Perhaps you've seen the commercial for Reebok's new Easytone shoes? A fit, attractive model explains that these sneakers will help you tone your legs and butt. The camera pans down her lower body, showing the model's sculpted, toned butt.

You can see what we mean by taking a look at the commercial below.

Reebok claims that Easytone shoes will work your hamstrings and calves up to 11 percent harder and tone your butt 28 percent more than regular sneakers just by walking.

How is that possible? These sneakers have "balance ball-inspired technology" that engages muscles in your legs and glutes. Women who have tried the shoes claim that they take a little getting used to, but that they can feel their muscles engaging more.

But are women who purchase these Reeboks setting themselves up for disappointment? One can't help but compare these sneakers to FitFlops or NGR (No Gym Required) shoes that claimed to give you a workout just by walking. Where is the real science behind the Easytone shoes?

Skinnier? You? Want to see it? You can! WeightView.com offers you the opportunity, for free, to see yourself at the weight you're striving to become. All you have to do is upload a photo and enter your desired weight loss. Within 48 hours, WeightView.com will email you an image resembling what you would look like.

Talk about motivational tools! The ability to actually see yourself in the body you want to be in? Priceless. Figuratively, and literally. (Remember, I told you it was free!).

Have you been struggling unsuccessfully to lose weight? Maybe it's because the end result just does not feel tangible enough. This little bit of technology might just be what puts you over the edge to a fitter and leaner body.

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I recently interviewed Erin Andrews, the very pretty and fit sideline reporter for ESPN. While we spoke, Erin told me her secret to staying really fit and trim. After gaining 10 pounds "eating like a guy" with the College GameDay crew, Erin was mortified to see her much larger bum showcased all over the internet.

I was like "Oh my God!" she said. "What happened to my butt?!!!" And with that ... Erin hired a trainer, changed the way she was eating and made sure she didn't try to keep up with her male coworkers at the bar. Can you imagine having the world document each and every pound you gained each day of your life?

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This weekend my son and I are going on a vacation. While we're staying in a cabin, we'll be spending most of our time outdoors -- at the beach, sand dunes, nature trails, and hiking paths. Both my son and I love to explore and check out what nature has to offer. A new web portal, Andy Camper, is all about outdoor adventures for kids.

The site offers dozens of how-to videos for kids; from geocaching to watching the stars. The site aims to get kids excited about the outdoors and to reconnect them with nature through fun, engaging ideas and activities.

My son is really into bugs right now (except spiders... they freak him out). Tonight, we're going to make this cool water viewer to help us look for bugs and other critters in the lake this weekend. Check it out! You're sure to find fun activities for you and your kids whether you're heading out on a special outdoor adventure, or just want to do some exploring in your own backyard.

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Could the movement of your breasts within your sports bra create enough energy to power a small device, like an iPod? The short answer is yes, it certainly could. But there's more to it than just bouncing them around enough to create energy -- that energy then has to be harnessed.

Slate recently had an article on what would need to occur in order to harness the power of our swaying breasts (I mean actual energy power -- not the power to stop men in their tracks or knock over a small child), and believe it or not, there's some serious technology already at work regarding this. However, each possibility has its problems.

For example, one researcher has fabric made of nanowires that could easily be used to create a bra. However, it couldn't be washed -- ew! And then, there's the Lightning Pack technology that's already at work in backpacks for serious hikers and the military, and while this technology could be used on the bra strap, there's a generator and a piston involved, and, long story short, it just wouldn't be too comfy.

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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.

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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.

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Oakley came out several years ago with the THUMP, a sunglass/mp3 player combo. It was a really cool idea, because, really, how much extra stuff do you to carry when you go running? And it's great to not have to worry about cords or earbud slippage. Plus, the earphones hover just outside your ear, so while you can hear the music, other noises aren't entirely blocked, which is a nice safety feature.

They've now come out with an improved version, the Oakley Split THUMP. The first improvement I noticed was the fact that the earphones are removable, so if you show up at a race and find out only then that you can't have earphones (not like that's ever happened to me or anyone I know), you've still got glasses. Plus, if you're out for a run and then head out to the beach or park to hang out with friends, you can remove the earphones.

Additionally, the sound quality has improved (though, I actually hadn't noticed it being all that bad to begin with). They come in two varieties, a 512MB for $249, and a 2GB for $399, so you should be able to fit enough music on there to last your entire workout. The battery life is estimated to be around seven hours, so that should hold out for you, too.

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I have a few friends who have email contact with their kids' teachers, and I'm envious. Emailing my kids' teachers would be nice, but I can't even imagine emailing their doctor. I've been a part of the "call and make an appointment" system so long, it's hard to imagine it any other way.

But patients are pushing for doctors to move into the 21st century and use email on a more regular basis. Doctors, however, are reluctant. A recent survey found that only 31% use email to communicate with patients. Doctors cite workload concerns, as well as compensation for time spent and privacy issues as reasons for not using email.

I only see one doctor with any regularity, my allergist. He's such a busy guy, I'd be afraid to communicate with him through email. With my flexible schedule, however, it's easy for me to pop in and see him. If I was working a 40+ hour work week, I might feel differently.

What about you? Does your doctor use email? Do you wish that he or she would?

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Have you ever been playing a basketball game and it was so intense and fast-paced that you couldn't take the time to look up at the scoreboard?

Well, I haven't (at least not in a long time), but for those of you who have experienced this, you're in luck, or, at least, you will be. An Australian company is working on jerseys that have "electro-luminescent displays" which will show information for the players, like the score and time left.

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When babies are born too early, they need a highly controlled environment to help them rest so that their bodies can grow and develop. Because their rest and sleep is so vitally important to them, NICU's across the country are learning new ways to keep their experience as womb-like as possible.

One dad saw that need and set about inventing a system to help. The Sonicu measures the level of sound in a room and uses a stoplight-type system to warn parents and doctors that they are making too much noise. The lights start at green, move to yellow, then flash read when decibel levels climb too high. The system can even dim lights in the room, kind of like a group warning.

So far, the systems have sold only in Indiana, but because doctors say there's nothing else like it on the market, hospitals nationwide may soon be seeking them out.

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Samsung came out last year with a phone geared toward the active person, and now they've stepped up their commitment to fitness by teaming up with Adidas.

The SGH-F110 miCoach mobile phone will be released sometime in April as a competitor to the Nike+ system. It is geared heavily toward more fitness-minded folks, implementing features like a beep to let you know when your pace slows and software to monitor your heartrate and distance. A pedometer, MP3 player/FM tuner, and camera will be included as well.

According to the New York Times, the price for the deluxe kit will be around $612 and will include phone, heart monitor, shoe sensor and more. This is quite a bit more than the cost of the Nike+ sport kit, but there is a major difference -- the Nike+ sport kit requires the runner to wear Nikes, while the Samsung/Adidas option fits on a runner's laces, regardless of the brand. This will be an interesting match up, and I can't wait to see who wins the race.

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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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Eyesight is one of the most cherished human senses -- it's also one of the hardest to repair. That's why most inventions in the retinal implant field deal with restoring people's ability to see. But what if you could enhance your vision like a robot?

That's exactly what has been developed: a contact overlaid with computer circuitry to give people bionic eyesight. This could provide you with a "heads-up" display to be used for piloting or even video games. It is actually powered by radio frequencies, but they've still got to test it out on a real person.

You may be asking yourself if the contact is flexible enough to fit comfortably in an eye. By using a technique that assembles itself with scaled-down components, it's much like normal contacts! This would be the coolest eye accessory to come along ever -- I'm going to be holding out for this to hit the consumer market in the future.

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When it comes to weight loss, it certainly would be nice to have a quick fix. We can talk to our cars and order a pizza, we have Segways to keep us from having to walk too far ... but how can all this technology help us in our weight loss goals?

Forbes came up with eight tech toys to help us shape up and slim down. Not only are they helpful, but they're fun!

• A Sensei for Weight Loss personal digital coach turns your cell phone into your personal nutrition coach.
  
  
• Diet.com offers nutrition texting so you can always know how many calories you're taking in, no matter where you are. Well, as long as you have cell reception, that is.
  
  

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