Top five new fitness gadgets
exercise,health,diets,fitness
fitness gadgets
If exercising under your own steam isn\'t enough, take advantage of one of the many fitness gadgets incorporating the latest technology to help you shed the pounds and tone up. We\'ve rounded up the best five fitness gadgets to help you get fit in time for summer.
The Ki Fit
health,diets,fitness
Ki fit
This is one of the most talked about fitness gadgets around so naturally we had to try it out. Designed to tell you how many calories you are burning, steps you have taken and hours you have slept as well as many more factors that could all affect your diet and general health this small armband is the most essential piece of kit you\'ll ever own.
By tracking your every move the Ki Fit gives you the tools and knowledge to find out which areas you need to improve to shift those stubborn pounds and improve your overall health. Simply strap on the armband, wear it all day, every day and upload it onto your online account every evening while inputting everything you eat. The results are scary but faced with the unquestionable final figures (the Ki Fit never lies) you can see exactly how many calories you need to cut out and how much more exercise you need to do to lose weight. Our guinea pig tested the Kit Fit by wearing it for two days on a normal diet and exercise routine. The results were surprising. On the surface the Ki Fit revealed that our tester ate within her calorie allowance, got enough sleep and walked almost 10,000 steps a day but it was the detailed breakdown which revealed that the bulk of her calories came from fat showing that she wasn\'t as healthy as she thought she was.
The great thing about being given all the information you need to lose weight is that you can see exactly where you are going wrong and what you need to do to change making weight loss easy so long as you stick with it of course, there really is no denying how many chocolate biscuits you\'ve eaten with the Ki Fit.
Ki Fit armband, £99.99 plus subscription, kiperformance.co.uk
Handbag.com offer!
The Skinny Beach package for just £139.99 (worth £179.99)
Includes a Ki Fit armband and two months subscription to the Online Activity Manager. Available from www.kiperformance.co.uk/handbag.
T&Cs
Open to all UK residents aged 18 and over
The offer is valid until the end of June 2010
The offer is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered
When the subscription expires, you will have the option to extend for an additional 3 months (at £45), 6 months (at £71.16) or 12 months (at £118.56).
Lytess slimming leggings
health,diets,fitness
Lytess leggings
Lytess\' slimming leggings promise to reduce your hips and thighs in just 18 days thanks to a near-magical combination of caffeine and shea butter secreted into the skin with the everyday movement of your body. Billed as \'cosmetic prêt-à-porter\', they claim to help you lose up to 5.5cm from your hips and 3.1cm from your thighs in 18 days - all you have to do is simply wear them for eight hours a day, six days a week, for three weeks. Sound too good to be true? Slimming aids like these have had a bad press recently but that hasn\'t stopped thousands of women forking out for them, which was good enough for us. While what our tester lost measurement-wise was nowhere near the hefty figures quoted, skin did definitely look and feel smoother and they do wonders for confidence levels. Because you\'re wearing them all the time though, it\'s possible that it helps to have that visual reminder to \'be good\' as much as anything. Worth a try - particularly if you\'re a leggings-wearer anyway.
Lytess leggings, glam4less.co.uk
Garmin Forerunner 405CX
health,diets,fitness
Garmin forerunner
This revolutionary GPS-enabled training watch has everything you could possibly need to improve your fitness, performance and motivation. The lightweight watch tracks your time, distance, pace and heart rate and then sends the data to your PC using wireless technology. If you\'re a beginner the watch is great for checking how many calories you have burnt while on a long walk, bike ride or run, and you can track your progress, great if you\'re looking to compete in an event in the future. The watch itself is fairly easy to set up as it is so intelligent that the screen guides you through inputting your personal details, so there really is no room for error. You can also share information and challenge Virtual Partners, preload courses and get involved in the online Garmin community. If you\'ve a competitive streak this is the most essential fitness gadget you\'ll ever own, and if you\'re not competitive this watch will soon change that.
Garmin Forerunner 405CX, £349.99, garmin.com
Speedo Aquabeat MP3 Player
health,diets,fitness
speedo aquabeat
Swimming is a great non-impact sport but can be monotonous. Enter the Speedo Aquabeat which works the same as any other MP3 player but has been designed especially for swimmers. The Aquabeat can be submersed in up to three metres of water and will float to the top of the pool if it gets detached. It floats behind you as you swim and comes with Playlist Editing Software to add and sort your music quickly. It stores 1MG of music, more than enough for a lengthy playlist and, conveniently comes with an extension cable and different size ear buds.
Speedo Aquabeat MP3 Player, £79, johnlewis.com
Reebok Resistance tube
health,diets,fitness
Reebok resistance tube
This innocent-looking elasticated tube set is great for toning up trouble spots using your own resistance. Resistance tubes are popular among women because they are less intimidating than a stack of weights or weight-lifting machines and they allow you to work under your own steam. There are three lengths depending on whether you are a beginner or serious trainer and are a great way of toning up without bulking. They can be used to tone the biceps and triceps as well as help strengthen the back muscles, great if you have a desk job and suffer from back pain. Simply wrap the tubing around an immovable object, grip the handles and sit tall on a stability ball or chair. Use the tubes to tone biceps by starting with your arms straight and bending them upwards or, using your abdominal muscles, rotate your torso away from the origin of the tubing keeping your stomach taut.
Reebok Resistance tube, £29.95, johnlewis.com
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