If you’re a walker or a runner and you like to head outside even in the winter (after all, those treadmills at the gym aren’t very exciting, are they?), then you have to worry about snowy and frozen sidewalks and streets. I’m not sure how well these “STABILicers” work, but it looks like a pretty smart concept.
They attach to the bottom of your shoes and the “18 replaceable steel cleats in a rugged Vibram™ sole greatly reduce the risk of dangerous slips and falls.” The product description promises they’re lightweight and rugged (I guess that’s code for they won’t break the first time you go running) and great for hiking, running, shoveling the driveway, or walking the dog in winter conditions. The “snow tires for your shoes” cost $40 from Brookstone.
I love my iPod, but I hate those stupid wires attaching it to my head when I’m at the gym. I have to be careful around the weight equipment or I end up getting them caught and having the headphones yanked out of my ears. That’s why I would love to have something like the Plantronics Pulsar 590A wireless headset.
According to the manufacturer’s site, the headphones work with cell phones (I could care less about that aspect… I don’t call people in the middle of my bench press routine) and mp3 players (now that’s what I’m talking about). For those who want to know where else they can use the wireless headset, it also works with laptops, tvs, DVD players, etc. so you wouldn’t need to dedicate them to gym use.
I think something like this would be good for runners, walkers, and anyone who works out with their iPods or other mp3 players as well as body builders (I just know that the weight room is the only place those wires have really bugged me). Unfortunately, the price for the Pulsar 590a is $250, which means I probably won’t be getting a pair. That’s a little too much for something I might break at the gym. It might be worth the investment if you like to roam around the house while you talk and listen though.
BiM (Bones in Motion) Active has merged GPS-enabled cell phones with the Internet, so runners, cyclists, inline skaters, and the like can track their progress. You can track your path using the BIM service, upload it wirelessly to the Internet, then merge it with data about weather and terrain, for example. At any time during your workout, you can check the phone’s screen and read the distance you’ve traveled, your pace, your calories burned, your split time, and your total elapsed time.
When you’re done with your workout, you can log onto the site’s community space to share your favorite routes with others (and view cool places to go in your area). You can also check progress charts and summaries of your daily activities on the web site. All this high tech sophistication probably won’t improve your times, but it can make your training a little more interesting.
If you’re a track coach, or you’re just helping someone train for a race, you need a stopwatch. You need to be able to keep track of the time, so you can see if your protégé is getting better. Now, you can get all sorts of fancy timing gadgets today, but there’s something neat about this old school-style stopwatch from Ultrak. It’s just the sort of thing gym coaches all had back in the day, so it can bring back some memories. Whether you were actually around back then (or you just remember enjoying the Wonder Years), you can get that old school feel for less than $50 from Online Sports:
There you are… running along, on track to make a personal training best, and suddenly you feel the flopping of an untied shoelace smacking you in the shin. You’ll wait and deal with it when you’re done, you decide. But soon the shoe starts loosening, the flopping becomes really aggravating, and you can’t take it any more. You drop in your tracks to tie your recalcitrant shoe laces.
What you need is some laces that won’t come untied. In fact, how about some shoe laces that you’ll never have to tie again? That’s what the Yankz system is all about. You secure the laces with a toe hook and pull on the cord loop near the tongue, and your laces are nice and tight until you release them. The lace lock system will cost you $7.50, and when your current running shoes wear out, you can simply move it to the next pair.