Category: Exercise

Wii Goes Soft and Safe

While we like the idea that the Wii can get gamers off the couch and actually get their hearts pumping, we don’t like the fact that the hard plastic controllers will leave a mark when they come in contact with an opponent’s skin. In other words: getting hit with a controller mid-match just plain hurts. And this isn’t what we had in mind when we said no pain, no gain.

But BLAZE has gone for a soft touch with its latest Fitness First licensed product line, the Wii Fitness First Soft & Safe sports pack. These padded controllers feature soft foam materials so you can swing away without worrying about causing physical injuries. The attachments, which include bow, handle bars, Frisbee, paddle and bat are all fully motion plus compatible and can be used with Wii Sports Resort and other Wii Sporting titles. The Blaze Fitness First, Soft & Safe Sports Pack will be available in November.

Wii Fitness First Soft & Safe Sports Pack

The Material Girl Starts Hard Candy Fitness

Madonna is the face behind a new global fitness club, Hard Candy. You know she goes to the gym. You want your arm muscles to look like hers. Now you can work to achieve those arms, abs and other muscle groups in these new clubs. The first one is set to open in Mexico City in the exclusive Bosques de las Lomas area at the end of November. An additional 10 locations are planned to open in Russia, Brazil, Argentina and throughout Europe and Asia.

Hard Candy Fitness plans to offer innovative training methods in private, group and dynamic formats including classes such as Zumba, Latin Moves and Cardio Kickboxing. Each gym will feature a bike studio, mind and body studio featuring “The Great Wall” where members can practice BarWorks, sculpting, Capoeira and new trends in yoga. For strength and circuit workouts there will be cardiovascular equipment with personal viewing screens and more than 60 pieces of strength training equipment at each location such as free weights, PreCor, Hoist, Free Motion, Nautilus, Hammer Strength, StarTrac, AbCoaster and TRX suspension training. Expect also to find a healthy alternative juice bar or café to replenish post-workout. We do have to wonder if there will be any Pilates classes or equipment since Madonna was one of many celebrities that caught on that trend back in the day.

The locker rooms are reported to be seen to be believed with fine materials that make the place you change and store your close a sanctuary.

It’s a shame that the new chain of clubs hasn’t named any U.S. cities for planned locations. They will no doubt feature the newest exercises and equipment. Hard Candy Fitness, however, will likely be among the more pricy of health club memberships.

PlayStation Moves One Million Units

The world is moving at a faster and faster pace every day, and some are doing the Move directly in the living rooms. In fact, more than one million might be doing so it seems. This week Sony Computer Entertainment America announced that it has shipped more than one million units of the PlayStation Move in North and Latin America in the first 30 days since its release.

The system is one of the latest innovations in video game development, getting gamers off the couch and being a bit more active. “PlayStation Move is the most recent example of how product innovation continues to provide our customers with new and exciting ways to enjoy our technology,” said Jack Tretton, Chief Executive Officer, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. 

Currently 24 titles are available for the PlayStation Move, with 15 additional titles slated for release in the upcoming months. The PlayStation Move is now available at retail, as a bundle with PlayStation Eye camera, and PlayStation Move motion controller as well as Sports Champions on Blu-ray and a demo disc add-on for $99.99.

Sony PlayStation Official Site

17 Controller-Free Games to Launch With Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360

Will gamers get off the couch and get fit? That’s certainly the hope with the upcoming release of Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox 360. The motion-control system – which sort of makes the hype about “controller-free” seem not quite accurate – is already sold-out in pre-orders.

Despite that fact, Microsoft has now announced the launch of a multiyear advertising campaign, and more importantly revealed the lineup of 17 controller-free games. Of those, the ones that are most notable for the fitness crowd include:

  • Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (Ubisoft)
  • Dance Central (MTV Games/Harmonix)
  • The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout (THQ)
  • DanceMasters (Konami)
  • EA Sports Active 2 (EA Sports), which comes with Total Body Tracking that includes heart rate data
  • Zumba Fitness (Majesco)

Kinect for Xbox 360 will be available worldwide starting on November 4. It will be released as part of a new Xbox 360 4GB console bundle for $299.99, as well as a standalone unit for $149.99.

For more information:

Microsoft Xbox 360

BodyMedia to Add App

There has been no shortage of devices, gizmos and gadgets to help you lose weight. A lot of these devices, gizmos and gadgets require you to wear something, where the data can be synced to a computer. That’s good, because it lets you see detailed results of your activity and of course helps you set goals, but it’s bad because it requires people to be very proactive. Stop syncing the device one day, and you might not bother wearing it the next. There has to be an easier way to see the results. Continue reading BodyMedia to Add App

Exercise Bikes Lead the Pack in Global Market Trend

In a sign that we hope means people will take fitness more seriously, Global Industry Analysts, Inc. is reporting that the global market for physical fitness equipment will exceed $10.5 billion (with a B) by 2015. Much of this will be spurred by a growing fitness mantra, and it won’t be limited to the United States – as developing regions including Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East will be looking to get toned as well.

The new market report further suggests that the despite an economic slowdown, fitness related gear will continue to sell – and hopefully this won’t be limited to products offering quick fixes and easy solutions. You need to sweat and burn to earn that weight loss after all. The United States will represent the single largest market for physical fitness equipment, with Asia-Pacific emerging as the fastest growing regional market. Continue reading Exercise Bikes Lead the Pack in Global Market Trend

Samsung: To Russia With Love With Fitness MP3 Player

In the 1982 film Firefox (which had nothing to do with the Internet browser) Clint Eastwood played a top-notch pilot who took part in a secret mission to steal a Soviet prototype jet fighter. We wonder if such an exploit might be needed today to bring the YP-U6 from Russia? While not a state-of-the-art combat aircraft that can be controlled by a neuralink, the Samsung portable music player is almost worthy of a spy capper.

Much like the newly announced Philips device this one has a special fitness program, which can calculate the calories spent while the listener was using the device for various activities. It is also equipped with a built-in full-size USB connector, making it easy to transfer music to the device, as it as a built-in voice recorder, to transfer those recordings to a PC. The YP-U6 also features a four-line color CSTN display, and is equipped with SoundAlive technology to simulate a 5.1-channel format. It supports MP3, WMA, OGG and FLAC, and even has a built-in FM tuner. Two versions will be available when the YP-U6 arrives in stores in Russia later this month including 2GB and 4GB models.

Alas, no death ray, spy camera or other SMERSH type goodies included.

[Via IT Chuiko: Samsung offers a player with a fitness trainer]

Consumer Electronics Show Releases More Info on Sports and Fitness Tech Summit

It seems we were just a year early. We launched KineticShift.com at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show back in January. Now for 2011, the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) seems to have technology and fitness on the brain as well. Continue reading Consumer Electronics Show Releases More Info on Sports and Fitness Tech Summit

Biggest Loser Inspired Clothing Now Available

You need to look good to feel good while working out. That’s the motivation of the new BL Body athletic line of fitness attire, which was inspired by the high NBC series The Biggest Loser. This line of clothing uses a special shaping technology to give anyone who wears it a bit of extra support to feel good, and thus look good.

Fashion designer Bruno Schiavi created the clothing, with the idea of providing empowerment to help people change their lives in a very positive manner. The garments feature longer cuts, hidden pockets and thumb holes, as well as including features such as iPod holders for wearer’s. Likewise, Schiavi introduced the line with bright and vibrant colors to encourage the wear to remain motivated in their attempts at healthier living.

The BL Body athletic collection is available from HSN.com

Koko FitClub Goes to Silicon Valley

The company that revolutionized the 30 minute in-gym workout is heading to Silicon Valley, and we’ll be curious if this results in any revolutionary technological innovation from the world of fitness. Koko FitClub will be opening a new club in February 2011 in Silicon Valley. Owners Jeff and Elaine Mossner have a belief that traditional gyms don’t actually work for 84 percent of the population, so it will be interesting to see if their club will take off with the potentially unique clientele offered from the high-tech world.

As we previously reported, the Koko Smartraining System guides users through a very personalized yet high-effective workout on the club’s proprietary strength and cardio equipment. “With Koko, we aren’t going to be selling people more stuff they don’t need,” says Elaine Mossner. “An invitation to join Koko is an invitation to make your life better. I can’t wait to meet people and tell them, we have a fitness solution for you!”

Koko FitClub

Row, Row Indo-Row

Rowing machines have long been praised for providing an ideal workout. While many devices at gyms have come and gone, the rowing machine has long remained a staple. Rowing actually provides a really decent workout, and when done right uses 60 percent legs, 20 percent arms and 20 percent core muscles. Thus rowing can provide a really good workout.

The problem with many machines is that they don’t quite capture the same type of physical activity as actual rowing on water. Worse still the best rowing machines do the job, but then take up so much room that even health clubs are reluctant to utilize them. Some boats seem only slightly bigger. Continue reading Row, Row Indo-Row

GPS Transcends to Snow Goggles

If The Terminator ever got on a snowboard he’d likely have useful information, such as speed and temperature, right in the front of his eyes – or visual optical system or whatever it was supposed to be. The rest of us have traditionally had to look down at a device to get all that data. When roaring down a mountain looking down isn’t a good idea, so you either have to stop what you’re doing or hope for the best. But Zeal Optics will change everything beginning this Sunday, October 10, with the release of the world’s first GPS enable goggle, the Transcend GPS – which could truly transcend the way you track your activity. Continue reading GPS Transcends to Snow Goggles

Almost Like Running in Space

In space no one can hear you scream. That’s an old science fiction line of course, but it has truth to it because sound doesn’t travel in a vacuum. What can travel in a vacuum is you, as in you can still run in a vacuum. The question of course is why would you want to do so?

Well, the answer is that running results in pounding on the joints, and this repetitive pounding on knees, hips and ankles isn’t good. The irony is that running is great for the heart. So how do you keep the running and reduce the pounding? A trip to the International Space Station would work, but that would be pricey. The alternative is an anti-gravity treadmill.

That might sound like something out of Star Trek but the technology is around today. The Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill allows runners to essentially climb into a shoe shaped enclosure, which utilizes pressure regulation that can reduce body weight from 0 percent to 80 percent. Users still have to suit up with a special pair of shorts, and while not as cumbersome as a full space suit, these aren’t exactly your normal running attire either. Continue reading Almost Like Running in Space