The fitness monitor market seems to be growing as Garmin announced the upcoming release of its FR70 fitness watch, which can tracks users’ time, heart rate, calories burned and when combined with one of Garmin’s accessories even track pace and speed. The FR70 is available in both a men’s and women’s version.
“A lightweight, comfortable and stylish watch that helps users accomplish their goals is what the FR70 is all about,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Wear it as an every day time piece and keep it on during walks, runs or fitness routines to monitor these activities and progress.”
The device is meant for indoor and outdoor training, and at the heart of its success is FR70′s wireless ANT+ technology, which allows FR70 to connect to other ANT+ compatible devices, such as the included heart rate monitor, optional foot pod, speed and cadence sensor or even ANT+ compatible fitness equipment like treadmills, spin bikes, elliptical trainers and more. Read the rest of this entry »
Back in 1902, Hoyt Buck was a young blacksmith apprentice in Kansas who was seeking a better way to temper the steel used in knife blades. A tempered blade will hold a sharp edge for a longer period of use and ultimately produce a knife that will have a longer life. Hoyt’s unique approach resulted in the first Buck Knife. Many years had past, and though Hoyt continued to make knives using his tempering technique and worn-out files as the basis of his blades, it was not until 1947 that the modern Buck Knives company was born. That year Hoyt and his son, Al, moved to San Diego to start the company named H.H. Buck & Son.
Welcome to a weekly digest of web links I think are worth checking out. These items include articles, images, and video. Please comment on what you find interesting. If you have something to share, please submit links of interest to mike@kineticshift.com.
Dr. Gabe Mirkin: Exercise Increases Mitochondria in Brain Cells
Avid cyclist Dr. Gabe Mirkin provides well-researched and useful information on the positive effects of exercise. This week he covers the benefit of exercise on the brain.
A desk job – is there no worse curse in the world? If you live an active lifestyle and have worked a desk job you know that itching feeling that can come over you after sitting for hours or not getting to workout at all. You have to stand up and walk around just to get the feeling to dissipate even a little. Stand up desks have been around for decades and a few are even paired with fitness equipment. The folks from Kickstand Furniture LTD have designed a desk for cyclists to allow them to ride and work, all at the same time.
Many of the point of view videos you see from outdoor sports enthusiasts are taken with a GoPro camera. I’ve been using one for several years now and the image quality and ease of use are fantastic. There is a vibrant user community for the GoPro HD HERO camera and members have pointed out improves that would be useful. It appears GoPro has been listening with the HD HERO2 release. If you want to capture your sporting activities in video or pictures, take a look at this new camera.
Medical ID bracelets are an old brand of jewelry. For years bracelets existed for seniors or someone with a condition, to assist first responders when they arrive on the scene of an emergency and find the victim unconscious. In recent years we’ve seen a push for ID bracelets designed for athletes – specifically designed for those people whose activity or training program often takes them hours and miles away from home. Now there is a new ID bracelet that not only provides your invaluable medical information for first responders, but also allows you to travel cash-free. Nathan Performance Gear and VITAband have teamed up in a long-term partnership to bring the Nathan VITAband to the masses. The Nathan VITAband is the first ID bracelet that combines the information needed by first responders and a debit card all electronically on your wrist.
As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, cyclists and runners who still want to get outside to ride or run are always looking for ways to keep warm. Shorts have given way to tights to keep the legs warm, but there might be a base layer that you are missing – embrocation. If you are not familiar with this product, embrocation is a cream that is rubbed onto skin, particularly the legs, before going outside for a sports activity. This cream has a warming sensation that promotes the blood circulation to the extremities, which in turn keeps you feeling warmer and helps stave off the mental toll on your workout due to the cold temperatures.
There are quite a few companies making embrocation, but they all come in a cream form that needs to be applied using your hands and fingers. This is not a big deal until you rub your eyes without washing your hands or having worn gloves, just like rubbing your eyes after cutting a hot pepper, they will burn.
The Joshua Tree Skin Care of Pinckney, Michigan has announced the release of a new line of embrocation in a stick form. Similar to a deodorant stick, this new line of organic embrocation should be easier and safer to apply. This new line of embrocation has three levels of ’heat’, referring to how hot your skin will feel – similar to the feeling of being in the sun for an extended period of time.
The weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. Sunshine, hail, high winds, and snow can all happen within a few hours even on a summer day. With this kind of variability you learn to carry a jacket at all times while on the bike.
The Elite Pro jacket is made with a three layer proprietary fabric and is highly waterproof. The wind-blocking is exceptional. Beyond the basics, the jacket is loaded with features designed specifically for cycling. The Elite Pro is light, form fitting and doesn’t flap in the wind. At the waist, it is short in front and ultra-long in the back. This feels a bit awkward when you try on the jacket, but once on the bike, it is spot on. The sleeves have the same style. They feel freakishly long when standing and perfect when on the bike. I’ve learned to cinch the wrist up when off the bike, positioning the sleeves at the wrist to keep them from falling over my hands.
The jacket has tremendous ventilation. There are two core zipper vents that replace armpit zippers on previous models. Read the rest of this entry »
Coffee and smoke breaks – both of these are acceptable time periods during the day that employees take from an employer with no cost benefits in return. Frankly, the opposite is true. Hypertension, high blood pressure, cancer and death are all side-effects that drain our healthcare system and add increased costs to an employer’s balance sheet. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel just a little bit better after a stretch or walk around the block during the day and KEEN footwear thinks that getting away from your work area for just 10 minutes a day to do a little physical activity is worth making into a new ‘company’ policy. Read the rest of this entry »
Are you tired of having to grab a wrench each time you need to remove the wheels from your bike since it does not have quick release levers? Would you ride more often if only you could get your bike in the car to take to the park, but it is so inconvenient due to bolt-on wheels? Is your kid’s bike sitting in the garage with a flat tire due to you not being able to remove the wheel?
Coombs Cycling Technologies of Heber, Utah now offers a quick-release option for solid axle wheels: the Axle Release.
An alternative is to implement some sort of filtration system at home, either a water pitcher with filtration or a unit that can be attached to a faucet. They utilize filter cartridges that must be replaced every few months, and they aren’t inexpensive (think of it like razors or inkjet printer cartridges). (There are also even pricier units built into your sink or water cooler-style units). But compared to bottled water these systems are convenient, easily accessible and much more affordable. The folks at PUR recently sent us their One-Click Faucet Mount Water Filtration System to try out. PUR states that the One-Click filters out 99 percent of lead, trace pharmaceuticals, and microbial cysts, as well as reduces taste and odor of chlorine and other contaminants. Here’s our 3-month experience with it. Read the rest of this entry »
Trips for Kids website www.tripsforkids.org (credit: Charles Simpson Photography)
Cleaning out the old bicycle parts bin always seems to start as a simple task, but can often turn into quite a dilemma. What should be kept or pitched? What has value, and what might be worth the hassle of selling on eBay or Craigslist? What has no real monetary value, but is still a functioning part that could have some use? Even for the latter, there may be an option other than the trash can for those parts and bikes that are still good, but not worth the hassle of selling. In a word: donation.
What you put into your body after a workout is just as important as the workout itself (especially if you’re trying to gain muscle). But not everyone has the time or patience to concoct their own protein shake after every workout. For on-the-go athletes, FitPro offers its new ready-to-drink real milk protein shake.
Available in Chocolate Milk Shake or Vanilla Milk Shake, the all-natural drink is made with real milk instead of powders and it’s the only ready-to-drink protein shake to carry the “Real Dairy” seal, providing all nine essential nutrients found in natural milk. It’s special packaging also gives it a 12-month shelf life with no refrigeration needed.
Nutrition-wise, the 14-oz. lactose- and gluten-free drink contains 250 calories, 32g of protein, 6g of fat, and 13g of carbs. (By comparison, CytoSport’s 11-oz. Muscle Milk Chocolate packs 230 calories, 22g of protein, 11g of fat, and 11g of carbs.)
FitPro Milk is currently launching in gyms, clubs, and retail channels across the country.
Everyone knows that the key to good health is to stay hydrated—they don’t call it the “source of life” for nothing. 
