Photo: Nike

Complicated GPS devices, heart monitors and sensors are staples of many a runner's wardrobe. But for those of you who want to pound the terrain without being hooked to too many gadgets, there's one running accessory that you might want to try: The Nike Sportband.

It's pretty simple, really -- it looks like a watch and, by communicating with a small sensor that you insert in or attach to your shoe, it measures you mileage, pace, time and calories burned. Once you've logged a few miles, you hook it up to your computer, and it downloads your workout data to the Nike Plus website, where you can monitor your progress, set goals and keep tabs on how many miles you've covered, giving you grounds for major bragging rights. And at $59, it's not as expensive as buying an iPod and Nike+ Sport kit combination.

Choosing my top five Fit Gadgets posts from the past year was a really difficult job. Some gadgets were so completely over-the-top, while others were incredibly simple (and affordable). Some I've used and loved, while others I desperately want. How am I supposed to choose the best?

Well, I had to leave out quite a few, but I narrowed it down to the five that I loved best. Did I miss any of your favorites? Or are there any you'd like to see me take a look at in 2009? Leave a comment and let me know!

One of my pet running peeves is the seemingly inevitable thing that happens usually 2 km into my run: My shoe laces come untied. And once I get going, I hate stopping until it's over -- I often feel like taking this forced break breaks my stride. So when I read about bubble laces, I was pretty ecstatic. Apparently, their funky design keeps them from loosening while you're running -- it's such a simple concept but one that could make a huge difference in my runs. They're on my Christmas wish list -- though at only $2 a pair, I could probably just pick them up on my own.

What else is on my wishlist? The Nike + iPod sports kits that connects to your shoes and not only records your workout but also keeps you motivated and can sync your songs to your running rhythm

I'm curious to know -- what other running gadgets can you not live without? Please share. For some inspiration, check out our featured Fit Gadgets here.

(via Fresh Fitness Tips)

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You know how it's always easier to fix something around the house if you have the right tools? Trust me, using a key as a screwdriver is not a good idea.

Anyway, the same thing applies in the kitchen -- if you're trying to cook low-fat, portion controlled meals, but still want them to be flavorful and delicious, you need the right tools to get started!

Celebrity diet chef Bethenny Frankel told Health that her favorite kitchen tools make it easy to consistently cook light. And, in addition to a few of her favorite gadgets, she shared a couple of other "skinny kitchen" tricks. Check out the gallery to see how she keeps her clients thin!

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My favorite piece of cooking gear is my vegetable steamer. It can be used for more than just veggies -- like rice -- but I use is for one purpose only: Steaming the broccoli, peas, corn, and squash we rotate among our daily dinners. My steamer is easy to assemble, easy to use, and easy to clean. And it takes no longer than 10 minutes for our nutritious fare to cook. I also like my food processor -- it just doesn't get as much use -- and I really want a Crock Pot. I borrow my sister's when I need one, but I bet I'd be a bit more inventive with meals if I had one stuffed in a cabinet nearby.

Women's Health magazine recommends a few got-to-have kitchen gadgets. The food processor and steamer make the cut -- although the WH editors recommend not my stand alone steamer but a flexible silicone steamer that sits on top of a pan of boiling water. They also recommend a colandar, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, baking sheets, pots and pans, a hand mixer, a meat thermometer, an oil sprayer, nylon/rubber tools, wooden goods, a vegetable peeler, a shredder, kitchen shears, cutting boards, and knives.

A pretty good medley of stuff, huh? Click here and check out each item. Pictures, descriptions, and suggested brands are included.

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Technology is both a curse and a blessing. It has made so many amazing things possible but it is also a big contributer to sedentary lifestyles and the rising obesity epidemic. But technology isn't all bad, and if you use it wisely it can actually help you get moving and make your health and fitness goals easier to achieve. We all love high-tech stuff, why not mix it in with our love of good health?

Here are just a few of the weight loss-friendly technologies out there:

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Have you ever seen one of those Shiatsu massage chair accessories? They fit over certain chair backs and allow you to comfortably sit down while receiving a deep massage. Gadgets like these are growing in popularity, and with steep price stickers, it makes you wonder if they're really effective.

A professor at Duke University states that when you sit down on that chair, or stick your feet in a mechanical masseuse, or don the head spa, it will definitely start to make things feel better. However, those people with chronic pain are mostly getting the placebo effect.

There's nothing wrong with that either, of course. As this article asserts, feeling better is all the same! But before you drop all that money on an expensive gadget, check out their list of technological pain relievers to see how a clinical professor of neurology reviewed them. In the long term, the price paid for such gizmo's could definitely be cheaper than paying a professional to give you a massage. But if they go unused, it may be a waste of money.

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Fit Gadgets is a weekly feature focusing on products and technology that will help you get fit and stay motivated or simply make life easier. It may even be a gadget that could help to save your life. From the mainstream to the obscure, I'll let you know what works and what doesn't.

Wondering what makes you tick or how fast you're ticking? Find out with the Pulse Ring, the smallest heart rate monitor I've ever seen. Okay, it's downright unattractive, but that's not the point.

It pretty much does the same thing as its larger counterparts (but with no chest strap required). It will track your heart rate and continuously display it on the small LCD display. It has a range of 30-250 beats per minute; mind you though, if your heart rate is in the 250 beats per minute range... well, er', you might want to slow things down a bit! The ring also has a timer and stopwatch functions making it ideal for you fitness buffs.

No, it's not Total Recall nor does it have a GPS system but it is still design ingenuity doing it's best. The fact is, like most monitors, this useful little device does it's job by answering life's most pressing question: Am I working my butt hard enough?

Basically, it's small, compact and Ideal for basic pulse rate monitoring.

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I'm not one to carry a bunch of gadgets with me when I work out -- I feel a little bogged down with just my iPod and cell phone, so forget a pedometer or anything else even though I'm definitely interested in tracking that sort of thing. But now here's the perfect "all-in-one" gadget for somebody like me: a cute phone geared towards the stylish, active, fitness-minded woman! The Samsung SGH-E570.

It's got all kinds of fun features but a couple of the funnest things are the built-in mp3 player and pedometer, and some kind of cool motion-sensitive wallpaper. It comes in a variety of colors and although they've designed the phone with women in mind (pink is the most popular) if you buy one in black it can be perfectly masculine too!


Via Book of Joe

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This fun ThinQ model 303 pedometer is only 3mm thick -- about the size of a credit card. So if you're the sort of person who isn't really into fitness, but would still like to know how much exercise you're getting on your walk to the office, or during your evening strolls around the neighborhood, this is perfect.

Because, let's be honest: even if you'd like to pretend you're too cool for physical activity, you're (hopefully) getting at least some exercise during your day-to-day routine. This is a good thing. You can expand on this. You'll feel better for it -- I promise.

And now you can see how many steps you're taking and calories you're burning, simply by opening you wallet -- allowing you to optimize your daily activities so that they incorporates even more little moments of fitness. Awesome!

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The stethoscope in your doctor's office may be on the way out, and an mp3 player may be on the way in. No, doctor's aren't jamming to tunes while assessing patients, but instead are using the gadgets to better hear breath sounds and everything else they used to listen to with a stethoscope. By pressing a microphone to the chest doctors and nurses get much better sound quality, and can even record and replay what they hear and store the sounds on computers for others to reference later.

Stethoscopes have been around for over 200 years, and although there will always be some uses for them I say there's no shame in retirement!

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If you're someone who'd prefer to do their Yoga alone at the park rather than cramped in a studio at your local fitness center, this is your gadget.

It's a Yoga mat -- but instead of merely providing a surface on which you can contort your body into all those awkward and painful-looking shapes, it also comes with a built-in MP3 players and stereo speakers, plus streaming video playback so you can see your instructor from any position.

Part of me thinks all that techno-gadgetry wouldn't help you achieve the meditative bliss that Yoga is supposed to provide. But then again, I always found the intense physical discomfort of Yoga kept me reaching any higher plane of thought, so maybe it's just as well that you crank out the jams will folding into a pretzel.

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Let's be honest: especially if you're out of shape, your first couple months of exercise won't exactly be pleasant. But if you're winded, sore and "feeling the burn," how do you know when you're pushing yourself too far (that is, before you pass out)?

Enter the MF-180. Not only is this exercise monitor far less cumbersome than a chest belt, but -- in addition to the normal array of information (like heart rate, calories burned, etc) -- also has an out-of-zone alert, so you know when you're working too hard.

So now you don't have to feel guilty every time you slow down and rest -- just wait for the beep, and you'll know you're doing the right thing for your body.

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Fit Gadgets is a weekly feature focusing on products and technology that will help you get fit and stay motivated or simply make life easier. It may even be a gadget that could help to save your life. From the mainstream to the obscure, I'll let you know what works and what doesn't.

When Richard Tait and Whit Alexander set out to start a company in 1998, they had a distinct mission: create a lifestyle brand fueled by products and services that would lighten and enlighten people's lives. Their goal was to create special moments, memories, and emotional touchstones that people could celebrate at home, at work, and with friends and family - all the while laughing and learning.

They did just that! And among their fabulous list of games; CRANIUM HULLABALOO.

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As you might suspect, kids aren't sleeping enough. While the experts recommend eight hours, many young teens only sleep for four to seven on any given night. Making matters worse, is that even when they do doze off, some kids are still only getting poor quality "junk sleep."

According to one study, gadgets are to blame. The Sleep Council recently conducted a poll of 1,000 teenagers -- almost all of whom had either a phone, music system or TV in their bedroom -- and found that not only are these gadgets keeping kids up, but because many fall asleep with the TV or radio on, the sleep they do get is sub-standard.

When you compare this information with previous studies that show a strong link between lack of sleep and obesity, the increased time teens are spending with their electronics is even more worrying.

Seems to me that, while it might lead to a few arguments around the house, parents owe it to their kids to shut the gadgets off at a reasonable hour.

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