Aerobics and Fitness Daily

The popular Aquavee fitness company has put out a new machine, which is a Pilates Machine that can be used in the pool.  The new AquaVee Pilates Plus® is a thorough workout system designed to be installed in a backyard pool. 

This new aqua fitnees machine achieves is beneficial for cardiovascular fitness and also enhances strength and flexibility training through a unique melding of swimming, isotonic resistance, and the Pilates method. Their device also allows you to stay stable and swim in place while you do the exercises using and inflatable belt and resistance bands. 

This system is simple, sleek and self contained and easy for anyone at any fitness level to use.  Aside from giving you the regular aerobic benefits of exercising in the water you also get the toning and stretching that creates such a beautiful body for those who practice Pilates.

If you like exercise bikes that give you realistic feeling virtual reality type tours then you might want to check out the new Expresso S2u which features the very latest in virtual reality fitness technology. 

Riders on the S2U can coose to ride in different off-road and fantasy  environmenst that they can view onscreen. For instance, there is one program called Proving Grounds that allows you to cycle through a fantasy world based in gaming. Combining video and exercising like this has even coined a new term – exergaming!  Many people get so into it the fantasy element of riding on a fitness bike like this that an hour exercising seems to go by effortlessly. 

This Expresso S2u is expected to be on the market November 1, 2007.

It appears that the exercise gadget the Gamercizer made to PC Magazine’s Top Ten List of Fitness Gadgets for 2007.  This gizmo is actually a joy stick for operating your Nintendo and other games that is powered by your treadmill, cross trainer, cycle or stair climber. The minute you stop exercising your video game fun blips off of the screen. 

Of course the Gamercizer only really suits people who are good multi-tasking as it involves exercising and playing video games at the same time.  If you have a couch potato for a child this could help motivate him or her get off of the couch and start exercising.

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo Inc has unveiled a new fitness phone prototype that has a sensor to keep track of your physical activity each day and let’s you know how many calories you’ve burned.

The phone, unveiled this week at the CEATEC electronics show outside Tokyo, has an inbuilt motion sensor that detects body movement and calculates how many calories you burn.

The sensor can tell whether you’re walking, running, climbing stairs, or resting, and counts the calories accordingly to tally daily totals, Tobita said.

“It’s with you wherever you go, like a portable personal trainer,” he said.

NTT DoCoMo doesn’t sell their phones outside of the Japanese market, but expect the technology to arrive elsewhere in the coming months.

Stability balls are known by number of names: Swiss balls, Pilates balls, yoga balls, exercise balls, and balance balls. The durable vinyl spheres first started showing up in Europe in the 1950’s - used by patients seeking muscular and neurological rehabilitation.

Stability balls, which are durable vinyl spheres, are now a serious part of fitness and exercise programs in gyms and fitness clubs nationwide. They are used in Pilates classes, in aerobics classes, in weight training, and by personal trainers for a host of exercises - from stretching to relaxation to strenuous all-around workouts.

The stability ball didn’t move beyond the realm of physical rehabilitation and enter the fitness scene until the late 1980s, and then only on a limited basis. Mike Morris, president of the Resist-A-Ball, Inc. was one of the first to use stability balls as a fitness tool in the United States. He rolled out his Resist-A-Ball at fitness trade show in 1993.

Experts say that the balls are an excellent, low-impact way to improve existing workouts. The balls are found health clubs and are small and sturdy enough to be used at home.

Stability balls ranging from 21 to 24 inches in diameter are suitable for most people, although people more than 5-feet-7 inches tall might choose a larger diameter ball.

When a person does a basic sit-up on the ball, his or her back is pushing into the ball and forcing the exerciser to work harder. It’s a big improvement over a floor sit-up, when a person’s back naturally tends to rise up off the floor.

(Quoted material from The Monitor.)