing, just sitting on a ball, rather than a flat seat, engages your core. Holding yourself straight requires all of the muscles through your core to remain active, whereas with a comfy seat, you might be inclined to slouch down. But that's not all.

I'm a firm believer in how powerful music can be in a workout -- the right song can help me go, quite literally, the extra mile. The introduction of the MP3 player to my fitness routine was huge, and I know I'm not alone. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out a couple of really cool workout tools -- Rhapsody, for downloading music, and the Philips SA52, a nifty little MP3 player.

I've been using the original iPod Shuffle for a few years -- no complaints. I load it up with my music and it plays all through my workout. However, the Philips SA52 also has the ability to hold pictures, video, and other recordings, which came in awfully handy for a recent trip I took.

Plus, I was able to rank the songs and add them to an "On the Go" playlist right there on the plane, without using my computer or any sort of internet access. Also, it's worth noting that I was totally able to work it by myself. I'm not terribly technologically challenged, but I'm not really into super high-tech gadgets unless they're simple to use.

If you're interested in tracking your activity levels, you can always write down your workout and try to figure out how many calories you burned walking from your desk to the refrigerator at work. Or, you could purchase a gadget (and who doesn't love gadgets?) that will monitor all of that for you, and more.

One of the newest gadgets on the market is the Fitbit. Well, it's not even really on the market yet -- it's just available for pre-order, and won't start shipping until late December or early January.

But, they say it's worth the wait. Why? Several reasons, after the jump:

I recently took a trip and, for the plane ride, picked up the latest issue of Vogue, which, by the way, I also considered my daily exercise. Have you seen the size of that thing? It's enormous! But, I digress. Normally I just peruse the pages for fabulous fashion, but I was immediately drawn to a Beauty, Health, & Fitness article named Inch by Inch, about "an arm-toning, waist-cinching, thigh-whittling machine that promises miracles in minutes."

Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy working out. However, the idea of losing inches from my waist in minutes was totally intriguing. Just think about it -- all those spur-of-the-moment occasions for which you have the perfect outfit and it's just a little too tight would no longer be a problem!

Anyway, this miracle machine is called the SX-4000 Pro, and it uses technology that was originally intended for physical therapy for multiple sclerosis patients. It uses a microcurrent that "bypasses the usual brain-nerve pathways, stimulating the nerve, and causing muscles to contract." While it was supposed to strengthen and reengage muscles, patients noticed that they were losing inches in the areas affected. And that's the kind of side effect I'd like to see.

If you're concerned about your dental health (and I hope you are), one of the best investments you can make is in an electric toothbrush. Research has shown that the circular motion made by electric toothbrushes is more effective than the up and down motion made by a standard hand-held brush.

Years ago, owning an electric toothbrush meant shelling out a pretty penny, but that's no longer necessarily the case. You can get a battery powered toothbrush for under $10, although you certainly can still spend over $100 for a good rechargeable one.

Consumersearch.com has some of the top ranked toothbrushes -- click through the gallery to see which might be the best match for your mouth. After all, while it's great to have toned abs and firm thighs, a beautiful, healthy smile is often the first thing people notice, and you owe it to yourself to keep it that way!

Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to improve your health, as well as one of the most important. However, hydration has gotten a little confusing lately -- what bottles are okay, and which ones will cause cancer or defects or death? I just want some water!

Bev did a great post showing you some options of BPA-free water bottles, and now, Camelbak (one of the options Bev listed) was nice enough to send me some samples of their Better Bottles to review for Fit Gadgets. And so, aside from wanting a bottle that won't cause health issues, I sat down to think about the qualities a perfect water bottle would have:

• One-handed operation. If I have to hold the cap in my other hand, it's a pain to use running, driving, or talking on the phone.
• Large enough mouth for ice cubes. I live in Florida, and if there aren't ice cubes in my water when I go for a run, it's pretty warm by the home stretch.
• Also, large enough for plenty of water. I go through a lot of water at the gym, and I prefer to avoid refilling my bottle mid-workout.
• Easy to hold. There is nothing more frustrating that struggling to hold onto a bottle while running or walking, whether it's because of the size or the shape or the slipperiness.
• Halfway attractive. I mean, I don't need to want to make out with it or anything, but, I am putting my mouth on it -- I wouldn't mind a cute bottle.

Want a new way to get around that keeps your feel off the ground while keeping your core, legs, and arms engaged? You might want to consider a Trikke (pronounced trike), which is a three-wheeled cambering vehicle that's human powered. So, like a bike, but also, not at all. Understand?

Basic physics are involved in making it go -- the rider moves his center of gravity toward the center of a turn he's making. By making these turns, you increase your speed, so you can work really hard and go as fast as 18 mph, or take it easy and creep along at a much slower pace. If that's not making much sense, check out the Trikke website, where they have pictures and video to explain it better.

There are several models available, with kids' versions running $79.99 and the most elaborate version, the T12 Roadster, coming in at $599.99. The T78, which looks like the basic adult version, sells on Trikke's website for $249.99. There's also a Skki version for snow, ringing up at $899.99. Refurbished versions of some of the models are also available at a reduced price.

Can I tell you how much I wish I'd known about this 10 or 15 years ago, when I lived at home and had a pool? The StretchCordz Short Belt is a tool that allows you to swim as long and as hard as you want without having to turn at the end of the pool. I don't know about you, but most home pools I've been in aren't long enough to allow for good lap swimming, so this sounds like a perfect solution.

Four feet of heavy tubing is attached to a two-inch waist belt, allowing you to attach the tubing to a ladder and then swim to your heart's content without ever going anywhere. While initially I was concerned about the feeling -- would it be distracting? Would my feet hit the tubing? -- this review put my mind at ease.

The idea behind it is simple, and, according to a number of reviews, it's really effective for swimmers of all levels. It can be used in small backyard pools, hotel pools, or wherever else you want a good, long, continuous swim. And, at under $30, it's not a huge investment. Now, if only I had a pool in my backyard ...

As I have mentioned before, I'm not a fan of carrying anything with me on a run. However, there are certain things I need -- house key, iPod, maybe my phone if I'm going a long distance, even money for really long runs that take me past a gas station. But seriously, there is no way I'm holding on to all that, and I'm pretty sure nobody wants to accept a dollar from my sweaty sock at mile five.

My friends at gracie's gear were kind enough to send some samples of their Power Pouch sports bra and top, and I am sold. Number one, and most importantly, the bra provided excellent support -- throughout a long, intense workout, there was no bouncing or chafing, and if felt phenomenal.

Secondly, the bra is cute -- I have black with pink, but it comes in a bunch of other colors. And it's not low-cut in the front, so it's perfect for those of you who are self-conscious about showing cleavage while you work out. But these aren't the things that set gracie's gear apart from other sports bras.

If you run from your home, it can be a pain finding a place to carry a key. And, if you don't have a road ID of some sort, it's a good idea to carry your license. And what if you're going a long distance? Wouldn't you like to carry a couple of dollars with you so you could swing into the gas station at mile 8 and grab a cold water?

There are a few solutions. You could find shorts with pockets (although I am not a fan of trying to keep things in my pockets while I run. Especially pointy, hard items, like keys -- ouch), or you could wear a sport belt (it's a fanny pack, regardless of what you call it). Still, for some of us, that's distracting -- we just want our shoes, shorts, and a shirt, and we want to hit the road.

Now, there's a shoe that lets you do just that. ArchPort has a range of athletic shoes (as well as sandals) that they call a "stash shoe." The sole of the shoe has a compartment in which you can fit a few necessities -- a key, credit card, some money, and possibly even your phone -- meaning you can head out the door without having to carry a bunch of extra stuff. Well, you'll be carrying it, but in your shoe and not having to hold on to anything.

When I talk to people about swimming for fitness, I tend to get one of two excuses -- either, "I'm a terrible! swimmer," to which I reply, "Practice!" or they say, "It's just so boring, with no music and nothing to watch." This one, I totally get -- I keep myself interested by timing my laps, but I can absolutely understand where people find lap swimming a bit dull.

But that excuse will fly no more.

There are a multitude of waterproof cases and waterproof iPods on the market, many allowing swimmers to go as deep as 10 feet without endangering the iPod or sacrificing sound quality. The one that seemed to keep popping up as I did my research was the iSH2 Natalie Coughlin Signature Series Waterproof Headset by H2O Audio.

Gallery: Fit Gadgets: Underwater iPod

Have you ever felt like you got a workout just from carrying your heavy gym bag? Maybe that's just me. But, now you can get that type of workout on purpose with the Powerbag Power Weight Bag.

Okay, so that wasn't the greatest introduction to what really is a pretty useful fitness tool, but let me explain a bit more. It's essentially a duffel bag, which you fill with sand to achieve your desired weight. Then, you use the bag for a variety of exercises -- any weight-lifting exercises are, of course, fair game, but it can also be used to increase the difficult of plyometrics and cardio exercises.

It has a padded interior and soft, vinyl exterior to keep it from causing damage to your floor, and it's easy to hold in a variety of ways, making it easy to incorporate into rotational, core-strengthening exercises that would be difficult to do holding a standard bar. Additionally, when not in use, the bag can be emptied and stored -- without sand it weighs less than five pounds. However, I'm not really sure what they expect you to do with the sand in the meantime ...

Before I begin, I think it's only fair for me to admit that I'm not a big gamer. I don't mind some of the racing video games, but for the most part, they could all disappear and I would be happy as a clam. My husband, on the other hand is the exact opposite -- he could sit and play a game for hours.

Fortunately, he's in great health and good shape and still manages to come to the gym with me occasionally, so this habit doesn't really hurt him. But it drives me nuts to think about the people who surely miss workouts because they're so involved with their games -- has that ever happened to you, or a loved one?

Today's Fit Gadget provides a solution -- the PCGamerBike requires the player to pedal in order to make his character move. The character could be a person, an airplane, a car, or anything else, and pedaling forward acts as the up arrow while pedaling backward acts as the down arrow.

A personal fitness system sounds like such an enormous, complicated thing -- I initially pictured a gym with scales and mirrors and all kinds of things, but that's not at all what the SlimStep Personal Fitness System is.

I initially came across the SlimStep Personal Fitness System in an AskMen.com article, where it ranked in their Top 10 Health and Fitness Gadgets. And, while it's not as large or intimidating as I'd imagined, it does an awful lot. According to the website, it "measures your body fat, recommends a weight loss course, and tracks calories burned during exercise, running, or daily activity."

You start out by entering your age, weight, height, and sex, and then you'll get a body fat analysis by holding the two-ounce device at arm's length. If the SlimStep finds your weight or body fat to be over what's recommended for your profile, it will help you figure out how many pounds you'd need to lose to reach your goal weight, and will help you figure out how many calories you need to burn each day to reach that goal.