Best Fitness Gear, Trends and Innovations of 2008
Wednesday December 31, 2008
As we reach the end of the year, I find myself doing one of my favorite things - reading all the different best and worst lists for 2008. There's something comforting about looking back on the year and thinking: "Thank goodness that's over."
Overall, I thought 2008 was a pretty good year for fitness, even if it was disastrous for the economy. We've seen plenty of new ways to exercise, new equipment to make exercise more effective and more fun and great new ways to use things like iPods and laptops for exercise.
I've put together a list of my favorite exercise gear, trends and innovations from 2008 and would love to find out about your favorites as well.
Don't forget to leave a comment and tell us about your fitness experiences this year. Did you kick butt or will you be re-grouping for 2009?
Last, but not least, have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!
Comments
The Keys CG2 elliptical machine is great for moderate and high intensity workouts. My wife and I have been using Keys elliptical machines for the last 2 ˝ years. It has a chest strap and heart rate programs which I use daily. The heart rate is monitored to control the resistance level of the machine; the data is not saved and is lost as soon as the workout is completed.
The Polar heart rate monitors are great for monitoring and recording heart rate during a workout. The user interface isn’t the most intuitive (I have a new FT60 and a F11). I made a tree diagram for myself showing the menus/submenus/functions for the FT60, something that should have been included in the user’s manual. Your review on the F6 is very comprehensive. All the heart rate data using the F11 and FT60 is uploaded to the Polar website where I have a training log, provided as a convenience at no cost (considering the relatively high cost of the F11 and FT60, I consider the on-line log to be included free of additional charges).
This is on the therapeutic side. I was icing my right ankle after workouts because of severe pain. The hot/cold pad I used was a ThermiPaq (brand Thermionics), which I highly recommend to relieve ankle pain. The pad is kept in the freezer until I’m ready to use it. The plastic-wrapped clay-based material (with a fabric cover) holds the cold well and wraps around and conforms to my foot, probably because of the weight of the clay. I found it at my local drugstore.
I have several brands of headband, and almost all of them are sopping wet after a workout – all of them except an Under Armour. It must be made of some moisture-wicking material. Unlike the other brands, the Under Armour headband remains almost dry, not heavy and wringing wet like all the others after my workout.
I also have a Perfect Push-up. I had a different brand of handlebar for push-ups that caused extreme wrist pain and immediately stopped using. I have no pain doing push-ups on the floor, but push-ups using the Perfect Push-up, as opposed to just on the floor, are harder because the handles raise my hands 6 inches off the floor and allow my body to dip much lower, intensifying the exercise.
I posted this as a comment rather than under “your favorites”, because of the maximum text length in “your favorites”. I would have had to cut most of the descriptions.
I have also found that adding “fun” exercise days helps out. They break up any mundane routine, but still keep you in the habit of exercising. Here is a great article I found on yoga. It really goes beyond yoga as it talks about avoiding the “lazies” when it comes to working out. Check out the article: http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a03251.html
I have found success this year in making a few “fun” exercise days. This way, you avoid a repetitive, boring workout, but you still are creating a habit of exercising. All those trends and new gear can be used to avoid a mundane workout routine. I found a good article that talked about yoga as another type of workout. The article went far beyond yoga, and encompassed “avoiding the lazies.” I found it helpful. Check it out: http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/h/a/a03251.html
best find of the year ? The Fit Deck a must have for anyone who wants to play hard and win fast.