I know, I know… mowing the lawn is never “fun,” but cruising around the yard on a bicycle mower could be more exciting than just walking behind and pushing. Maybe you could even get the kids to do the chore, without twisting their arms (or bribing them with money). If you’re interested, you’ll have to build your own, though, as this is someone’s personal project. There aren’t any available on the open market… at least as far as I know.
I always take a water bottle along on my bike rides, but by the time I get to the trail and I’ve ridden a while, the ice cubes have all melted and the water isn’t cold any more. If you’re out for a while in the sun, it’ll even get hot. Yucky. So, how do you keep your water cold? With an Evap-A-Wrappa cooling sleeve, of course. To use it, you simply fill your water bottle (or buy a cold beverage), wet the sleeve, wrap it around your drink, then strap it all onto your bike where it’s in an air stream. The drink holder comes with two anchoring loops and is available in three sizes: small (20 oz./ .6L), medium (34 oz./1L), and large (50 oz./1.5L). It’ll cost you $14.
Lap swimming in the backyard pool can be a bit of a pain. Unless you actually installed a lap pool, you’re probably dealing with some kidney-shaped thing that isn’t exactly up to Olympic standards. Not to mention there are likely things such as diving boards, slides, and various kiddie toys in and around the pool. These obstacles can make getting a good workout tough. Enter the Badustream Over-the-wall Swim Current Generator. It’s a device that hooks to the edge of the deck and uses jets to push the water away from the wall. For swimmers, this means you can swim in place, just as a runner would on a treadmill. It looks like a smart way to turn your backyard pool into a lap lane (without needing all the space).
These hand paddles are so much cooler looking than anything we had when I was on swim team. My memories are all of those rectangular swiss-cheese things that never seemed to be the right size for my hand, no matter which ones I grabbed from the communal bin. Anyway, these Speedo hand paddles (excuse me “finger paddles”) are supposed to help you improve your swimming stroke and technique using “BioFuse” technology and a hydrodynamic design to make sure the paddles have optimum contact with the water. I don’t know about all that, but they look nifty. You can find them at numerous shops online, and prices start around $15.
Actually, the Aquaskipper is a new way to exercise on the water, or above it even. I saw the gadget on TV a few weeks ago, and thought it looked neat, but I forgot to write about it at the time. Today I was down at the ship canal by the University of Washington, and I saw someone using one of these bad boys. It was really quite interesting, and everyone was staring at him and looking impressed as he hopped across the water (so, guys… if you want to get a chick, just get one of these…). If I’d had my suit with me, I might have asked him if I could give it a try. But I remember on that TV show how the newbies tried it and most of them went face first into the lake. There’s probably a bit of a learning curve involved, but it did look like it could be a fun way to get your workout once you’ve got it down.
So, what’ll it cost you? $500 for a new one, or $350 if you get a factory refurbished one.
Actually, the Cardiowave wants to replace your elliptical trainer (apparently treadmills haven’t been in since the 60s). According to the company that makes it, this no-impact cardio machine takes up 37% less space than an elliptical, allows for “ergostride” natural movements, and is easy for anyone, young or old, to use. To top things off, it’s got an onboard entertainment system, so you can watch TV or flip through your favorite songs on its built-in display. The real question is… does it burn as many calories as the elliptical? It looks like the arms are stationary with this one, so my guess is probably not, but if you’re looking for a compact piece of cardio equipment for your home, this could be a good choice.
Whether you’re a tennis pro or you just hit a few balls over the net here and there, you’ve got to admit that a freshly opened can of balls is a lot more fun to play with than older ones. But alas, it seems like as soon as you pop the lid on the can, those balls start to lose their bounciness. Ah, but here’s a gadget that might be the answer.
The Tennis Ball Saver is a pressurizer that you store your balls in, and it’s supposed to keep them fresh much longer than if you just put them back in the can. The price? $11.99. If it works as claimed, that wouldn’t be a bad investment, considering the price of buying new balls every week or two.