exercise

What's the No. 1 New Year's resolution? To lose weight and get in shape, of course. What's one of the best ways to do both? Running.

If you're a novice runner, an app like Couch to 5k is a great place to start. But for anyone who's already accustomed to hitting the pavement, I've yet to find an app I like better than RunKeeper.

The Pro version normally costs $9.99, but from now until the end of January, you can get RunKeeper Pro absolutely free.

Way back in July 2009, I called RunKeeper the "coolest freakin' iPhone application ever." And to this day I still think it ranks in the top 10.

The app tracks your physical activities: running, walking, biking, skiing, and even gym-based stuff like treadmills. For most of these it relies on your iPhone's GPS to monitor your location, speed, distance, time, route, and so on.… Read more

Here's a spectacular gift item for your favorite Wii user--especially if he or she is under the age of 10.

Buy.com has the Nickelodeon Fun N Fit board and videogame bundle for $69.99 shipped. That's about 30 bucks less than you'd pay at most places for the traditional Wii Fit bundle.

Nickelodeon's version includes not just the balance board (modeled in fairly hideous colors, I must admit), but also the Nickelodeon Fit game (which, FYI, sells for about $40 by itself). Needless to say, it's a children-oriented title aimed at whipping youngsters into … Read more

Vibrating platform exercise machines claim to give you a workout without the work. The VibroGym Diamond VG Evolution does just that, giving you the feeling of exercising so hard that you throw up--without the exercise. In fact, all you have to do is look at the thing and you go straight to being sick in your mouth.

It's covered in thousands of our old nemesis, the Swarovski crystal. Fresh from assaulting the Olympus Pen E-P1 and a host of other gadgets, the Swarovski crystal has swarmed over the Diamond VG Evolution in an unspeakable nexus of utter pointlessness.

Read … Read more

Here's something you don't see very often: a deal on the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus. But check out this offer from Target: the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board for $77 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). It's available in-store and online.

In case you're not familiar with it, Wii Fit works in conjunction with the Balance Board to give you a fun, customizable workout. It measures your weight, checks your posture, and comes with a number of engaging games (like ski-jumping and Rhythm Kung Fu) to help stave off the inevitable exercise boredom.

I … Read more

If you like the looks of Apple's latest iPod Shuffle but don't like the $59 price tag, here's a deal you'll love: today only, Daily Checkout has a 2GB iPod Shuffle knockoff for $9.99. Shipping adds another five bucks.

Note the word "knockoff." Although this player (which bears the moniker Shuffle) looks and functions an awful lot like Apple's version, it doesn't have the latter's VoiceOver feature (which I never much cared for anyway). It doesn't sync with iTunes, either.

It does have 2GB of storage (enough to hold … Read more

CBS Early Show features reporter and weatherman Dave Price took the weather to a whole new level Monday morning by working up a sweat.

Price brought an innovation in exercise to the show--an outdoor elliptical bicycle called an ElliptiGO. It's a low-impact, high-output, cross-training bike that combines running and cycling.

He took the ElliptiGO for a spin around the 59th Street plaza, giving New York bike riders a run for their money.

According to ElliptiGO co-founder Bryan Pate--a former cyclist and Ironman triathlete who suffered hip and knee injuries--the eight-speed bike is meant to help runners avoid beating up … Read more

Streaks Motivational Calendar uses a simple--and surprisingly effective--concept to motivate you to stay productive. The idea is that you choose a thing you want to do more of, such as exercising, for example. Streaks Motivational Calendar lets you set up an exercising calendar on which you can mark off each day that you exercise with a big red X. Once you have a few days marked off, you'll have a streak.

Streaks Motivational Calendar lets you set up multiple calendars so you can track your progress toward various goals. You can name your calendars for any ongoing task, then … Read more

Here's something I can't ever recall seeing: a deal on the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus. But here it is in black and white (and blue, if you count the link): Dell has the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board for $69.99 shipped.

(Don't have a Wii yet? Dell also has the console itself for $169.99, a price that includes the coveted Wii Sports Resort game and Motion Plus accessory.)

I've been wanting a Wii Fit for some time, but I could never bring myself to spend $100 on it. At $70 it's a … Read more

Sorry to follow Monday's iPod deal with another MP3 player, but this one seemed too good to pass up.

TigerDirect has the iPod Shuffle-inspired Mach Speed Eclipse 2GB MP3 player for $4.99, plus $4.17 for ground shipping. That's after a $10 mail-in rebate (PDF).

Now, here's where it could get interesting. I received an e-mail this morning with an embedded coupon code that knocks the price to $0 (again, after rebate and plus shipping). I don't know if that'll work for everyone else or not, but definitely give it a try. Best case: … Read more