If you’re a hiker, you can save your knees some grief (especially on the downhill side) by using a walking stick or cane. This can also be useful for simple walking if you have mobility or balance issues. You may not always want to tote that cane with you though, so having the option to fold it up and tuck it away is nice.
Foldable walking canes are available in numerous styles and colors. As you can see from the purple floral one pictured, you can also get distinctly men’s and women’s canes (not that men aren’t allowed to walk with purple floral models, but you know…).
This is one of several folding canes from the House of Canes, and it sells for $28. A nice optional feature is the 5-prong ice grip (an attachment for the bottom, which costs $10 extra). You can use it for walking more easily through snow and ice, and it can double as a personal security measure–just see how often you get mugged if you can prong your foes in their very special body parts.
For those of you who like to get your exercise on the hiking trail, you may dig the Fireflye.
This special water bottle lid can turn your beverage into a lantern. Handy for campers or those folks who just like to look unique at the gym, the gadget “contains an integrated LED light which spreads a warm glow throughout the bottle.” You can adjust the light level, so the water-bottle lantern can guide you to the bathroom on a dark night or just provide a little glow by which to read.
The electronics are in a sealed compartment in the lid, so you don’t have to worry about water rusting anything. The Fireflye works with your standard wide-mouth water bottle.
From Guyot Designs.
If you’re a fitness buff, you’ve doubtlessly heard about interval training. And if you haven’t, here’s the short wikipedia definition:
“Interval training is a type of physical training that involves bursts of high intensity work. This high intensity work is alternated with periods of rest or low activity (the intervals in interval training).” It can be helpful for improving cardiovascular fitness, and studies have suggested interval training can be better for weight loss than steady-pace jogging, biking, etc.
While you can simply use a watch or the timer on the treadmill to figure out your intervals, the gadget lover in you may prefer the GymBoss Interval Trainer.
“This quality interval timer will make any workout easier to plan and execute with more accuracy and consistency.” The pager-sized fitness gadget features include:
- one or two different time intervals from 2 seconds to 99 minutes
- an auto mode that keeps repeating through intervals
- the ability to set up to 99 rounds
- a manual “countdown timer” mode
- a stopwatch function
- an alarm to alert you when it’s time to switch from high to low or vice versa
Pick one up for $20:
If all those hours at the keyboard are causing twinges in your hands or wrists, it may be a muscular imbalance rather than a joint issue. This hand fitness trainer is supposed to slow the development of osteoarthritis and lessen the discomfort of such hand- and wrist-pain problems such as RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
If you’re thinking this looks just like those hand-grip strengtheners or ball-squeezing exercises, it’s not. It actually exercises the opposite muscles as those do. Try putting a rubberband around your thumb and fingers and flexing your hand outward–these are those muscles.
“The device slips on like a glove and has elastic bands that strap to each fingertip, providing resistance as you open your hand. By flexing your hand in the opposite direction of its typical motion, the trainer strengthens the extensor muscles in your hands, wrists, and elbows, helping to reduce the painful symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and tendonitis.”
You can pick up the hand exerciser for $40 at Hammacher Schlemmer:
Walking is the easiest way there is to get some exercise, since you can do it any time and any where, but it’s always more fun if you’ve got a buddy to go with you. If you have a dog, you probably bring him or her along with you on your walks.
Walking after dark can be dangerous, though, at least if there are any cars around. You can improve your chances of being seen by wearing reflective clothing, but there are also some gadgets you can get for your dog. Consider glow-in-the-dark collars, leashes, or perhaps something like this blinking LED collar light.
“Pet Blinkers give you the added security and peace of mind knowing you and your pet(s) are visible at night. Whether you’re going for a jog with your pet or if you just want extra attention, attach the Pet Blinker to your pet’s collar and be seen a half-mile away! These eye-catching, multi-color L.E.D.’s accessorize any pet!”
The lights cost $10 from Tails by the Lake.
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 know quite a few people who’ve gotten and started using pedometers in the last year. It makes keeping track of how far you’ve walked in a day easy, and it’s fun to think of all those steps you take at work (or at least in the parking lot walking into work) as a means toward a goal. A pedometer itself isn’t very motivating though. If you want something a little more interactive (i.e. something that speaks your results to you), you could check out a talking pedometer.
The one shown here literally tells you the distance you’ve walked and the number of steps you’ve taken. It also has 7 built in melodies with different tempos it can play to help motivate you to pick up your feet. Remember, the more steps you talk the more calories you can burn, so this is a good gift for a dieting friend.
From Life with Ease for $10.