Fitness Notes

Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor Watch provides a comfortable and - more importantly - very reliable assessment of heart rate for every purpose. Connected with information sensed from a comfortably-fitting adjustable elastic strap unobtrusively situated around the chest, the readout mechanism - the watch - is available in large print LCD readout, with INDIGLO backing for night lighting. Information included in the readouts are heart rate, activity time and duration, peak, minimum heart rate and it includes a 12/24 month/date and time display.

From Timex, this little watch is an inexpensive method of tracking your health and vital signs with ease. Inasmuch as so many currently available heart monitors - especially at gyms and spas - have a cumbersome feature requiring interrupting a workout to check vital soigns, a glance down at this watch's large LCD information can keep one in tune and up to date with his very latest reads.

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Slendertone Women's Flex Abdominal Toning System Belt exercises, tightens and tones abdominal muscles like few other implements for ab training. 3 AAA bateries (included) actually activate signals which reach out to nerves to relax and strengthen the impact of workouts relating to abs in general. A site-specific entity, restricted to abdominal work primarily, this FDA-Approved mechanism is a truly focused and effective way of working out that region of the body and reaching a point of beauty and of tone. The fact is, it actually does work to simply strengthen abdominal muscles in a way few other things can in the time frame. Used regularly in 30 minute workouts, results are guaranteed within 6-8 weeks of starting the regime. Actually, according to the testimonials, many people find results far earlier. This is a simply stunning piece of body region-specific raining technolgy whose results are totally convincing.

For much more on the product and its manner of working, plus some interesting and enlightenining testimonials, click here.

Total Gym 1700 Club is a compact edition of what is, in essence, an entire gym. An ergonomic sliding platform, the "glide board", allows a person to tone and sculpt every major muscle group in the human body. A few very handy and easily adapted attachments can bring one from lower body work to upper strengthening exercises - including weights - in seconds. A Pilates Bar helps improve range of motion and balance. Dip Bars and the Pilates bar add versatility and allow more effective focus on very specific body regions as workout aims. An additional 75 pounds of weights can be purchased separately to augment what the unit offers in general for pure weight training for any part of the body.

For many people who are not among the steroid-laden classes of weight lifters and body builders, this gym is a dream come true. Small in size yet utterly effective and extremely durable and well-built, the fascinating compactness of the design allows for the most rigorous workouts for the ultimate result: great good health.

For more on this interesting and practical workout product and for testimonials from those who use them, please click here.

Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer reveals just how far modern pedometers have come. Far from needing strapping to a leg, this unit can be attached to a belt or even even just put inside a purse or a pocket to reveal to the user how many steps he takes over a period of time. It measures, among other things, steps, aerobic steps, minutes, calories and distance on one hand - of an individual workout - and seperately meaures the number of aerobic steps when they amount to over 10 minutes. A 7 day history allows one to down load the data onto accompnaying software or to even make a spreadhseet listing the data involved. The unit, which also has a clock, shuts down at the end of every day automatically, so the data involved will always be automatically fresh.

It passes the acid tests of practical measurments given by users and is remarkably - of not totally - accurate as to the rate and number of steps taken daily. The software is easily adapted and accessible and can reveal much about the normal day suppositions versus the reality of how far, how long and how aerobic we actually do walk.

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GoFit 10-Pound Kettlebell is perfect for working out with weighted bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder raises, and a host of other exercises without having to dedicate an hour-and-a-half to a routine. The Kettlebell can be manuevered from hand to hand easily with its oversized handle and easily-manuevered shape. Like many exercise regimens and workout aids, this one caught some international popularity. Featured on E! News and CNBC's The Big Idea with Danny Deutsch, Kettlebells are all the rage among celebrities, with such fans as Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz, Lance Armstrong, Mariska Hargitay, Sylvester Stallone, Claire Danes, Kim Cattrall, and Matthew McConaughey.

Kettlebells come in several weights and colors. GoFit recommends that fit females begin with 15- to 20-pound Kettlebells and fit males with 25- to 35-pound Kettlebells. Women who are just getting started with an exercise program should begin with 10 pounds, while beginning men should start at 15 to 20 pounds. Easy to store and fabulously concentrated into a small package, this remarkable workout aid is a real plus for anyone.

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