For its 2012 SHAPE Fitness Challenge the active lifestyle magazine for women has announced that it is partnering with MapMyFITNESS, the suite of mobile and web tools designed to make fitness training simpler and shareable, and ASICS, maker of performance athletic technology. The challenge will offer participants to set goals, track progress and share results with friends and family.
Sponsored solely by ASICS, the 2012 SHAPE Fitness Challenge will be integrated with in-book, online and mobile components, and began with the start of New Year with the goal to inspire participants to make and keep resolutions. While it began on December 28, and will run for 60 days, users can still take part to get in shape!
2012 SHAPE Fitness Challenge Official Website
MapMyFITNESS Official Website
Welcome to our post-holiday reading list! Keep those resolutions and work to a new you!
This past December saw record smartphone sales, and some of you may be getting used to this new gadget in your pocket and the features it offers. There are a number of music options for these phones and countless apps to track your walk or run. But do you want to be hassled with carrying this device in your hand, or worse see that expensive new phone in pieces after you drop it? A running belt from iFitness may just be what you need to safely and securely carry your new iPhone or Android phone with you while out on your walk or run. 
When thinking of bamboo the first thought that comes to mind might very likely be a tropical jungle? It probably wouldn’t be snow sports, but that isn’t stopping a few companies from utilizing bamboo as a material for making snowboards.
The name NewWood probably sounds like it should be made from virgin lumber, but actually it is anything but. NewWood Manufacturing, located in Elma, Washington, has been in business for a year producing utility board created from post consumer wood waste, mixed with discard plastic bags. And while it has a number of uses, it will soon be the surface for skateboarders.
What do we know about the gobandit digital camcorder? Not much, but the CES teaser said to “Get ready for something new,” and promised readers: “Now you can shoot, show and share much more than a video clip. gobandit captures experience more detailed than ever. Full HD, GPS, acceleration sensor, gyroscope and 150° wide angel show you more than words could ever tell.”
With winter now actually here the temperatures outside are dropping and that means it can be hard to keep warm. But the Columbia Circuit Breaker jacket could help wearer’s get hot under the collar or just about anywhere else. This jacket uses the same Omni Heat thermal reflective technology that we reported on last week with 
There is a downside to the use of composite materials in athletic equipment – while it offers lightweight options and greater performance enhancements, it is hard to recycle it at the end of its useful life. This is true of bicycles as we’ve noted, but it is a problem with skis too, as North Colorado Business Report noted last week.
If the holidays weren’t stressful enough for us we have the Consumer Electronics Show to look forward to – just one of several trade shows that is happening over the next few weeks. Since we can’t get away, we might want to consider HeartMath’s emWave2, a self-tracking mobile device that offers the promise to help change the way we respond to stress.
This past holiday season saw a record number of smartphones and tablets sold, but this has some people worried in the bicycle industry. Amazon.com has released an app that allows people to visit a brick and mortar bike shop, take up an employee’s time to be fitted, scan the bar code and immediately order the product from Amazon – presumably at a discount. In response, Mike Sinyard, President and Founder of Specialized Bicycle Components, has sent out a letter to its dealer highlighting this new app and Amazon’s plunge into the bicycle market.