Kinetic(Mis)Shift: Where’s the Rope?

We’ve seen these for a while now. We get the idea; it is like jump rope but with the rope. Instead of a rope the JumpSnap uses little balls on a short string and this “simulates” a jump rope. The device counts your jumps, timing and calories. That’s all good, but the counting part is easy enough to do already, the timing part of jump rope is sort of the point and any heart rate monitor will count the calories. And while the video says “in less time,” we wonder, does not having a rope really speed up the exercise somehow? About the only thing we see as a benefit is that you can’t have a misstep and somehow trip yourself – but if you’re that uncoordinated you probably have bigger issues to deal with it.

Kinetic(Mis)Shift are products that we think deserve to be called out for their utter lack of fitness benefits.

Socks that Fit Like a Glove

Each foot has five toes, yet they all go into one sock and get pushed together in the shoe. Some people believe each toe should go in its own fabric, like a glove. The Tetratsock from injinji is designed to allow the entire foot to perform naturally and freely inside the shoe.

Toes provide proper balance, posture, stability and grip. These abilities are kept when toes are in toe socks, as injinji calls them. The company just release a midweight toesock in its Tetratsock line. The midweight sock is designed for sports such as running, walking, cycling. The toesock provides more padding and several additional properties.

Restriction-free movement of the five toes eliminates skin-on-skin friction and therefore blisters, hot spots and other common foot ailments. The socks are designed with a reinforced compression arch and Achilles heel support.

In conventional socks, injinji claims your toes are forced to work together as one unit creating heat and moisture build up. Blood circulation is reduced by skin-on-skin friction that reduces healthy air around your toes. If you want to use the mitten and glove analogy, mittens keep your fingers warmer since they’re all together, though you lose dexterity. Gloves may offer less warmth, but increased dexterity.

The Midweight Performance Toesock ($16) is made from CoolMax freshFX fabric, which bonds wicking CoolMax fibers with anti-odor and antimicrobial silver. The socks also have nylon and lycra added for strength, flexibility, and a glove-like fit. We don’t know if these socks will work with shoes such as the Vibram Five Finger ones, but the concept is along the same lines.

Injinji Footwear

Thanksgiving is Not Just for Feasting with the Family

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, followed by the holiday season and finishing off with New Year’s and the proverbial resolution to shed the pounds that you might have put on during the past few months or years. Why not start the season off right and begin Thanksgiving Day with more than just the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and finishing in a ‘turkey coma’? You might be surprised by the number of activities that occur on the Thanksgiving morning. Here is a list of some activities around the country:

28th Fifth Third Turkey Trot (Detroit, MI): This foot race has an event for most fitness levels – 1 mile run, 5K run, 10K run and 5K walk. What makes this Detroit event fun for the entire family is the costume contest with prizes for Best Centipede, Best Running Floats, Best Dogs and more! This event starts at 7am and ends with the Thanksgiving Day parade. Continue reading Thanksgiving is Not Just for Feasting with the Family

Old Hunters Never Die, They Just Optifade Away

After introducing its Gore Optifade Concealment Open Country pattern, which was optimized for backcountry hunters, in 2009 the company has now developed a Forest Pattern for tree stand hunters who scout out wooded environments and from elevated angles.

This is because those who hunt from heights tend to have stark contrasts, notably bright sky, dark leaves and branches, as well as being defined by the lines of trees. These lines say experts make it easier for dder and other animals to detect a hunter because of the contrasts with the sky with branches. Those the new Forest pattern doesn’t make it so easier for the prey to see the hunter in the forest from the trees. The Forest pattern is reported to have been scientifically designed for close engagement ranges of under 20 yards and for elevated angles.

Gore Optifade Products

Great American Smokeout: There is an App for That

There is no denying that there are some pretty useless mobile phone apps on the market, but this week one app that was released could really do some good.

Today is the Great American Smokeout, and now comes the UCSF/SFGH Stop Smoking application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is the result of a joint effort from the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), and it is aimed at helping smokers quit by including mood among the triggers for smoking . The app uses a successful cognitive behavioral therapy program developed at SFGH and is now available for purchase from iTunes

Proceeds from UCSF/SFGH Stop Smoking – which serves English and Spanish speakers – help fund further online and mobile health research at SFGH and UCSF. The launch of this new tool coincides with Great American Smokeout on November 18 – a national day to encourage smokers to quit.   Continue reading Great American Smokeout: There is an App for That

Turn the iPod Nano Into an Awesome Fitness Watch

Apple’s new iPod Nano is the ideal fitness gadget. It plays your digital tunes, of course, and now with the FM tuner you have access to the radio when you’ve grown tired of the music you own. It’s also smaller than before, making it light and unobtrusive in your pocket when you’re working out. Plus, a built-in clip means you can easily attach it to your shirt while running. As if those features aren’t enough, there’s a pedometer you can use to track your steps and the Nano works with the Nike+ feature to track your fitness progress. Unlike the even smaller iPod Shuffle, the Nano has a touchscreen that lets you see and control it.

But you know what? It’s hard to justify spending $149 to $179 for another music player, especially since many of us already own an MP3 player and/or iPhone or similar device. That is until we saw the Griffin Slap, a flexible wristband case for the Nano that turns it into a watch. You won’t have to worry about accidentally losing your Nano by forgetting it on the treadmill or getting it detached from your shirt during exercise, since it’s on your wrist the whole time. And, at only $25,  it turns the Nano into an awesome watch.

Griffin

RunPhones, Music to Cold Weather Runner’s Ears

Music is essential in most workouts. Yet there can be a danger with headphones that block traffic and other noises. Headphones can also be a nuisance when they bounce on your ears or earbuds that don’t stay in your ears. There are a few headband-style headphones, and now AccousticSheep has come out with RunPhones, a headband with removable earphones built into the fabric. Continue reading RunPhones, Music to Cold Weather Runner’s Ears

Hands On: BioGreen PROx from California Bike Gear

KineticShift.com continues our hands on test of water bottles.

California Bike Gear puts an interesting spin on water bottles with the PROx, which are made from 20 percent post industrial recycled plastic. But more importantly these bottles will be gone in two years. Not because the company won’t continue to sell them, but because these can biodegrade in about that time. Talk about planned obsolescence.

California Bike Gear’s Product Description: These enhanced plastic bottles biodegrade in landfills and are the most environmentally responsible product you can buy. They offer the following benefits: Biodegradable – BioGreen Bottles with EcoPure additive are unique in that they biodegrade in an active microbial environment which are present in landfills. EcoPure is a non-toxic additive that actually helps the environment. The final product left behind with EcoPure is humus and methane. Humus regenerates the soil.

Recyclable – The BioGreen Bottles are also fully recyclable in the normal recycle stream.

Reusable – These bottles have the same long useful life as normal LDPE plastic bottles Light, heat or humidity do not activate the degradation process unlike corn/starch based plastics.

Made with Recycled Materials – BioGreen Bottles are made with at least 20% post industrial recycled plastic.

Isn’t “Recyclable” Enough? Recycling is always the best option and BioGreen Bottles are 100% recyclable. The sad truth is over 90% of recyclable bottles wind up in landfills and will remain there for 1000 years. BioGreen Bottles will completely Biodegrade in about two years. Now, that’s Enough! Continue reading Hands On: BioGreen PROx from California Bike Gear

Biggest Loser Arrives for Kinect and Wii

It is official, there is no reason not to want to be a loser, and by that we mean a big loser, as in The Biggest Loser. Based on the hit reality series The Biggest Loser health and fitness games for the new Kinect for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii have arrived.

The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout for Kinect for Xbox 360 features a dynamic routine of exercise moves that are adjusted to how well the players do. And The Biggest Loser Challenge for the Nintendo Wii offers its own challenging ultimate workout that uses resistance bands as well as a stability ball. Players – if players is actually accurate considering that the idea is to get a workout – can work out with a friend in 4, 8 and even 12-week programs, which can be customized from more than 125 exercise moves, including cardio boxing.

Since working out alone won’t keep you in shape, both titles include a library of 50 recipes and a wealth of valuable nutritional tips to keep up a healthy lifestyle.

The Biggest Loser for Kinect and Wii

Are Energy Drinks Dangerous to One’s Health?

Feeling sluggish? A hit of Red Bull or similar energy drink will solve that, because as the ad campaign says, “it gives you wings.” Of course with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and a quarter cup of sugar it is no doubt that a can of an energy drink will get the motors running.

According a recent study from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston the drinks can be a problem, and mixed with alcohol can be dangerous or even lethal. Well the sound of a cup of coffee with sugar isn’t a big deal, how many people drink cup after cup after cup of coffee? That’s part of the equation; the other apart is what the combination of herbs and vitamins can do, especially when mixed with concentrations of caffeine. Probably something like a racing heart, hypertension and anxiety, as well as headaches and even problems sleeping. One thing the energy drinks don’t do is actually give you wings. Continue reading Are Energy Drinks Dangerous to One’s Health?

Hands On: Water Bottle Round-up – Specialized Purist with the Watergate Valve

KineticShift.com continues our hands on test of water bottles.

Specialized’s Product Description: In creating the next generation of water bottles the team set out to solve the puzzle of how to combine the two most desired elements in the ideal bottle – the flexibility and safety of a sports bottle with the purity of taste from a drinking glass.

Introducing Purist – With inspiration from nature we have created the first water bottle that offers a taste as pure as drinking from a glass, with all the advantages of a flexible bottle. With a simple rinse, mold and residue are removed ensuring that water drunk from the bottle does not taste like plastic or impurities, but clean and fresh. All you taste is the water. Even in extreme conditions where tomato sauce is left in the bottle overnight, Purist shields the bottle from the taste, smell and staining. Nothing sticks, so your bottle stays cleaner and your water tastes pure.

Nothing tastes better.

Bottle Sizes: 22oz and 26oz
Plastic: Low Density Polyethylene
Country of Manufacture: USA
Retail Price: TBD Continue reading Hands On: Water Bottle Round-up – Specialized Purist with the Watergate Valve

The Fish Can Swim, But They Can’t Hide

Fishing can be a tranquil sport, just you with a pole and all the time in the world. Sometimes you don’t even care if the fish are biting. But the rest of the time you probably want to catch something, and for that there is a nifty little device called a fishfinder. Sure, these devices have been around for more than a decade, but Garmin International has announced its new echo series line of standalone fishfinders that raises the standard for finding the fish.

This line includes devices for all pricepoints as well, from the economical 8-level grayscale unit to the full array models that do everything but cast off for you. The top-of-the-line models include Garmin HD-ID target tracking technology.

The premier high resolution echo 550C offers state-of-the-art technology that almost makes it unsporting (and we mean that in a good way). This unit features an ultra-sharp video-quality 640×480 pixel 5-inch VGA screen, a powerful 500-watt sonar transmitter, and offers excellent fish arch display and bottom tracking as deep as 1,900 feet. The echo 550c is dual beam (200/77 kHz) capable and gives optimum deep or shallow water performance with up to 120 degrees of effective fish scanning area. The step down model echo 500C boasts the same aforementioned premium features, and offers a crisp 256-color QVGA display which gives 320×234-pixel resolution for extra-sharp detail on fish returns, structure and bottom soundings. Continue reading The Fish Can Swim, But They Can’t Hide

OptumHealth Debuts Fitness App for Windows Phone 7

OptumHealth, one of the nation’s largest health and wellness companies, announced this week that it will release its OptumizeMe mobile application with exclusive features for the new Windows Phone 7 mobile smartphone platform. The app is designed to help people pursue their health goals through their own online social networks, where they can track their progress and issue fun fitness challenges to their friends, family and coworkers. Continue reading OptumHealth Debuts Fitness App for Windows Phone 7