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One of the most effective tools being used today for motivation against the disease of obesity is music. You rarely see a person that doesn’t have an iPod when you enter your local gym. But setting the tone for exercise is not just what an iPod could do for you; if linked with the right gadget and the right application it can act as a personal trainer, dietitian, and exercise guide as well. Let’s see the top three tools that can help you achieve that perfect body you have been looking for:
Downloadable Workouts
The wonders of the Internet never fail to amaze even the most avid of users. There are downloadable workout videos for different fitness goals from rock solid abs to stronger arms for men and women workouts. Some are free (but not complete) and some charge around US$9.99. These downloadable workouts feature instructions and practical demonstrations on how to go about the exercises.
Nike + iPod
 The Nike + iPod accessory is compatible with video iPods such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch. Nike + iPod has a sensor which can be installed into the shoes and connected with a receiver unit which is mounted on the base of the compatible iPod.
The sensor then monitors important exercise data such distance, speed, calories burned, and elapsed time on the workout; which can be synced via Mac or a compatible Windows program and sent to nikeplus.com. Aside from the data collected, users may be able to choose or set goals for workouts based on time, calories to burn, and distance. Some gyms even have exercise machines that are compatible with the iPod sensor.
Apple’s App Store
Of course, if all else fails, you could go to the trusty website which is already included in the iPod manuals. The Apple’s App Store contains a myriad of programs for the health wise that, of course, comes as icing on cake for iPod and iPhone users. The Healthcare and Fitness section alone comes with around 300+ third-party applications that are customized for doctors and healthcare professionals that focus on getting data for healthy eating, exercise routines, and Body Mass Index (BMI) calculations.
These applications and gadgets do not of course make you lose weight alone. It takes a lot of sweat, blood, and determination for you to get that Herculean body you dream about.
 Someone once said that video games are not beneficial for the health since there is not much movement in the recreational pastime of most teenagers (and adults) nowadays.
But critics of video games just recently got a big surprise when the American Heart Association branded the Nintendo Wii, a popular video game console that have the famous Wii Fitness Board attachement, beneficial for health. It’s primary health benefit? The heart.
Recently, American Heart Association has approved that Nintendo Wii is a console that is good for health, especially for the heart. The approval stamp is given not to Wii alone, but also goes to Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort games, too!
Nintendo Wii got these stamps because perhaps it is one of the gaming consoles that introduces healthy gaming to gamers and keeps users from sitting for long hours working out their wrists and fingers only. There are a lot of games in Wii that require less activity, but this is the first time to hear a console that is good for a gamer’s health and has been recognized and approved by a health association.
And to think it was not that long ago that critics to video games posted this question to Nintendo : “What can a game company facing outdated hardware, aggressive and innovating competitors, and game-changing newcomers do to stay afloat in the video game business?”
Well, they just got their answer. It’s an official approval from a health association. And that’s not from any health association. It comes from the American Heart Association.
Proponents of the game claim to have really improved physical health due to playing long hours within the game. Now that’s what I call putting fun in exercise.
 If you are like most people who are trying to exercise but need music to have that motivation to move your body, you are not alone. Good music makes people want to move, in fact why not use this as motivation for your workout?
The beauty of the iPod in this case is the ability to create multiple playlists which can be customized to fit your moods and activities. Want to go slow? Then pick tunes that are mellow. Want to go fast? Then pick something that emulates a beating heart.
With that said, let’s try creating your iPod workout list. I will not go into the intricacies on the “how” part of creating a playlist which can be tackled in a separate article. You can easily find how to create a playlist by going to Google or the iPod website.
Once you’re set to creating a playlist, make it a goal to load it up with at least 20 or 30 songs from either in your current library or at the iTunes music store. Find songs that will make you want to move your body, tap your feet, shake your hips, or wave your hands around.
Of course, owing to individual personalities, we have different tastes in soundtracks so there are no wrong answers when it comes to selecting the songs you want. In fact, I currently have various genres in my list from 80′s and 70′s funk, hip-hop and rap, Christian, to jazz. The main criterion for the songs is that they motivate you to move around. Here are two good tips on choosing which songs to add to our playlist:
- Consistency is key – Make sure to have songs with steady beats throughout the entire track. Songs which have alternating beats will make you lose the rhythm and can get you quite discouraged instead of encouraging you to move ahead. The song should help you maintain momentum, not lose it.
- Inspiring, positive lyrics are good – Choosing songs which have positive lyrics are excellent choices since songs that remind you of troubled times will certainly put you off guard and demotivated.
Keep in mind that since the main point of having an iPod is portability, you could actually exercise on different times and schedules of the day regardless of the interruptions you have in work or in school.
So put on those happy feet and start moving.
 Have you recently purchased a Wii Fit or received one as a gift? You know how much fun it would be to be working out while playing right? But since the Wii Fit only comes with the basic accessories, you are left confused on which accessory may be good for mixing the serious business of loosing weight with pleasure. This article would present you with a three options that are available when you want to go buy accessories for use in your Wii Fit.
The first accessory you need to have is the Wii Fit balance board cover. The balance board may get slippery without the cover and the silicone board cover will ensure that the chances of you slipping will be down to minimal. You will be doing a lot of moving around the balance board and you do not want to hurt yourself while exercising. Do not also forget to buy a travel bag for your balance board if you plan to do any traveling.
Another great suggestion would be textured socks. These socks have rubberized grips that are almost the same kind of grip you find in your tennis shoes. Since majority of users find it comfortable to exercise on the Wii without shoes on, these textured socks allow you to exercise without the risk of slipping and dislocating something.
The last suggestion I could think off is to buy an extra set of rechargeable batteries for your board. The balance board can hoard battery power and if you are planning to do a lot of exercising, it is best that you have an extra set of batteries to maintain the momentum of your exercise.
The accessories you can have for your Wii Fit games are not limited to these three as there are a myriad of accessories that you can chose from. So have fun and burn those fats.
Since obesity is taking its toll on people’s health today, personal fitness is important. Personal trainers are the “in” thing now. Unfortunately, the majority of us could not afford personal trainers to log our meals, plan our exercises, and coach for us. That is why we turn to what the tech experts call the gadget that “revolutionized the way we use our mobile phones”. The iPhone. Media player, mobile phone, organizer all rolled in one complete package that could place smiles in every tech expert’s heart.
The iPhone is not just a tool for business-minded people but it can also be utilized for the health-minded people by just putting a few applications in it.
Since there are many different fitness applications that this device could carry, and which would take forever to enumerate, let us take a look at three worth mentioning and could help you stay fit and potentially saving you a few hundred dollars in medical bills.
Absolute Fitness
Absolute Fitness can assist you in tracking your daily diet and exercise routines. Just input the food you ate and the exercises you did for the day; and the application will display your nutritional intake and the calories which you have burned on that particular day. All in all, this app will help you become aware of the diet and exercise choices you make on a daily basis.
Epocrates
Although this application is mainly geared for physicians, this great application is nifty if you want to find information on a particular drug. In a single glance, users could know the proper dosage by which the drug should be given to patients, its potential side effects, and other pertinent information.
Pedometer
Since moving around, even by just walking, helps in promoting health; this gadget could count our steps for us, making our counting of the required 10,000 steps a day simply a breeze.
The applications that you can place on an iPhone are practically endless and these three are just the tip of the iceberg when we want to know what our electronic personal trainer thinks about what eat and exercise.
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The Nike + iPod accessory is compatible with video iPods such as the iPod Nano and iPod Touch. Nike + iPod has a sensor which can be installed into the shoes and connected with a receiver unit which is mounted on the base of the compatible iPod.
