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Shaun Parker asked:

Sports might be about getting fit, but that doesn’t mean it’s not without its gadgets. Whether you’re running, cycling, snowboarding or swimming, gadgets can help you get the most out of training.

Here are a couple of great gadgets that will maximise your training, helping you on the road to victory.

Nike+ SportBand

The Nike+ SportBand allows runners to get real-time performance feedback during a run giving them information on their distance, pace, time and calories burned, in addition to gaining access to all of the features and tools on nike plus. The Nike+ SportBand watch face is a detachable link that captures all the run data from a sensor located in the runner’s Nike+ ready footwear and once a run is completed, the link plugs into a computer like a USB drive, so data can be tracked. The system also offers Nike+ Coach so beginners and intermediate runners can access existing programmes to train for a 5k, 10k, half-marathon or full marathon.

Orange e-diet

Launching later in the year, the Orange e-diet is a text service in the UK that will allow you to monitor calories in the food you eat on the go. Users wanting to monitor what they eat will be able to text orange and get the calorie count back giving them the information of whether its good or bad for them before they buy.

Samsung miCoach fitness mobile phone

We’ve had camera-focused phones, we’ve had music-focused phones, and now Samsung is to launch a fitness-focused phone. Called the miCoach (F110), the quad-band slider handset will offer a dedicated fitness button that once connected to a heart rate monitor and a step counter will give you information about your heart beat, distance covered and time running when out on a run.

But rather than just record your information to download to a computer later, the phone, through the headphones, will give you running information on the fly by simply tapping the screen. Measuring your heartbeat, the phone will also tell you if you are running too fast or too slow, based on the fitness programme you have selected. The miCoach will offer over 220 training programmes via a fitness website ranging from plans focused towards you loosing weight or running a marathon and measure your running speed within four zones to best suit your training based on an initial assessment run.

Wii Fit

The computer game from Nintendo means you can play computer games and get fit at the same time. The Wii Fit comes bundled with the Wii Balance Board. It senses weight and shift in balance in any direction and therefore by standing on the Wii Balance Board during activities allows players to follow along to movements ensuring they have full control of the on-screen activities.

There are four training categories including Aerobic Exercises, Muscle Workouts, Yoga and Balance Games that Nintendo claim will help you (and your friends/family) to develop bodily balance control ability, burn fat in the body, help tone and condition muscles, as well as help increase aerobic stamina. Within those categories there are over 40 different activities such as Hula Hoop, Ski Jump, Press-up Challenge, Rhythm Boxing, Rowing Squat, Lunge and classic Yoga poses such as Half Moon, Tree and Crocodile Twist.

H20 Audio headphones

The H20 Audio headphones aren’t any old headphones, but waterproof headphones that let you listen to your iPod to a depth of up to 10ft, or 3m, thanks to waterproof housing and waterproof speakers. Robust enough for active *********** thanks to a behind-the-neck design, silicone earplugs, and a durable neckwrap to keep them in place they cost around 26.99 pounds and means you’ll be singing underwater as you do length after length.

Kiran Tamada asked:


Joining a Fitness and Health Club is a great way of maintaining active lifestyle, spending your leisure time having pure fun and the best way to expand your social network. It is very important to know whether the club suits your personal interest, so before signing below the dotted line, consider all the pros and cons, before taking a decision.

The first and foremost thing to consider before joining health club or fitness club is its location. It is always better to have the club close by to your office or house, so that you will not have excuse of going regularly due to distance. Survey shows that those members who live far away from the health and fitness clubs, they do not go to health club on regular basis.

The next thing to consider is staff and customer care. Professional trainers and instructors should be certified. If you suffer from any pre-existing disease or physical limitations, in such circumstances, ensure your instructor will be able to handle and work with you. Look and watch out for the customer care of the health club and see if they answer your questions, clarify your doubts and are polite. If the health and fitness club have dietitians, physical therapists and massage therapists additional services, it is always better.

The next question to ask is the availability for what service you are looking for. Say if you are interested in learning tennis, see if they have the classes at convenient times suited to you.

The best way to know if the particular health and fitness club will work for you is to go for trial class. Most health and fitness clubs offer trial classes. During the actual trial class you will know whether you like the instructor, able to understand him and if you feel comfortable in the class, you can also know more about the pace of the class, music, if sufficient space available and other personal preferences you have.

Look out for the equipment the health and fitness club has. The equipment most is modern, clean and up to date. Also ensure they have enough numbers of all equipment so that you need not wait in queue for your workout. Remember treadmills and bicycles are the most used equipments in fitness and health clubs.

One of the important aspects of health and fitness club is social interaction. Most health and fitness clubs have space for social gathering with comfortable couches and chairs. A good health and fitness club is well equipped with coffee, tea and juice machines.

Other miscellaneous things to look out for are parking space, condition of bathroom and showers, and see if the whole facility is maintained well.