fitness

There may yet be a day when the ubiquitous treadmill is replaced by the Wii at the gym, and the first step could very well be on the Wii Fit. The machine, as you'll recall, senses the movement of your entire body using a device that resembles a scale. And, like a scale, it can insult you by breaking if you weigh too much.

There's just one problem: The weight limit is 300 pounds. That may be fine for the petite Japanese, but it had better be able to handle more weight if it wants to succeed in … Read more

The Compex Sport is one of the scariest, but also most oddly compelling, devices I've ever tried.

The device sends electrical shocks, via electrodes attached to your body, to nerves. Your nerves then stimulate specific muscle groups. As a result, when you work out with the Compex, nearly 100 percent of the muscle fibers get into the act. Ordinarily, you might only use 50 percent, said Heiko Van Vliet, a European marketing manager for Compex and a coach/trainer who works with the CSC bicycling team and the Norwegian national skating team.

Thus, by using it, you can bring … Read more

My New Year's resolutions for 2007 were largely a flop, although I did frame and hang some vintage 1930s cruise ship menus as promised.

But if you're dead set on changing your life in 2008, many Web sites can assist with tallying and tracking resolutions. Some will continue to ping you with reminders, or even enlist other folks to pester you over the next 12 months. Facebook users can pick from various third-party widgets for setting and sharing goals, but other sites offer more customization.

Sweet and simple, Joe's Goals help you log progress on to-do items … Read more

Following unusual workstations has become something of a hobby for Crave (we don't get out much), but usually they involve conditions that are designed for maximum comfort. So one can appreciate our alarm upon viewing the "Walkstation" for its obvious threat to our stated pursuit of laziness, even while working.

This tortuous apparatus is essentially a standing-height desk attached to a treadmill, combining work with exercise for the ultimate in multi-tasking. Made by office furniture company Steelcase, the Walkstation is scheduled to make its formal debut next month for a reported price of $6,500. (That would … Read more

Let the octogenarians have their Wii Bowling. At the other end of the life cycle, kindergarteners are getting their own indoor workout with virtual bikes.

As childhood obesity persists as a mainstay in headlines, more companies are looking for ways to make exercise fun--or at least seem like fun--and e-bikes are apparently leading the trend. Fisher-Price debuted its "Smart Cycle" earlier this year, for example, but it has some competition from across the pond in U.K.-based Gymkids and its "Cyberbike."

Both have brightly colored toy-like designs and can hook up to a TV … Read more

Someone over at Nike's product design team must be a fan of the crazy watch site Tokyoflash, because the new "Nike Amp+ Sport Remote Control" looks as if it could have come directly from the Japanese retailer's catalog. At least Nike's product goes beyond just the usual indecipherable flashing LED lights, providing "instant voice feedback of a runner's time, distance, calories, and pace" when used with Nike+ Ready shoes and the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, according to Electronista.

It controls the music, of course, and has a dedicated button that plays the &… Read more

Maybe we've seen too many bad sci-fi movies, but the thought of a gadget that talks to us is a little unnerving--especially if it involves our physical well-being. We suppose that the intentions are good, given that it's about exercise and all, but the last thing we need is some mechanical voice assessing our performance. Even if it is a "pleasant female" one, as GadgetGrid says.

Aside from that, the "Talking Digital Hand Grip" is just an updated version of the old squeeze strengtheners you can still find lying around gyms and hall closets … Read more

Our personal opinions about exercise notwithstanding, we grudgingly acknowledge that the convergence of consumer electronics and fitness equipment does make some sense. What better way is there, for instance, to get slovenly creatures like us onto cardio machines than games and iPods?

Yet we can't help but question the wisdom behind the "Elite Cross Trainer" from Star Trac. The main technological feature of this elliptical machine seems to be the ability to send personal fitness stats wirelessly and on the fly to a Palm device, according to Luxist. There's nothing wrong with keeping track of your … Read more

Appearances notwithstanding, we take our health seriously here at Crave and try to highlight as many fitness-related technologies as possible, ranging from the Wii Fit to robotic drill sergeants. We've even passed along some weird exercise machines for the more adventurous out there.

But this was the first time we'd ever heard of anything like the "Hawaii Chair." Although it's tempting--the name alone is stress-reducing--we're not quite sold on its aerobic effectiveness: All you're supposed to do is sit down and let the $350 chair swivel your hips in a circular, hula-style motion--like … Read more