Fitness Gadgets

By Shake Weight from Tesco

Price: £17.92

Stockist: Tesco

During the festive period the lifting I do is to get the chocolates out of the box and as you can imagine, my arm muscles don’t exactly reap the rewards from such a work out.
 
This dumbbell-shaped device is an arm strengthening and toning hand weight which you move back and forth. According to the DVD, Shake Weight is 300% more effective than a regular dumbbell. So, reluctantly, I stepped away from the sweets and started shaking those bingo wings.
 
I didn’t have particular high hopes at first; there are so many gimmicky fitness devices on the market that promise to shift pounds and build muscle I’m a bit of a sceptic. However, my scepticism was soon replaced with delight at discovering such a nifty piece of fitness equipment, it’s brilliant! I found it so easy to use; the makers claim that using it six minutes a day will tone the arms.

 
I personally think Shake Weight is my way of achieving arms like Michelle Obama or Jennifer Aniston, after just two weeks I have started to notice a real difference. However, if you already own a set of dumbbells I wouldn’t recommend going out and buying Shake Weight as the end goal, of toned arms, can be achieved with both.

Leanne Bayley, Picture Assistant

By Nintendo

Price: £18

Stockist: John Lewis

Oh how I've hankered after a Wii Fit Plus. What fun it looked; Louise Redknapp’s yoga-honed body from the comfort of my sitting room. Larking about like Ant and Dec with a remote control bat... This was my exercise of choice for freezing winter nights, not battling it out at British Military Fitness or in a grey-lit gym.


The fun started instantly when I created my Mii cartoon character (pin thin, platinum hair, huge eyes), and stepped on for my fitness analysis. I was buoyed by excellent balance, spurred by a Wii Fit age 12 years older than I was.


I started with the fun stuff - games. Tennis, golf, baseball, boxing, bowling - squeal-worthy fun that didn't see me in bed until gone midnight. Next morning, could this arm and core-ache be from computer games? Sure felt like it.


Next evening saw cardio and yoga on the menu, leaving me breathless and stretched in equal measure. It quashed my preconception that you couldn't get a proper workout from a game. Nothing "virtual" about this fitness. I then concentrated on the toning and shaping programmes while getting fresh-air cardio from runs outside. The downside is the long break time between moves and post-exercise analysis. I'm sure I can get rid of this feature, I just need to work out how. 


But the Wii Fit Plus exceeds my high expectation. I spent every other day for three weeks "playing" it meaning, post-Christmas break, I don't feel in need of a detox or to weight loss. In fact, Wii tells me I've lost half a stone. And let me tell you I've hit the cheese and turkey plate hard this season. Highly recommended. Can I keep it please?

Wii Fit Plus, £18, Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board from £72.99, Wii from £129.95, by Nintendo

Carrie Gorman, Acting Editor

By Ab Circle

Price: £79.99

The Ab Circle is amazing! This device promises to 'lose your love handles' in 10 days. I have to be honest I didn’t use it solidly but when I did use it, I really felt a difference, my lower stomach muscles instantly felt tighter and firmer.

To operate it you place your knees into knee pads and rotate in circular motions, holding onto a handle bar in front of you for balance. It sounds complicated but it really isn't. Once you get the hang of the circular movements you can tailor your workout, moving your legs in different directions and separately for a stronger effect.

The workout itself never seems to be that strenuous, which is sometimes a bit disconcerting, because you think you need to work a lot harder. But, this machine is all about the toning and refining of muscles which doesn't necessarily equate with feeling out of breath. I think if you used it 3 times a week you would definitely feel pretty toned. Its also kinda fun, if you like gimmicky things, and yes, I will keep using it as well as my yoga classes and running.

The only negative I would say is the size. It’s a pretty bulky piece of equipment, so storage could be a problem. But, if you’re serious about getting in shape, why would you need to store it?

Leanne Meaney, Picture Editor

By Sooper Hooper

Price: from £49.99 includes instructional DVD

Stockist: Sooper Hooper

If you like exercise to be simple then the much loved hula hoop could be the answer.

The hula hoop is a simple piece of exercise equipment and with the Acu Hoop it’s become even simpler. The hoop comes in several pieces which can easily be slotted together and then taken apart when not in use, making it easy to store and travel with. The Acu Hoop comes in various sizes so you can buy one to suit your weight, which is another bonus.

It promises to trim your waist by 2 inches each month, a desirable target and realistic to those who have the right technique. If you were a hula hoop fan as a child or have some belly dancing experience, this will be an instant hit. But for someone who doesn’t quite have the right technique and sees the hula hoop dropping more times than it spins, its can be frustrating. But learning makes exercise fun, my technique did improve and I started to notice a difference around my waist.

The Acu Hoop does however come with some worrying health warnings- it can bruise your muscles so only 1-3 minutes a day exercise is recommended in the first week! To see results you only need to build upto ten minutes per day, which is easy to fit in to even the busiest schedule.

This was a great product and one that I would highly recommended because it is fun, easy to store and exercises the core middle muscles which I normally find difficult to tone.

Alice Watt, Assistant

By Ki Performance

Price: £99.99

Stockist: Ki Performance

Not only is the Ki fit highly addictive, it really has changed my outlook on my health. Before using the Ki Fit, I would get the bus everywhere and rarely stepped foot into anything resembling a gym. But with the Ki Fit, you can’t hide from the truth.

This ‘Lifestyle and Calorie Management System’ is basically an armband with a metal plate that measures all manner of things such as how many calories you burn, how many steps you take, how much moderate and vigorous activity you do and even how long and how well you sleep for.  You simply work out what you want your goals to be such as how many steps each day and how much activity and then upload your data whenever you can to your personal page on the Ki Fit site (you get your own login and password when you sign up). The only things it can’t monitor are your weight and what you have eaten, these you upload manually (it’s super simple to do).

The armband holds up to 14 days worth of data, so when I couldn’t get to a computer I didn’t need to worry about losing any data. Also, it rarely needs charging, I used it for two whole weeks and didn’t power it up once.

Every day the Ki Fit told me on the monitor (that you can attach to your clothing) how I was getting on – calories burned, steps taken, activity done – and also yesterdays results, so I could compare.

Highly addictive, it was so easy to use. I would happily wear it every day of the year. It has taught me that to stay healthy you don’t need to put unrealistic demands on yourself just make healthier choices. I am putting the chocolate down, and avoiding the bus from now on.

Amy Lawrenson, Web Beauty Assistant