Finally, there’s a video game with the emphasis on fitness, activity, exercise and balance. The Wii Fit by Nintendo comes with a balance board that informs the user of their weight, center of gravity and even their body mass index when their height is factored in.

With all of the information compiled, the Wii Fit informs the user of their fitness age. Wii Fit has approximately 40 different exercise activities. Included in it’s programs is a series on yoga poses. The balance board tracks your center of gravity during these activities.

Other categories of activities include aerobics, strength training and balance games. The aerobics series includes jogging, step aerobics, hula hoop, rhythm boxing and more. The Wii Fit balance games involve ski jumping, ski and snowboard slalom, heading soccer balls, a table tilt game, a tightrope walk and more.

For strength training, the Wii Fit offers push ups, side planks, jackknife, the lunge, rowing, squat, arm and leg lifts, a parallel stretch and more. The yoga poses on the Wii Fit include the Half-Moon, Warrior, Tree, Salutation, Standing Knee, Palm Tree and more.

The combination of workouts emphasize basic core training but avoid overexerting the individual. To get to new activities, you must unlock them by acquiring “fit credits”. The fit credits are accrued in a “fit bank.” If you get a 100% score on an activity, it unlocks the next more advanced level of that activity.

Also featured on the Wii Fit is an activity log to track other activities outside of the Wii Fit game. On your activity log, the categories are light, medium or heavy activity. Wii Fit is a good introduction to exercise for some individuals who have been sedentary. It’s a good tool to keep exercise fun with the playful balance and aerobic games. Within the game play, Wii Fit incorporates Miis to assign to each person to add to the fun and track your level of fitness.

I have seen these new shoes that look like normal flip flops, called “Fit Flops” on display over about the past year and a half at several department stores, and often wondered if they actually do anything besides make walking perhaps a bit harder, like tone the butt or thighs or lower legs any better than just walking in regular shoes, or flip flops for that matter. They have gained popularity though, and certainly a dedicated following in some circles, which is usually a giveaway that something works, at least for some people.

Fit Flops are sold at only a few select locations, and unfortunately they are not the cutest looking sandal/shoe, so be prepared to wear something that may not be your perfect ideal of what you usually wear on your feet in terms of looks, however they are supposedly very functional and comfortable to walk in.

A friend of mine bought a knockoff of fitflops, but hers were more targeted toward reducing cellulite, which I kind of thought was a little hard to swallow, especially considering that usually cellulite only responds to direct contact with the skin and deep tissue massages or something that otherwise can get in there and manipulate the lumps and bumps under the skin so that they can be smoothed out.

However, she told me that a couple rounds with these on the treadmill and she definitely noticed that she was feeling it more in her legs and butt, so I thought they might be doing something good in terms of toning. The ones she bought though, were very high, and actually made it so you were almost walking on uneven stilts, which I couldn’t help but wonder could this be good for you back and posture?

However, the Fit Flops are supposed to be good for posture and also help to strengthen the feet, with what they call a wabble board technology, which just makes it a bit hard for you to keep your balance when you’re walking in them. This theory is a bit like the running in sand theory, and that is that if you run on a sandy beach rahter than a flat and even surface, you are getting much more workout for your time, because your feet and legs are constantly working to keep straight and balanced.

Overall, I’d say Fit Flops probably do a little extra toning, but they probably will not do so significantly, since by my knowledge they would really more so work the feet and calves, not the butt and thighs as so many of us women want to get rid of.

I’m not exaclty how widespread this problem is, but I have virtually flat feet. This means that I have a very weak, and almost nonexistent arch in my foot. This can lead to a lot of soreness in the back and spinal alignment problems if it’s not taken care of properly, and also can present problems in balance when working out.

We just got a Wii Fit in fact for our Wii gaming system, and it’s only furthered my conviction that my balance is extremely weak, even with yoga and balance exercises, and it’s only strengthened my resolve to improve it so I can stand straight more easily and have less posture and back problems throughout my life.
One of my favorite tools for getting a lift under my arch are those gel inserts that you can buy at your local drugstore. They basically create an artifical arch, and hence more support, underneath the middle part of your foot so that you can walk more easily and also balance better without stressing your feet out as much, or more importantly, your back.

If you buy the arch support gel inserts, don’t go cheap . I’d go with a brand you know like Dr. Scholl’s or some similar comparable brand name, since it’s your posture and your spinal alingment we’re talking about here. You really want to make sure that you get the right size too. Make sure you don’t buy an arch support that is too high up if you have only a slightly flat foot, because that can also throw you off further than if you didn’t have one at all.

Another thing to consider is whether your shoe will fit the arch support correctly. Generally, only close toed and sneaker shoes will work, if you don’t want the inserts to show too much or be conspicuous. Some arch supports I’ve used are so intrusive that I can barely tie my tennis shoes with them in, so that’s why I also caution against buying ones that are too thick. It can really put a lot of pressure on the top of your foot if you buy the wrong size, so it’s imperative to get it right. If necessary, visit a podiatrist and have one professionally fitted, it will be worth it.

If you’re a distance runner, running clothes and shoes are of utmost importance for comfort and even to avoid injury. Running shoes are the shock absorber for your feet so selecting the correct kind of shoe is paramount.

When selecting a running shoe, keep in mind what kind of characteristics your feet have. If you have a high arch, you will need a running shoe with a soft heel that is shock absorbing. People with high arches have feet that tend to roll outward. Your running shoes should have neutral cushioning in addition to the soft heel.

Individuals with a flat arch have feet that tend to roll inward. When selecting running shoes, look for a pair with motion control and a medial midsole. This will help to keep your feet stable while running. Those who have a normal arch will still have feet that tend to roll inward, but only slightly. For this kind of foot shape, select a pair of running shoes that have stability and pronation control.

The proper fit of your running shoes is equally important. Your shoes should not rub, slip or roll too much. Running apparel is also a key to comfort and endurance during a race. Keep in mind, you want to avoid chafing during a long distance race. Sweatpants, t-shirts and sweatshirts will inevitably start to rub and chafe at some point during a marathon run. Cotton, although it seems soft, will start to irritate on a long distance run.

Often, when starting a race in cooler temperatures, one is tempted to wear long trackpants and a jacket. Remember, especially for a marathon, you’ll heat up considerably once you start running. The best type of running outfit for long distances is a pair of spandex- type tight shorts and a tight shirt. This will keep you from having underarm and thigh irritation and chafing as the race goes on.

I have to admit, I was no fan of the big blow up fitness balls, or balance balls if that’s what you call them, that are found in many gyms now. I do know a lot of people who swear by balance balls though, and say that they rely on them to strengthen their “core”, which is their belly, or abs. They also are hailed as a great benefit for those with back troubles because they do essentially help strengthen the “core”, which is essential to having a strong back that is more resistant to injury.

Many of us have extremely sensitive backs, especially as we get older, and the problem is if you don’t know how to use a balance ball, then you may end up doing your back more harm than good. I’m the perfect case in point. Instead of positioning myself correctly on the balance ball, I was actually arching my back too much, so that I was relying on my back muscles to lift me back out of the momentum of going down, instead of my abdominal muscles.

Balance balls come in a few sizes, and the one that is most commonly used for the abs is the larger one. Sometimes a smaller one may be used as well for the abs, just in a different capacity. For example, I used a smaller balance ball to go in between my knees and my legs to help get more of a solid center-belly workout instead of just working out the top of my abs, which is the most common part we go to when we’re working on the abs.

Balance balls are great because they almost force you to work on your upper abs, which is very hard for a lot of people to do, including me. They also work your abs in a way that makes them flatter and will give you that washboard look, but one that is not too ripped, because the whole time you use them, you are subconsciously using every part of the abdominal muscles without even knowing it, and this is what creates that flat, uniform, toned look to the abs.

I must admit, I’ve been slacking quite a bit during my workouts in incorporating my arms. I just have a really hard time working my arms out the right way to be honest, and since I have upper back problems, many times when I lift weights over my head, I have an extremely sore neck and shoulders the next day.

So, I do avoid arm workouts like the plague, and would much rather work my legs and abs any day of the week. But alas, my arms have become like mush, so I seeked out some help on good arm exercises that would lessen the strain on my neck and my shoulders, as well as my upper back. I think I found something that I like, and also something that apparently lots of female celebrities are liking as well.

I can’t remember what show I was watching, but a celebrity fitness guru was on the air talking about what her female celebrity list of clients likes to do most with their arms, or rather what she likes for them most to do to get sculpted, muscular arms in all the right place. She was talking about arm bands, thos one that you can bend and stretch, that create just the right amount of resistence, without you having to lug around heavy weights or take any compromising positions in your posture or handling of your stance that might increase risk of back and neck strain.

I tried it a couple times so far, after watching someone else being show by a trainer in my work gym how to do it. It is simple, but man I’m telling you, arm bands are definitely by no means easy. I could only do a total of about 8 reps and felt as though my arm muscles were already stretched to their max limit, and totally fatigued.

I can see why a celebrity fitness guru would want their clients to use this thing - it gets results fast because it is so intense and works the muscles efficiently to get results extremely quickly.

I was in Target the other day, and bought a new set of dumb bells - eight pounders, because I really needed to juice up my weight collection, since I currently only have a 3 lb. and 5 lb. weight set currently, and feel like these don’t offer enough weight for my arms any more, especially if I’ve been focusing on my arms for a week or more, my muscles demand more and more weight so that they are actually working and not becoming used to the old weights.

If you don’t constantly up the ante in your workout, you’re not really pushing your body enough to the point where you are building more muscle mass or burning any more calories. An example of this is if you have a physical job where you work a certain way every day, this job no longer constitutes a physical workout when your body becomes used the moves, the pace and the frequency at which you perform it.

This means you don’t continue to build muscle and burn calories at the same rate, because your body is too used to it and doesn’t burn any faster. This is exactly the reason why I bought a fitness jump rope at Target the other day.

I figured jumping rope is a motion and intensity that my body is not used to at all, and this could not only spice up my work out, but it could also add the new moves, new muscle groups, and new cardio intensity that I need to keep my body moving, burning calories in a different way, and targeting different muscle groups. Oh, and not getting bored is important too!

It’s a very simple jump rope. It is a plastic weighted rope with neoprene handles for easy gripping, and it jumps really well, although I bought it at a cheap price and wasn’t even expecting to have a good performance out of it as I did. This may become a small part of my workout, because honestly jumping rope is kind of hard to do for a long time, and I think that about five to ten minutes is plenty. It also can be high impact, so you want to watch it if you have sensitive joints or any back issues.

I just bought myself a new pair of neoprene dumb bells in a green color by Reebok at Target today. I like the neoprene dumb bells better than the more expensive chrome dumb bells actually, because the neoprene, which is kind of like a matte rubber, is much more easily gripped, and seems to never get too beat up.

I also like it better than the dumb bells they used to make with the high-shine rubber, which just seemed to be too hard to keep a grip on, especially when you were all sweaty, and they also seemed to get tears in them pretty easily, and show the metal through with not much use.

Target only really had the Reebok brand to choose from, but I was fine with that since my Reebok dumb bells came at a cost of only about seven bucks each for eight pound weights. I also ended up buying a cheap jump rope as another way to mix up my workout a bit, for about three bucks (I know - cheap!). I was eyeing the yoga balls and a new yoga matt, but I know I don’t really need either of those, I just want them for some reason.

Ah, standing in the fitness aisle of any department store really gives you the urge to go home and sweat! It’s like workout therapy for me. Am I the only who who feels this way? PROBABLY!

The first time I ever used tension bands in my workout was in a fitness class at the place I work at, which I’m lucky enough to say has a full service gym, complete with yoga classes, cardio classes, and a full array of fitness equipment at our disposal, which is pretty cool.

I was exhausted when we were done, and I was convinced that the tension bands added the extra exhaustion factor also, because I could barely even lift a drink of water to my mouth the next day afterwards, since most of the tension band work we did was on our arms, concentrating on our biceps, triceps and upper body strength in general, which pretty much wiped me out.

I’ll admit, my upper body strength is definitely not my forte, but my lower body strength is, because I was an especially adept swimmer as a kid, and my legs, abs and lower body were always the strongest physical part of my body. The tension bands are just bands of elastic which are attached to handlebars that you can grab with yout arms.

You can even adjust them to work your legs, and also to work different parts of your upper body, and you can manually increase or decrease the tension of the tension bands by either slackening them by letting up on them, or stepping on them further up to increase the tension and the muscle workout.

I’ll tell you what, if you want to take your workout to the next level, then tension bands will leave you feeling like you just got your butt kicked!

Balance/Fitness balls, as they are marketed, are a simple and yet very versatile piece of fitness equipment that you can add to your home gym or even start utilizing at your regular gym outside your home if they have them. You just have to be careful, because the first few times I tried the balance ball, I actually hurt my back and my neck because I didn’t understand how it should be used.

The fitness or balance ball, as it is altnernately called by some makers, is a fairly large ball that looks bigger than any ball you ever played with as a child. It’s pretty squishy, so it gives enough leeway when you are doing crunches or some other type of balancing exericise, but also gives enough firm support so that you’re not doing a back bend while trying to do ab work on it.

And that brings me to the trickiest part about the balance ball. If you’re not careful, you will end up doing something that looks like a modified back bend and can seriously injure yourself or cause a muscle pull if you’re not mindful of your body’s positioning while your exerting your contortionistic moves on the ball.

The balance ball offers a lot of versatility for you abs because it actually makes your abs work harder, which is why many fitness enthusiasts insist it is one of the best ab workouts you can buy. You don’t even realize it, but when you’re trying to balance yourself, your abs are working twice as hard as they are if, say, you are working out on that same old, safe workout mat that your body knows like the back of its own hand.

All in all, the fitness ball is a great way to get in some good ab workouts, but we’ll also talk about how it can help immensely with those love handles, and saddlebags. Oh yeah, you can get pretty creative with your moves on these things, trust me!