Exercise | Evolving Consumer

Play the Whole Life

Life isn’t a game, but staying fit doesn’t have to be work. The Whole Life Challenge promises to make fitness fun – or at least less of an ordeal. This eight-week online and in-your-life game allows players to compete with friends and family and make choices regarding health, fitness and lifestyle habits.

The idea here is to turn making positive changes in health, fitness, and lifestyle into a game-a game that every player can win by making daily choices that support your long-term health, life and vitality.

While the current registration is closed, players can sign up now for the next challenge, which will take place between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Continue reading Play the Whole Life

Phone Fitness

Is your mobile phone making you fat? According to researchers at Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, excessive mobile phone use – including talking, web surfing, game playing, and of course texting can disrupt physical activity and could reduce cardio-respiratory fitness.

What is most worrisome is that it is the youth that could be at greater risk. The researchers reported surveyed more than 300 Midwest college students on their mobile handset use and activity levels, and found that those who spend large times using the devices were less fit than those who averaged little more than 90 minutes of cell phone use each day.

This could suggest putting down the phone and going for a walk, or if you have to talk on it, do so while out on the go.

[Via International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity: The relationship between cell phone use, physical and sedentary activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness in a sample of U.S. college students]
[Via RedOrbit: High Use Of Mobile Phones Linked With Poor Fitness]

Weekend Reading List (07.06.2013): Knee’d To Heal, Wear IT, AAA Bike Service

Knee’d To Heal

From Runner’s World: The Body Shop: Band Aid
Use these six simple moves to help cure and prevent knee pain Continue reading Weekend Reading List (07.06.2013): Knee’d To Heal, Wear IT, AAA Bike Service

Clean Face Time

When out and about you can get dirty, and while there are many wipes that can clean hands and help you feel more refreshed some of these are a little harsh for the face. This is where the Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes come in. While these cost a bit more than $1 per wipe the Essential Face Wipes can get you clean without stripping your face of moisture. These will help dissolve dead surface skin cells, and help clear blocked pores and have your face looking its best.

Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes Official Website

Health Guard

This week the Army National Guard announced the launch of Guard Your Health, a website developed to be central place for Army National Guard Soldiers and family members to find information and resources on health topics and medical readiness. To this end the site is tailored to the unique health and wellness needs and experiences of Army National Guard Soldiers and families.

Visitors will get access to health tips, expert commentary on health related topics and community forums on a variety of topics including nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, dental health, readiness and family resilience.

Guard Your Health Official Website

X-1 Has Serious Momentum

X-1 Audio can’t be slowed down, as the company has some serious momentum with its new headsphones. These sport-specific earbuds are designed so that cyclists and runners (or anyone else) can still hear ambient noise while enjoying the tunes. The open ear design allows for that ambient noise from cars and other people to get through, and while maybe not ideal for those looking to escape the world it could be the difference between hearing the approaching car or getting run down.

The Momentum earbuds aren’t exactly rugged designs but do feature an Ingress Protection Rating of IP4 so these can endure sweat and rain without worry.

X-1 Audio Momentum Earbuds Official Website

School Days

Century Cycles proudly reported that more than 4,000 students hit the bikes to ride some 50,000 miles and burn nearly a million calories in the 6th Annual Bike to School Challenge (BTS), which took place from May 6-24 of this year. In all Northeast Ohio students biked 57,627 miles and set a new record. Press release after the jump

Weekend Reading List (06.01.2013): Nike to Livestrong No More, Off to the Races, Ice Man Cometh, Helmet Disconnect

Nike to Livestrong No More

From Bicycle Retailer: Nike cuts ties to Livestrong
Nike will stop manufacturing Livestrong-branded products following the 2013 holiday season, ending a nine-year relationship that has pumped more than $100 million into the nonprofit founded by Lance Armstrong. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (06.01.2013): Nike to Livestrong No More, Off to the Races, Ice Man Cometh, Helmet Disconnect

First Person Shooter

We do love our first person shooter video games, but these don’t really provide much of a workout. While we’ve worked up a sweat from playing these it isn’t the kind of “good sweat” that you get from actually running around. Tek Recon could be the new ultimate first person shooter.

It isn’t as messy as paintball and doesn’t really require a special place to play like laser tag. This game has players use special “blasters” that shoot soft projectiles up to 75 feet, while these can be integrated with an iOS or Android device that provides a heads up display, radar tracking and even in-game chat. The result is an action game that is very much like a video game but one that requires real world activity.

The developers are now engaged in a Kickstarter campaign. We think of this as their way of doing a little recon for Tek Recon. Video after the jump

Interfaith Ride Looks to Narrow the Distance

The Chicago bicycle club is looking to narrow the distance between faiths through an interfaith bicycle ride. On Sunday, June 30 Chicago area Jews and Muslims are offered the chance to hit the road with The Chainlink: A Chicago Bicycling Online Community, which is managed by Julie Hochstadter.

Riders will meet at the The Muslim Community Center at noon and ride to several synagogues and mosques in Morton Grove, Skokie and Evanston for a 15-mile, family-friendly ride. There are plans to tour a LEED-certified synagogue in Evanston and for a kosher ice cream stop at Chocolate Shoppe in Skokie.

The Chainlink: Jewish-Muslim Bike Ride Official Website

Next Generation of Zumba

httpv://youtu.be/vKOZ3Y6z0Yc

The party won’t stop – the video game fitness party that is. Majesco Entertaiment Company announced today that Zumba Fitness World Party will launch in October for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii U and Wii game systems. This fitness game will also arrive later this year for the upcoming Xbox One from Microsoft.

The new game promises to deliver more than 40 high-energy routines with an international soundtrack featuring Lady Gaga, Pitbull and Daddy Yankee, and allow gamers to burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. Continue reading Next Generation of Zumba

It’s Their Move

The European Cyclists’ Federation (EFC) has announced a new partnership with the International Sport and Culture Association that includes a 1 million euro grant from the European Union budget that will be used for the 2013 edition of MOVE Week, which will take place in October.

This annual Europe-wide event is an integral part of the NowWeMove (2012-2020) Campaign, which promotes the benefits of being active and participating regularly in sport and physical activity. A wide range of promoters of physical activity will be supporting MOVE Week 2013 including individuals, non-governmental organizations, schools, companies and municipalities from all European countries.

This offers advice on reasons to start being active, and how just swapping 30 minutes of TV for 30 minutes of activity can go a long way. We see this as the beginning of a serious MOVEMENT towards better health across Europe.

NowWeMove Official Website

Most Dangerous Gym Machines (Infographic)

There are various types of machines in gymnasium that can prove to be dangerous and the details of the same is provided in the following infographic.

The behind the neck shoulder machine can cause impingement as it puts too much stress on the shoulder joint. The rotary torso machine if done in an inefficient manner can lead to the torque on the spine.

Another dangerous machine is seated back extension that put stress on the lumbar spine. Seated leg press is a machine that causes lots of pressure on the joints of the knee and the lower back is stressed as well. The leg extension machine is used for the seated exercise and can lead to the problems of knee and can even cause torn meniscus. Continue reading Most Dangerous Gym Machines (Infographic)