We all love finding ways to get more out of our workouts, but one thing we might love more is finding ways to turn our everyday activities into calorie roasters. That's why so many of us get really excited about shoes that give our legs and booties more of a workout. There's the FitFlop, the MBT Anti-Shoe, and now, Reebok has come out with the EasyTone, a shoe that they say "lets you take the gym with you."

The website claims 28 percent more action in the gluteus maximus muscle, 11 percent more activation of the hamstring, and 11 percent more calf activation, and all you have to do is walk. Built-in "balance pods" create instability with every step you take, so your muscles have to work harder -- kind of like walking through the sand on a beach.

The shoe runs $109.99 and comes in a variety of colors -- white, black, lilac, blue and red -- and, well, they're okay-looking. I wouldn't choose them as a fashion sneaker (is that an oxymoron?), but they don't look as orthopedic as some of the other sneakers that claim to have the same benefits.

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Walking can be great exercise, no doubt. But, what if you want to take things up a notch? I mean, you can only walk so fast before you're running, and if you have a set amount of time to workout, you can only walk for so long. But, regardless of how fast or how far you're walking, you can add weight to your workout to increase your calories burned, weight lost, and bone density.

A lot of experts have spoken out against hand and ankle weights because of the stress they put on your joints, but those aren't the only weights available. Gaiam offers a WalkVest Kit that includes a weighted vest and 30 minute workout DVD and 20 minute audio CD. The WalkVest was invented by Debbie Rocker, the inventor of Spinning, back in 2003. Debbie is a former professional athlete, World Record holder in cycling, fitness expert and personal trainer.

The WalkVest is currently used by people of all types -- health professionals, celebrities (like the recently slimmed down Valerie Bertinelli), professional athletes, and mere mortals like us. What's great is that it's adjustable, so it's comfortable whether you're big or small, plus the weight itself is adjustable. The WalkVest comes with eight half-pound weights, but you can purchase more weights -- up to 16 pounds!

Walking is certainly an effective workout, but if you're looking for a simple way to give your weight loss efforts a boost, this might be just what you need. Get the vest for $50 and five pounds of extra weight for $30.

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Like most in the fitness industry, I'm pretty familiar with Jillian Michaels. I know she's tough and no-nonsense, and she gets results. What I wasn't sure about was how well that would translate to a DVD, but I had a chance to find out when I got a copy of two of her workouts --"Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" and "No More Trouble Zones."

I mean, think about it. On "The Biggest Loser," she pushes obese, out-of-shape people to the puking point, but she's there and able to read their responses. On a video, obviously, she can't, so I was very curious to see whether she would still be tough as nails.

As it turned out, the videos provide a good workout, but they weren't ruthless. It wasn't quite like I imagine a workout with Jillian in person would be. And, "Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism" didn't require any equipment, while "No More Trouble Zones" required only light weights -- that's always a plus to me.

I don't really trust BMI. Convenient, I know, since mine is always high -- I'm tall, I'm big-boned (no, really, I am), and I have more muscle than most women, so even at my absolute fittest, I weigh more than I should by BMI standards. I'm far more interested in how much body fat I have, and I know I'm not the only one. But, like many of you, I don't want to go to my local health club and be poked and prodded so someone can determine my body fat percentage. Fortunately, that's not necessary.

LongLifeClub reviewed the Tanita Body Fat Scale, which sounds like a great gadget to have around the house. Body fat scales measure the amount of fat in your body by sending an electrical current through your body (you don't even feel it, but it's not for use by those with any type of surgically-implanted medical device, like a pacemaker). It takes into account your height, weight, age and gender as well.

The one reviewed was just $79.95, but you can spend up to almost $300 on a Tanita scale if you opt for the Tanita Ironman Segmental and Full Body Composition Monitor. But, once you get the scale, how do you know what your body fat percentage should be?

Can you really get flat abs in just 10 minutes? No, but that's not really what this DVD is about. This was the second 10 Minute Solution DVD I've had a chance to review, so I was familiar with the concept. The 10 Minute Solution DVDs don't promise results in 10 minutes, but they give you the option to do 10-minute sessions individually, or do all the portions at once for a full workout.

The 10 Minute Solution: Quick Tummy Toners DVD has five sections: Crunch Free Abs, Yoga Abs, Bikini Belly, Ab & Waist Definer and Sexy, Sporty Abs. Each section was led by Jessica Smith, who I really liked as an instructor. She was encouraging, had a seriously enviable body, and cued the moves really well, offering options to keep them easy or make them a little more challenging. Also, she had a different outfit and hairstyle for each section, which I got a kick out of.

Level of Difficulty
There were some challenging moves, for sure, but not tons of them. I definitely think a beginner could handle a majority of the moves with no problem.

In your neck of the woods, it might still be a little too cold and snowy to even think about getting outside and hitting the links. However, before you know it, you're going to start seeing that gorgeous spring weather that has you carrying your clubs around in your car at all times, just in case you get a chance to play.

But why wait until it's 70 degrees and sunny to start improving your game? STOTT PILATES® has a Pilates for Golf Power Pack designed to help you prep for Pebble Beach from the comfort of your living room, and I had a chance to check it out.

The Golf Power Pack includes a mat, two DVDs (Pilates on the Green, Level 1 and Pilates on the Green, Level 2), as well as a water-resistant, pocket-sized Warm-up Exercise Guide, so you can take your moves with you to the course. I've done a couple of STOTT PILATES® workouts before, so I was really curious to see how this measured up.

Vibration training has been getting a lot of buzz over the last couple of years -- Madonna is said to use it, and a number of gyms and health clubs are shaking things up for their clients with it too. But really, it's nothing new. Olympic athletes have actually been incorporating vibration training into their workouts for more than 40 years!

But, what if your gym doesn't have a whole-body vibration training machine? Or what if you just prefer working out at home? What can you do? Because, unless you're Samantha from "Sex and the City," I'm going to bet you don't have the tools at home to create enough vibration.

Fortunately, Gaiam has the ChiVibe, a whole-body vibration machine for your home. It has a wide, long base and offers optional resistance cords to help you intensify the results. The high-frequency vibration impulses are supposed to contract your muscles, which will help you achieve greater muscle strength and bone density in addition to better circulation and speedier weight loss.

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When I first received the 10 Minute Solution Kettlebell Ultimate Fat Burner DVD to review, I had two reservations. First, anything that promises a 10 minute solution gets my hackles up -- I mean, how much can one really accomplish in 10 minutes? And, second, I had never worked with kettlebells, and was kind of skeptical about a DVD requiring equipment that I'd never even used.

Those two concerns turned out to be moot. As far as the 10 minute issue goes, you can rest assured that the workout is far longer than 10 minutes -- it's made up of five 10-minute segments focusing on different parts of the body, although, most things you do using a kettlebell work your full body. The different segments (which all have a short warm up and cool down) actually worked out really well for me -- I did this on a really busy day, and it was convenient to do 10 or 20 minutes at a time.

To do this video, all you actually need is a dumbbell -- the instructor herself uses a dumbbell, but gives instructions for using either that or a kettlebell, so you can use whichever is handy for you.

It might seem like a crazy concept to some of you, but the fact is that not everyone is terribly comfortable downloading music. For some people, the frustration of downloading songs onto their computer and then uploading them to their MP3 player is more hassle than it's worth. But, still, who doesn't love to work out to music?

That's where the Don't Quit Fitness slotMusic Player from SanDisk comes in. It's the easiest MP3 player -- basically, it's just plug and play. It's designed to work with slotMusic cards (which are available at stores like Best Buy and Walmart for about $15), and more than 50 artists have slotMusic cards available, so you're not stuck with the same old song.

This particular Don't Quit Fitness version (available for $35 at Best Buy, Walmart, or SanDisk.com) comes pre-loaded with a bunch of songs that have been handpicked by fitness guru, Body by Jake.

Raise your hand if you remember your family's first video camera. Ours weighed about the same amount as a prize-winning watermelon, and took only slightly better video. It was bulky and not all that easy to use, and so it was only brought out for special occasions -- Christmas, birthdays, dance recitals ... you get the idea.

Times have changed. People take video now the way they used to take pictures (and let's not even get into how many pictures are taken -- I mean, I'm just not always camera ready, people!).

Often, they use their phones, and the videos are okay, but what if you want really good video -- like, if you're trying to film your running or weight-lifting form and watch it on your HD TV -- but you want to use something small and simple? In that case, you might want to pick yourself up the Creative Vado HD Pocket Video Camera. Read all about it in the gallery below!

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Earlier this week, I introduced you to Sarina Jain and the Masala Bhangra Bollywood-style workout. Did it pique your interest? If so, you'll love this -- I had a chance to review Sarina's latest workout DVD, Back 2 Bollywood.

This is definitely a video for people who love to dance because it truly is a dance workout. I've always loved watching Bollywood-style dancing, but because the moves are so different than anything I know, I assumed it was really difficult. Sarina makes it easy (although, I'm not sure I looked quite as, umm, authentic as she did).

Likes:
Learning a new form of dance is always fun, and in this workout, there is a very simple, basic move that you return to after learning each new move. The music was lively, with a great beat. Additionally, I always like when the instructor and her back-ups seem like they're having fun, and that certainly was the case -- Sarina's love of dance and fitness is palpable.

I love swimming laps -- I might not be able to run long distances (at least, not at a respectable pace), but swimming? Swimming, I can do forever. In fact, I often swim long enough that I completely lose track of how many laps I've done.

Obviously, other people have this problem, because there is a solution -- the Finis Lap Track. This device can attach to the side of the pool in a variety of ways (suction cups or a weight bag and hanging arm -- see the site for a picture), and performs several functions.

First and foremost, it counts your laps, and the whole thing is a button, so you don't have to try to find any small buttons to push -- just bop the entire thing. It can also keep track of split times and calories burned. And, you can opt to count up, or, if you have a set number you want to reach, you can count down to zero.

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If you ski, you know that it feels like you're flying down those hills. But how fast are you really going? Twenty miles an hour? 40? 50 or 60 ... thousand miles per hour?

Now, I know there's a lot of gear involved in skiing, but if you're a speed demon, you should probably add the Silva S1 Speedometer to your list of necessities. Designed just for Nordic and alpine skiers and snowboarders, it measures ground speed as well as distance traveled.

"Utilizing advanced radar technology, the speedometer calculates your speed and distance and wirelessly transmits all the information to the versatile receiver which can be worn via a carabiner, wrist band, or lanyard." And that's not all.

Surfing and snowboarding are fantastic workouts, but they have some specific requirements -- namely, waves and snow. And sure, you can always skateboard, but what if you're ready for a new challenge? You just might want to look into Freeline Skates.

The creators of Freeline Skates are serious about sports like these -- sports that get them "charged up." The website says, "Freeline Skates are a testament to the awesome potential of each of us." Not only are they a fun way to get your adrenaline pumping, but they also do a fantastic job of working your inner thighs and ankles.

What's cool is that these skates have lots of possibilities, as shown on the site's video page. Even though they incorporate many of the moves you'd use in the sports mentioned above, they're definitely unique.

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My abs aren't exactly my favorite body part. I have a strong core, but I am not a fan of doing tons of crunches -- I just find them boring, and I'd much rather find other ways to work those muscles. If I can work some other muscles and get a cardio workout at the same time, all the better. After all, if I'm going to lose some pounds along with America for ATIO, I need to find something I enjoy, right?

Keeping all this in mind, I was thrilled to have the chance to try out the Core Rhythms Dance Exercise Program. Mary Murphy (from So You Think You Can Dance) dropped three dress sizes in three months using the program, so I knew it had the potential to be effective. What I didn't know was whether or not I would enjoy it.

Newsflash -- I did. A lot. I thought it was so much fun that I invited a group of girlfriends over to do one of the videos with me. A lot of laughing ensued, but by the end of the video, we were all sweating and felt like we'd done a bunch of crunches. Only, you know, we had fun doing it. Since we were all beginners to Latin dance, which is what Core Rhythms focuses on, a few of the special features made the video easy to follow.