Exercise | Evolving Consumer

New Bluetooth Spec Announced

While Wi-Fi and WiMAX get all the big hype, there is another popular wireless protocol that is still going strong. That of course is Bluetooth, the PLAN (or personal local area network) protocol. And now the technology is getting a Dick Tracy worthy makeover ala watches. These have been around for a while, but soon could be replacing other wireless technologies for broadcasting short distances.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has announced that the forthcoming Bluetooth Core Specification Version 4.0 will feature powerful low energy mode that could have new applications for health, sports and fitness as well as for security and home entertainment. This could mean that Bluetooth technology could be used for heart rate monitors, cycle computers, running computers and other devices that currently work on RF protocols. The benefit of Bluetooth is that it could send the information up to 200 feet, rather than just a few dozen inches. It could also work to transfer information from a monitor to a computer after a workout.

It could also be more reliable than RF, and for anyone that’s tried to get a heart rate monitor or cycle computer to sync right without interference knows how that can help make a work out all the more enjoyable.

A Tech, Scavenger 10k Coming to an Urban Area Near You

Blurring the lines between a running race, scavenger hunt and obstacle course, the Frawgstomp Metro Dash attempts to do it all with a fun run that’s 10k in distance with 10 physical obstacles and 10 clues to guide teams of two from point to point. Obstacles tire flips, box jump sets, speed sled runs, and acro-yoga challenges. Participants have up to five hours to complete the course, which is set by clues they’ll receive on their mobile phones. Running the course is encouraged by KineticShift, but participants can walk, run or take public transportation.

A series of Metro Dash races starts in Philadelphia on April 10 and includes a number of additional cities including Miami, Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, Norfolk, Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston. Sign up for the race at Active.com.

Race sign-up

Intel Adds Intelligence to Employee Workouts

intel-unveils-high-tech-employee-fitness-center1 — Image from architecture3s via Core Performance

Some companies provide a gym for their employees. And then some companies add more incentive for their employees to use the facilities and actually see results. In a bold move, Intel outfitted its Chandler, Ariz. Campus with a high-tech fitness center. Machines include Intel-embedded technology-based and Internet connected machines through a partnership with a company called Core Performance. Why do these machines need Internet connectivity?

Each participating employee provided health records, nutrition habits, and other information to create customized workouts dictated by the machines. Intel is involved for obvious reasons: it has a stake in the equipment it’s using. But it also intends to improve the health and fitness of its employees and in turn reduce the company’s healthcare costs. It hopes other companies will deploy similar programs as well.

Inform Your Run with Adidas miCoach

A heart rate monitor alone can only tell you so much about your run. It tracks your heart rate, and based on your age, calculates how many calories you burned, and some other data. Adidas adds to the monitor with miCoach. In addition to the chest strap to measure heart rate, it puts a sensor on a runner’s shoe, and an device on a runner’s arm. The shoe sensor adds more data by measuring distance, pace, and stride rate.

The device on the arm is the computer. It gathers and calculates data from the chest and shoe sensors. Then it tells you to speed up or slow down to get within four workout zones. Headphones plug into miCoach so you can hear its directions. The device is compatible with any MP3 player, so you can listen to music and also get prompts from miCoach.

At home miCoach syncs to an online profile at adidas.com/micoach, and tracks your workout. You can define your goals on the site whether it’s to get in shape or train for a marathon. Those goals then determine the direction you get while on your run. MiCoach costs about $69.99 for the arm piece, chest strap, and shoe sensor.

Adidas miCoach

British Boot Camp on Your iPhone

BMFMyFitnessInstructor — Workout in your own time and location with My Fitness Instructor.

It’s a proven fact that some things are better with a British accent. These include political speeches, the evening news, and of course romantic comedies. Soon to be added to that list: fitness instruction. British Military Fitness, a company founded by a retired British Major as an alternative to “the lycra clad, Swiss ball using, water fountain world of gyms,” is releasing a My Fitness Instructor app for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch this week.

My Fitness Instructor delivers custom workouts to your iPhone so you can conduct your workout anytime and anywhere, fitting with the company’s belief that the world is your gym and your body is your running machine. Each workout will be different from the last. You can choose from a number of instructors and select your workout goals. Begin your workout. An audio clip will play where the instructor walks you through each of a number of exercises such as crunches, twistsets, leg lifts, and other moves. If you aren’t sure how to do the move, you can watch a video demonstration. My Fitness Instructor from British Military Fitness gives you a disciplined workout with the freedom of when you want it.

British Military Fitness

My Workout Instructor App

Wii do Yoga

Yoga-for-Wii — Strike a pose with supermodel Anja Rubik in Yoga for Wii.

If you’d rather do your salamba sarvangasana, parsvakonasana and sun salute poses at home, we understand. There’s plenty of yoga DVDs on the market. But why not go one step farther with Yoga for the Wii? The interactive version features four levels with a number of yoga rooms and Asian-inspired settings. Model Anja Rubik shares her yoga expertise with tips and videos as she advises you through your progress.

Yoga for the Wii adds the Wii balance board controller as an option, so you can get feedback on how you’re doing on some of your poses. The console version advances at home Yoga by adding interactivity, letting you take your time on your poses and telling the Wii when you’re ready for the next one, and getting coaching and feedback based on your progress.

Yoga for Wii from JoWooD and DreamCatcher Games

Look for Sports/Fitness in the Classifieds

Are you looking for a lacrosse team to join? Are you looking for a running partner? Do you want to sell the bike you just replaced? Esportsboard is a new local classifieds just for sports and fitness. It’s like Craigslist.org, but just the athletics. The site lets you buy and sell used gear, equipment, and apparel; promote local services such as a trainer, pitching coach, or fishing guide; post announcements including teams looking for players; find people looking for partners for running or cycling; and promote tournaments, camps, and fund raisers. Anything sports-related, there’s a category.

When you visit Esportsboard it recognizes what city you’re in, and asks if that’s where you’re looking. The site says it aggregates classifieds for over 4,500 local sports organizations, and serves 160 million Americans actively participating in sports and recreation. If you’re looking to put your kid in little league, or want to find a group of runners to train with, it’s a good place to find that, and get the gear to outfit you for your sport.

Classifieds: Esportsboard.com

Garmin-Transitions Turns to New Leaf for Training

garmin-slipstream-transitions — Team Garman-Slipstream at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, February 2010

International cycling Team Slipstream, which rides under the sponsorship name Team Garmin-Transitions, known for its voluntary testing practice is adding metabolic and endurance training to its regime. Through a partnership with Angeion, the team will get the cardiorespiratory diagnostic systems company’s New Leaf metabolic assessment and training equipment.

Team Garmin-Transition’s president, Matt Johnson said, “We are focused on expanding our family of technology-driven partners, so adding New Leaf technology is something we’re incredibly proud of.” New Leaf will get to display its technology to a worldwide audience of potential customers and sports enthusiasts by association with the team.

The New Leaf metabolic assessment and training program is based on decades of medical research and learning. It’s New Leaf Active Metabolic Training System is available at some fitness clubs, corporate wellness programs, and sports training centers to measure human performance and how efficiently a person’s body burns calories.

Team Garmin-Slipstream

Team Garmin-Slipstream trains and races all over the world. Angeon

New Leaf Fitness

Eat Right in March, and Continue

This month is National Nutrition Month, a campaign created by the American Dietetic Association to raise awareness of our diets. It’s a time to learn to make informed food choices and reinforce your physical activity habits. This is low tech, unless you want to use the Web to research exercise, nutrition, and recipes. That’s all good. But we’re all for the diet and exercise the ADA is promoting here. So see it as a time to evaluate, and learn about what you can do to increase your fitness and overall health.

American Dietetic Association

PowerBar Makes Workout BonBons

Take a packet of PowerBar Gel Blasts on your next extended workout for an energy boost.

PowerBars have come a long way from their original chewy formula. The company has developed a dual source energy blend, C2MAX, made from sugar, glucose syrup from wheat, and invert sugar to boost energy and carbs during a workout. PowerBar Gel Blasts energy chews with a flavor choice of raspberry and strawberry banana use C2MAX to provide just such energy in an easy-to-eat form for workouts.

The quantities may be a little difficult to digest. PowerBar recommends that during activities lasting more than one hour, exercisers should take on -to-three pieces every 10 minutes, followed by water or sports drink. You can alternatively down a packet of 30 chews, the equivalent of one and a half PowerBar Gels, 60 minutes before exercise.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Chocolates are said to be good for your health, but why not give gifts that are good for the heart and get your sweetie moving. That’s a gift for the heart! KineticShift has a few recommendations to get you on the right track this Valentine’s Day.

Oregon Scientific: SmartHeart SE102 Heart Rate Monitor

Oregon Scientific SmartHeart HeartRate Monitor — Measure heartbeats per minute with the SmartHeart from Oregon Scientific

This water resistant monitor tracks heart rate, calories burned, average heart rate, and vibrates to send alerts. The SmartHeart features a touch-sensitive lens so you can toggle through settings with a tap.

(Oregon Scientific HeartSmart heart rate monitor ; $49.99)

Urbanears: Tanto Headphones

Listen to music with style during workouts or jaunts to the store with Urbanears Tanto headphones. The retro-style headphones has a fabric cord to add strength and has 36 mm handmade drivers. The remote/microphone lets the headphones double for a headset with a cell phone.

(Urbanears; $39.99)

Speck: PixelSkin Case

Speck PixelSkin for mobile phones — Shield mobile phones from breaking with a silicon case from Speck.

Protect your sweetie’s phone during workouts with Speck’s PixelSkin. The no-slip grip is due to its textured silicon construction. The phone-specific case provides access to all the phone’s ports and controls. For Valentine’s Day, Speck is offering 25 percent off red, pink, and purple phones.

(Speck PixelSkin ; $34.95)

Nike: Lightweight Running Gloves

They say cold hands, warm heart. That doesn’t mean your love’s digits should freeze off by the end of winter. Lightweight Running Gloves from Nike uses a Dri-FIT material made from high-performance, microfiber polyester fabric to wick sweat from hands to relieve runners and those just smitten of sweaty palms.

(Nike Lightweight Running Gloves; $15.00)

Under Armour: Metal

Keep him warm on the slopes or any other outdoor activity in the extreme cold. Metal has diamond-faced ColdGear construction to remove moisture while holding in warmth. The top has ventilation zones for heat release and temperature regulation. It also features flatlock seams to increase mobility without causing irritation.

(Under Armour Metal; $79.99)

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team to Catch WAVE

Snowboard teams will be using WAVE (Whole-body Advanced Vibration Exercise) technology. While it has the promise of something you’d expect to hear in a late-nite infomercial “by working out on a WAVE platform only 15 minutes a day, three times per week, users will see benefits including strength gains, increased circulation, flexibility,” etc., we say if it is good enough for those hoping for gold in Vancouver it must be good for everyone else!

More importantly, unlike those fly-by-night gimmicks, this technology is actually being used by wellness centers, universities and even in rehabilitation centers as well as fitness studios and spas. Whatever works to win gold and warm up for the big day.

Twist, Spin Your Way Through a Workout

What does a turntable, a bar, and a padded cushion do for your fitness? If it’s the Frank Sepe Fitness Disc, it provides cardio and strength training, and maybe even some toning to your core. The system’s foundation rests on its turntable. Not unlike the lazy susan you might have in your kitchen cabinet. This one is much stronger, with the capacity to hold up to 300 pounds. Stand on the turntable and twist back and forth for the foundation of your workout. To aid in resistance training, the Fitness Disc also comes with a bar that is weighted at 4 pounds, and can be separated into two- two pound batons. The bars count as part of the Fitness Disc workout, but also aid in balance while twisting.

It’s not just a twist, it’s said there’s over 100 exercises you can do with the Disc, and there’s four DVDs included in the box, along with a padded disc that you can use for floor work such as crunches. The Fitness Disc, like many home workout equipment, is gimmicky. This one just may have some strength in that it’s a low impact cardio and strength workout. A quick demo with Frank Sepe showed what you can do with the bar, and got our heart rates up. We look forward to spending a little more time with the Fitness Disc at home to try its effectiveness.

Frank Sepe Fitness Disc the Premier Workout System information page

Frank Sepe Fitness Disc the Premier Workout System product page on Home Shopping Network