AlterG Blasts Off to National Rehabilitation Hospital Network

We first reported about the AlterG anit-gravity treadmills last year, and this week it was announced that the NASA-inspired technology would be adopted for use at the HNRH Regional Rehab, National Rehabilitation Hospital’s network of outpatient centers located in Maryland and Northern Virginia, including the Harbor Hospital in Baltimore. The AlterG treadmill will be available to patients undergoing physical therapy.

“This equipment will enable our patients to effectively advance their therapy allowing them to achieve more efficient results while decreasing their recovery time,” said Josh Billings, physical therapist and the practice’s clinic director. “By reducing the weight placed on their joints and muscles, they are able to complete an effective workout with less strain on the body.”

The technology was originally developed by NASA so that astronauts could work out in space, and now is used for physical therapy and rehabilitation. Currently there are less than 200 facilities in the nation that offer the treadmill, but it looks like soon AlterG will landing so more people can take advantage of the space age technology.

National Rehabilitation Hospital Official Website

Harbor Hospital Official Website

AlterG Official Website

Mobile World Congress: Adidas miCoach Becomes Available on Android

This week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Adidas is showing its miCoach on a new platform, Android. The introduction is in conjunction with Google, also in residence at the international mobile conference.

Adidas has six sports-specific conditioning and training programs such as basketball, football, running, soccer and tennis, as well as an additional program for staying fit. The app uses GPS for active real-time pace-based coaching and location tracking.

Continue reading Mobile World Congress: Adidas miCoach Becomes Available on Android

Juggling Your Way to Fitness

In this day and age people juggle all the time. They juggle work with their social lives, juggle social time with fitness. So how about spending some time actually “juggling?” That’s the idea of JuggleFit, a new workout the uses juggling to burn calories, work core muscles and improve coordination.

“More than ever, fitness enthusiasts are looking for non-traditional and fun ways to exercise,” says Heather Wolf, Certified Fitness Trainer and Creator of JuggleFit. “Referred to as fusion fitness, performance-based fitness or hybrid fitness, it’s all about getting fit and having fun. Although doing any type of exercise is better than none, running on treadmills and riding on stationary bikes at gyms can get boring and expensive. People are looking for new ways to recharge their fitness routines with unconventional – yet effective – exercises.”

The JuggleFit routine includes instructional juggling DVDs, which according to Wolf provide an aerobic, no impact workout that engages the body’s core. Learn to Juggle with Juggle Your Way to Fitness DVDs JuggleFit DVDs are available in two levels: Beginner and Intermediate. Throughout the first DVD, Wolf uses slow-moving scarves to teach beginners the fundamentals of juggling (the scarves are included in the cost of the DVD). After the user graduates to the intermediate level, the scarves are replaced with three JuggleFit Professional Juggling Balls (sold separately from the DVD). Now you just need to juggle some things to make time to take up real juggling.

JuggleFit Official Website

iPhone App to be Black Box for Bikes

We’ve long heard about the importance of the black box for airplanes – even if the box isn’t technically black. And we’ve been hearing that following Toyota’s ongoing accelerator problems that there could be a move to put black boxes in cars, but what about bikes?

Well, don’t look for a fancy piece of hardware in the frame, but our friends at BikeRadar.com are reporting that a new iPhone app has been released that works much like the airplane version of a black box, which in the unfortunate event of a crash could store video footage of the collision and other data.

The iCar Black Box app from 21pixel is available now in the UK, with a free download for trial. It can be used to monitor speed, location and g-force. It isn’t mean to be a training aid or even a video camera, because while it does film on a loop it only records in the event of an impact. Like a black box for planes it is something you likely hope you’re never going to use, and this is where we see a small problem.

There are many iPhone apps available as training aids, and unless the mobile handset can do double duty we feel most riders aren’t going to want to put the app on their bike when it could be used for something else instead.

[via BikeRadar.com: New iPhone app works like black box for cyclists]

Pixel21 Official Website

Nalini’s New Clothing Line Gets Your Blood Flowing

The Nalini Summer Collection of cycling apparel features Nalini Compression, which will promote increased blood flow and physical performance. The line includes bibshorts and jerseys. The line has additional attributes including reversible and convertible jackets and jerseys and apparel crafted from recycled plastic fabrics.

Nalini cycling gear is often seen in the team kits of professional riders. All garments are made in Italy from the fabric to each stitch of the seams.

The compression line includes Lambro Bibshort ($155) and Drava Bibnickers ($165) as a tight-fitting pant with a silicon gripper at the leg hem, reflective tape and a Nalini ECP Print pad. A contrasting 4-needle stitching on the seams add strength to the garments. The Full Season Man line includes a collection of convertible and reversible apparel able to be worn all four seasons. The Sorbo Jacket ((355) is a stretchable, reversible design that provides warmth and is windproof. The Vormano Jersey ($250) uses the brand’s Quick-Burst sleeve removal system so it can be converted from a long-sleeve to a short sleeve jersey on the ride. Think of the jersey as having built-in arm warmers so you don’t get that gap where the sleeve meets the arm warmer where wind finds its way to chill your arms.

For the Nalini recycling line, the company has the Insonzo Jersey ($120) and Fortore Bibshort ($100). The line is made from an eco-friendly Re-Pet fabric made from the recycling of Pet plastic bottles. The Pet yarns have the same characteristics as polyester yarns.

The Insonzo Jersey features a cycling fit, mesh insert, silicon bottom gripper and cam-block full-length zipper. The Fortore Bibshort provides a cycling fit, mesh insert, reflecting logos and silicon leg grippers.

Nalini’s summer line is expected in stores later this month. Nalini is imported and distributed by Albabici in the U.S.

Map to Better Fitness and Nutrition

There is no one route to better health, but MapMyFITNESS hopes to help guide the way. The maker of online and mobile health and fitness-related software applications announced a partnership with Humana to launch Humana fit, a Web-based and mobile social network designed to help users live healthier and more active lives.

This includes an online nutrition center, as well as an app that lets users map out their daily activity including walking, hiking and biking. And since there is always strength in numbers users can interact in a dynamic social network to share progress and serve as motivation.

This partnership also includes integration with companion Human fit iPhone, Android and BlackBerry apps, where it can take advantage of built-in GPS to allow members to record and share their exercise routes, and data for all fitness activities can be synced and saved for a training log to monitor performance.

 “Humana fit is a powerful platform, as it leverages the entirety of our Web and mobile technologies to deliver Humana an innovative, multi-faceted health and fitness application with a built-in thriving community from day one,” said Robin J. Thurston, chief executive officer of MapMyFITNESS.

Humana fit Official Website

MapMyFITNESS Official Web site

Chris Del Bosco to Donate 1,000 Solar Light Bulbs

We reported a couple of weeks ago that Skicross World Champion Chris Del Bosco would spread the word on the plight of those without electric lights in Africa, and true to his word he worn an LED helmet that spelled out the word “NOKERO” to mean no kerosene during his silver medal performance in the X Games in Aspen.

To celebrate his victory at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championship it has been announced that Del Bosco would donate 1,000 solar light bulbs to Kenya. Del Bosco has been raising money through the Ski 4 Light program to help bring Nokero solar light bulbs to those often live in the dark.

With his latest victory Del Bosco has pleaded to now donate 1,000 more bulbs to the program. We at KineticShift.com salute his efforts! Way to light up someone’s life Chris!

Ski 4 Light Program Official Website

SporT on With New Tracking App for iPhone

This week SporTracker announced the release of its new app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. SporTracker is designed to help users track and analyze their body parameters for everyday sport activity, while providing a virtual personal fitness instructor to help main good physical condition.

The app can be used with a range of activities including walking, running and cycling, as well as wind surfing and even kayaking. It relies on the built-in iPhone GPS and motion sensors, which can track location and measure progress in real time. Users can further track speed, distance, cadence, height, climbing rate and time among other characteristics. This activity can be broadcast as LiveTrack Session to the SporTracker website or shared in real time to Facebook and Twitter.

“Our team has been working hard on delivering a great application supported by very informative website,” said Daniel Neaman, president of SporTracker Ltd. “We are convinced that our users will find the application effective and user friendly.”

The app is available now for $4.99 via the Apple App Store in the Healthcare & Fitness category, for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad – requires iOS 3.1.3 or later as well as 5.1MB.

SporTracker Official Website

Porous Pavement a Candidate for Bike Paths

Cycling in the rain is never fun. The puddles that linger after a big storm can be less fun when they overtake a stretch of bike path. A possible solution to the problem is porous paving. It addresses not only the problem of puddles on the path, but adding trails to parks and greenspace can often prevent rainwater from naturally soaking through the soil on ground surrounding the bike path.

Continue reading Porous Pavement a Candidate for Bike Paths

London 2012 Cycling Road Race to End at Buckingham Palace

Back in 2007 the Tour de France started things off in London – sort of a “Tale of Two Cities” theme going on – with the prolog as well as the first stage heading from the Mall. Now the Mall will be center stage again for cycling as start of the men’s and women’s 2012 Olympic cycling road race, which see the finish in front of Buckingham Palace.

 Our friends at BikeRadar.com reported this week that the riders will likely be a figure-eight course that will take them out of London to the southwest and then back to the city. The reported men’s race will cover 265km, whilst the women’s race will be over 140km. The mostly flat terrain around London, and especially the final stretch, will prove to make a day for the sprinters, suggesting that Mark Cavendish could feel like a king for a day as he goes for the gold.

 [Via BikeRadar.com: London 2012 Olympics road race route details emerge]

Kranking Spins Your Upper Body

Spinning has remained popular for several years. It’s one pitfall is that workouts tend to focus on the lower body. Krank, not to be confused with the drug nicknamed crank, is gaining in popularity. Kranking is akin to a spin cycle, but using your arms to turn the wheel. Similar machines are often used in physical therapy offices and it’s a good upper body workout.

The adjustability on some krank models are much easier than spin bikes. Apply pressure to a lever to make the parts move rather than loosening a pin and sliding. The machine also has various ways to turn a rotation. In addition to resistance you can krank one arm at a time, both arms together, or both arms in alternating pattern similar to pedaling a bike. You can also krank from a seated or standing position to vary the exercise and work muscles just a little bit differently.

There really are few aerobic workouts designed to target the upper body. Kranking is one that does just that. It’s a great workout to alternate with spinning or running to change up what muscle groups you’re exercising each day.

Find information at KrankCycle.

Fitness Clothing Market to Reach $126.30 billion by 2015

According to a new report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the global market for sports and fitness clothing will increase to $126.30 billion by 2015, driving in part by sales in the burgeoning Asian market, as well as the evolving markets in Latin America, Africa and surprisingly even the Middle East.

The United States currently is the world’s single largest market for sports and fitness clothing, with Europe and Asia-Pacific following. The aging-but-active population in these regions will see continued growth, especially as women remain a highly lucrative target audience.

We at KineticShift hope that this increase as a market means that we’ll continue to see innovative products that help encourage people to work out, while offering fitness benefits as well. Clothing maybe fashion, but fitness shouldn’t have to be fashionable.

Global Industry Analysts Official Website

Study: Sports Drinks Can’t Touch Tea, Coffee and Low-Fat Milk

Personal story – I love iced tea, and nothing beats several glasses of chilled iced tea following a long bike ride in the summer. I’ll power up with water during the ride, but when I’m back in the kitchen I’m all about the tea. Various friends have commented that I shouldn’t hit the tea following a ride – that it has too much caffeine and sugar. The irony is that some of these friends say this whilst guzzling a sports drink.

Now I feel somewhat vindicated following a recent study from the experts at the Institute of Food Technology, which found that sports drinks and enhanced waters can’t replace tea, coffee and low-fat milk for nutrition and workout recovery.

This is because tea has antioxidants, coffee has polyphenols and milk of course has both protein and vitamin D. Now of course the best advice is to eat some fruits and veggies after a workout too. But as for a post-workout drink, you actually can’t go bad with tea or coffee.

The irony has been that while I’m an active guy, and a self-professed fitness junkie, some colleagues have said, “but you drink so much tea.” The strange twist is that new findings suggest tea can boost immunity – which could explain why I’m rarely sick – and aid weight loss for physically active individuals. I’m pretty lean, so that could explain it.

All this means is that I’ll keep brewing the tea and have an ample supply for that post-ride beverage.

[Via EmaxHealth: Nutrition and workout recovery best from tea, coffee and milk]

Institute of Food Technology Official Website