If your current ear buds or headphones aren’t cutting it for jogging, or other active sports where there’s a lot of jumping and jostling, you might have better luck with sport headphones. For example, the Sennheiser PMX80 Sport Series Behind-the-Head Earphones are specifically designed for runners.
Their technical features include:
- a special neckband with “vertical transducers” for proper fit
- powerful magnets for improved sound
- reflective strip to help motorists see you at night
- sweat/water resistance (no short-circuiting yourself if you sweat too much!)
- 2-year warranty
The Sennheiser earphones cost about $50 and can work with your iPod or other mp3 player:
If you love lap swimming, but hate counting laps, then you could wear an aquameter to keep track of your distance. Similar to a pedometer, the aquameter gadget is just for swimmers.
“Users simply enter the pool length (25m or 50m), stroke style (freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke) and weight prior to swimming a single lap for calibration. The aquameter automatically counts the number of laps, number of strokes, elapsed time, and calories burned, allowing you to focus on your swimming performance instead of a clock.”
If you enjoy gadgets that let you track workout statistics over multiple sessions, then you’ll appreciate that the aquameter “remembers” up to sven workouts, so you can monitor your progress.
$120:
If you’re heading off on a ski vacation to a resort you don’t know by heart, you might want to download an iPhone app that shows maps for all the trail runs for the mountain.
There are several options in the iTunes store. Some are simply downloadable maps (that are stored locally on your phone and can be used whether you have cell phone reception or not) and others include GPS functionality, meaning you can see exactly where you are on the mountain. The GPS apps also give you stats such as total distance traveled (miles) and total feet descended.
Think of the iPhone apps as a more affordable version of the SlopeTracker gadget we checked out a couple months ago. Prices range from free to $5.
Here are links to a couple of the ski app sites:
Not enough geekiness ensuing on the golf course? Perhaps you could start a trend by warming up your putter with a Star Wars golf club cover.
Darth Vader, Yoda, Chewbacca… all our favorites from the original series are available (sorry prequel fans, but a Jar Jar Binks cover would get you beaten up in the clubhouse).
I’m not sure if having Vader riding around in your golf cart will improve your game, but these club covers ought to start conversations at least (and who knows… maybe the force will be with you!). You can pick them up for $20-$30 at Entertainment Earth.
I take my iPod to the gym all the time, and it probably sees most use on the treadmill and elliptical trainers, but I’ve never tried to watch videos on it while jogging along. The screen is a tad small for that, and I’d probably end up zipping off the back end of the treadmill if I tried to watch a movie or a television show.
This portable iPod Video Enlarger might make things a little easier. Instead of just listening to playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks, you could actually watch your favorite shows or video podcasts without having to squint to see the screen.
It “integrates with 5th and 6th Generation video iPods, iPod Classics, and 3rd Generation iPod Nanos, allowing you to watch iPod videos on an 8.4″, 16:9 widescreen LCD that is 2 and 3/4 times larger than the iPod’s screen.”
The handy gadget could be used all sorts of other places too (car, plane, etc.). In addition to the iPod video enlarger feature, it’s also a DVD player. Dual headphone jacks also let two people listen at once, so you can share your movie with the cute guy/gal on the treadmill next to you.
More information at Hammacher Schlemmer, where the fancy iPod accessory sells for $270:
There are plenty of pricey heart rate monitors out there with more bells and whistles than most of us will ever use (or even find on there), but there are affordable heart rate monitors too. If all you care about is monitoring your heart rate (imagine!), then you don’t need to spend a fortune. After all, if your primary use is jogging on the treadmill or playing some racquetball, do you really need a GPS feature? It’s hard to get lost on the way to the locker room!
Here are a few affordable options with good consumer reviews:
The Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor is one of the more popular monitors at Amazon. While the list price is $60, it’s selling for $35 as I write this. The simple watch-like device tracks heartrate, shows time, and has an alarm feature.
The Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor Watch is another affordable option that comes in under $40. “The large, easy-to-read display recalls your activity time and average, peak, and minimum heart rate, and it includes 12/24 hour time and month/date display.”
While the Polar company isn’t known for its cheap heart rate monitors, the very basic black Polar FS2C can be purchased for less than $60. “The watch starts by wirelessly reading your heart rate, with measurements for your average heart rate, maximum heart rate, and exercise time. The watch also includes audible and visual alarms that tell you when your heart rate exceeds or falls under your target zone.”
If you’re tired of the boring white gym towel the guys at the front desk sold you on Day 1 of your gym membership (workout towels required, and yes we sell them for right here, thank you very much!), how about an upgrade?
These humorous gym towels are made by Etsy seller WordstoSweatBy (great name, don’t you think?) and feature funny little sayings to keep your workout lively.
“The towel is 100% cotton, sized 16 x 24, and has an applique of an original mantra by Whimsical Walney. All towels are packaged in a drawstring organza bag not only to create zero waste packaging but also so that they can easily be given as a gift.”
At $8, they’re not that expensive, and they’ll make a fun conversation starter at the gym (just in case you’re there to meet women/men as well as tone those abs).
