‘General’ Articles
Written by Enid Burns on 23 July 2010
Olympic athlete Paulo Villar tapes his muscles to get through the hurdles.
Working through aches and pains has gone way beyond the ace bandage. Kinesio Tex Tape Gold, a black and brightly colored tape that almost looks like an abstract tattoo, is often seen on Olympic and pro sport athletes. Kinesio Tex Tape Gold is latex free elastic therapeutic tape developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase ofer 35 years ago in Japan. The tape is applied over muscle sprains, tendon pulls and other maladies that might sideline a runner or athlete.
We spotted the black, hot pink and turquoise blue tape on many riders during the Tour de France, which is set to conclude in Paris on Sunday. BMC rider Cadel Evans managed to stay in the race after breaking his elbow through the use of the Kinesio tape. The current world champion cyclist twittered “This #TdF I’ve too much about ’second skin’ & ‘kinesio tape’ …..it’s holding me together 
(” A rider from HTC Columbia has an artful application on his knee that mimics his muscle structure in his thigh attaching to the knee.
The tape is generally applied in the direction of muscles or tendons and creates a lifting effect to improve circulation and relieve pain. It can be used to both relax or stimulate muscles, depending on its application. This goes beyond wrapping an ace bandage around a body part. Kinesio offers training and certification, as well as DVD demonstrations to learn proper application to get benefits from the tape. You can pick it up at some sporting good stores, but to get real relief find someone authorized to tape you, which will last up to three days.
Kineseo Tex Tape Gold
Tags: injury, Kinesio Tex Tape Gold, kinesiology tape
Posted in Gadget, General, Pro Sports, Running | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 01 July 2010
While we like to report on software that actually gets you moving, one game stands out year after year as a sports related title that is worth taking a break from activity. No, we’re not talking about Madden; we’re talking about Pro Cycling Manger from La Vuelta. This year’s 2010 title is available now, with a new patch in time for the start of this week’s Tour de France in Rotterdam.
The game is available for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable (the latter meaning you could even take the game with you on those long training rides). This year’s game lets you take part in 180 races and international classics, where you can get a better understand of the daily aspects of general management including training, finances and even contracts. After all there is much to professional cycling than just riding expensive bikes.
And be sure to check back over the next three weeks, as we’ll be reporting on any technology updates happening at the tour, including news on the latest bikes and hardware.
Pro Cycling Manager 2010 Official Website
Tags: Cycling, PC, PlayStation Portable, Pro Cycling Manager, professional cycling, Tour de France, Video Games, Xbox 360
Posted in General | 1 Comment »
Written by Peter Suciu on 16 June 2010
The Withings Internet Body Scale
For many of us progress isn’t the distance we went, the time we spent or even the fun we had. At the end of the day, or more likely first thing in the morning, we judge our results with a scale. The problem with this madness is that the method can be flawed because we only judge what the scale tells us at that point. To get a fuller picture we need to track gain and losses with the activity we did. After all, how can you judge fat lost vs. muscle gained?
The Withings Internet-connected Body Scale ($159) lets you track your results by sending the data to a web account via Wi-Fi. The thin black-metallic scale features a backlit display to provide your pounds clearly for you, while wirelessly sending the data to a Withings Web account. Here you and up to seven others can track progress over time – and you can (when you reached a goal or mark) post the results to Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, if you need a push you can send them to DailyBurn and RunKeeper to monitor your progress over time. Time to weigh in.
Withings Internet-Connected Body Scale from Withings.com
Tags: Internet-Connected Body Scale, scale, weight, Withings
Posted in Equipment, Exercise, General | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 20 April 2010
While we have long felt that video games really can’t be a substitute for “real” fitness, we do agree that the Wii Fit isn’t a bad place to start. Note the key word is “start.” And it seems that the fitness game is now the center of some interesting lawsuits. IA Labs of Potomac, Maryland is suing Nintendo over the Wii-Fit, claiming it has been “irreparably harmed” by Nintendo’s infringement of IA patents.
Harmed? Note that the company isn’t saying it got fat from a game masked as a fitness tool, but then we suppose it is claiming that it didn’t get fat in the wallet either. Even more curious is the fact that IA claims it actually had talks with Nintendo about licensing the technology to the Japanese console maker. Now the company is “fit” to be tied.
Via IGN
Tags: Fitness, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Technology, Wii Fit
Posted in General | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 18 March 2010
Are you looking for a lacrosse team to join? Are you looking for a running partner? Do you want to sell the bike you just replaced? Esportsboard is a new local classifieds just for sports and fitness. It’s like Craigslist.org, but just the athletics. The site lets you buy and sell used gear, equipment, and apparel; promote local services such as a trainer, pitching coach, or fishing guide; post announcements including teams looking for players; find people looking for partners for running or cycling; and promote tournaments, camps, and fund raisers. Anything sports-related, there’s a category.
When you visit Esportsboard it recognizes what city you’re in, and asks if that’s where you’re looking. The site says it aggregates classifieds for over 4,500 local sports organizations, and serves 160 million Americans actively participating in sports and recreation. If you’re looking to put your kid in little league, or want to find a group of runners to train with, it’s a good place to find that, and get the gear to outfit you for your sport.
Classifieds: Esportsboard.com
Tags: classifieds, fitness gear, local sports teams, sports, sports teams
Posted in Cycling, Equipment, Exercise, General, Outdoors, Running | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 11 March 2010
Team Garman-Slipstream at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, February 2010
International cycling Team Slipstream, which rides under the sponsorship name Team Garmin-Transitions, known for its voluntary testing practice is adding metabolic and endurance training to its regime. Through a partnership with Angeion, the team will get the cardiorespiratory diagnostic systems company’s New Leaf metabolic assessment and training equipment.
Team Garmin-Transition’s president, Matt Johnson said, “We are focused on expanding our family of technology-driven partners, so adding New Leaf technology is something we’re incredibly proud of.” New Leaf will get to display its technology to a worldwide audience of potential customers and sports enthusiasts by association with the team.
The New Leaf metabolic assessment and training program is based on decades of medical research and learning. It’s New Leaf Active Metabolic Training System is available at some fitness clubs, corporate wellness programs, and sports training centers to measure human performance and how efficiently a person’s body burns calories.
Team Garmin-Slipstream
Team Garmin-Slipstream trains and races all over the world. Angeon
New Leaf Fitness
Tags: Cycling, metabolic training, Team Garmin-Transitions, Team Slipstream
Posted in Cycling, Exercise, General, Pro Sports | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 05 March 2010
March is National Nutrition Month, a time to look at what you eat and how you exercise.
This month is National Nutrition Month, a campaign created by the American Dietetic Association to raise awareness of our diets. It’s a time to learn to make informed food choices and reinforce your physical activity habits. This is low tech, unless you want to use the Web to research exercise, nutrition, and recipes. That’s all good. But we’re all for the diet and exercise the ADA is promoting here. So see it as a time to evaluate, and learn about what you can do to increase your fitness and overall health.
American Dietetic Association
Tags: American Dietetic Association, diet, Exercise, Fitness, National Nutrition Month, nutrition
Posted in Exercise, Food, General, Low Tech | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 01 March 2010
The iPhone can do many things, and seemingly it can even be used as a running training aid. There are dozens (if not hundreds) of fitness apps for Apple’s smartphone, but among the most interesting is one call iTreadmill. OK, while the app doesn’t somehow actually let you run on the touchscreen – but it would be cool if you could somehow do so – it does however act as a digital chronometer, 
keeping track of the distance you’re doing.
This is whether you’re actually doing miles outside, walking around your house or apartment, or just running in place. Put it in your pocket and go, as this app detects the slightest movement and thus tracks the distance you’ve covered. Should you stop to tie your shoe or wait for a light, or just answer the phone, the chronometer will automatically stop. Based on what it reads it can provide you details of your average speed, distance, pace, step count, strike rate and even calories burned. It doesn’t track heart rate however, so you’ll have to stick with a traditional heart rate monitor if that’s important. However, this app includes some interesting features, including a pace setting that provides a flashing light and ticking sound to get you moving. Now if only this app could actually make running in place at a hotel a little more exciting.
iTreadmill Web Site
Tags: App, Apple iPhone, Fitness, iTreadmill, Running, Workout
Posted in General | No Comments »
Written by Enid Burns on 26 February 2010
Nike makes team uniforms from recycled plastic bottles.
The recent trend in sports and fitness clothing is green, sustainability. Nike is part of this trend and especially when it comes to football (that’s soccer to many of you), and the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa. This year Nike is outfitting the Brazil team with home and away kits, plus eight away kits for other Nike-sponsored federations appearing in the games. What’s so sustainable about these kits or outfits you ask? Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced plastic bottles from landfill sites in Japan and Taiwan to produce the jerseys and shorts.
Eight plastic bottles produce one jersey. To turn bottle into soft, breathable fabric bottles the manufacturer melts the plastics down to produce new yarn and then convert that yarn into fabric to construct jerseys. Just because the jerseys are made from plastic doesn’t mean players will drown in their own sweat. Designed to keep players drier, cooler, and more comfortable, the outfit has a handful of features. The Dri-Fit fabric is 15 percent lighter than previous Nike kit fabrications, which also benefits players’ ability to do their stuff out on the field. The coordinating shorts have additional ventilation zones below the waistband and near the base of the spine to keep the outfit breathable.
The outfits have some protection built in as well. Nike Pro Combat, adds protection against light impact and abrasion in the Slider and Impact shorts. The Pro Combat also features a therma Mock that protects a player’s neck against harsh conditions such as sun.
The process saves raw materials and reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared to the manufacture of virgin polyester. For the upcoming season and competition, Nike salvaged roughly 13 million plastic bottles, totaling around 254,000 kg of polyester waste from landfill sites. That’s enough to stretch a distance of 3,000 kilometers if the bottles are laid out end-to-end.
The games take place in South Africa with teams from Brazil, The Netherlands, Portugal, U.S.A., South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Serbia, and Slovenia. Get your own team kits at nike.com and nikefootball.com.
Check out Nike’s video: Nike Introduces 2010 National Team Kits Designed for Increased Performance with Lower Environmental Impact
Tags: football, Nike, plastic bottles, Soccer, South Africa, Sustainable clothing, team kit, World Cup
Posted in Apparel, General, Pro Sports, Sustainable | No Comments »
Written by Peter Suciu on 11 February 2010
The Olympics Games that will kick off this week could just go down in history as the most high tech ever. 
And while there will be no shortage of space age materials with the clothing, as well as nifty new improvements to the skates, sleds and skis, the real tech boon is in how the games are being delivered to the masses.
Our friends at Cnet.com are reporting that there will be more than 5,000 kilometers of cables, more than 40,000 Ethernet ports, more than 6,000 PCs, more than 3,000 TVs, more than 7,000 two-way radios and more than 7,000 radios used by the organizers to deliver the games. Consider that with the very first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896 it took days for results to reach America, and now access to results will be instantaneous. One major change this year is that unlike in past years, all video, data and voice will traverse one IP network set up Atos Origin, Bell Canada and Avaya. To manage all this, the Olympic organizers now even have a full-time CIO on board. Let the games begin, and may the network not go down!
Tags: Athens, Bell Canada, Ethernet, High Tech, Olympics, PC, Vancouver, winter Olympics
Posted in General | No Comments »
