Don’t Just Watch the Athletes – Be One!

Wheaties may be the breakfast of Olympic champions, but when I’m banging out a story on deadline it’s Hershey bars dipped in Diet Coke and pizza delivery that keep the words flowing.

It’s a diet my fickle muse thrives on. My expanding ass doesn’t.

So if I want to fit into any of the cute fall clothes hitting the stores, it’s time for me to stop making excuses and start making tracks. Since I love gadgets almost as much as I adore beauty products, here are a few things I’m using to motivate myself back into a regular walking routine.

LOW TECH: Accusplit AE120XL Pedometer – I’ve had a few pedometers, but this lean, mean step-counting machine is my favorite.

It’s small, accurate and clips comfortably onto my waistband. Counting your steps is addictive, and this baby will have you looking for ways to get more in. I shoot for 12,500 steps a day. I got mine at Amazon.com for $13.88.

MEDIUM TECH: Polar F4 Heart Rate Monitor – Initially, I thought heart rate monitors weren’t worth the hassle.

Boy was I wrong!First, input your info (age, sex, height, weight) into the watch, then strap on the accompanying chest strap. During your workout you’ll be able to continuously monitor not only your heart rate, but how many calories you’re burning. Your workout history is stored for seven days. Again, this motivates me to work out a bit longer just to hike up the calorie burn. I’ve seen these at Target, but I ordered mine from Amazon.com for about $80.

HIGH TECH: Nike + iPod Sport Kit and Nike Sports band - This is new gadget for me.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a pair of Nike sneakers after seeing a photo of them on Brown Girl Gumbo's blog (I swear, BGG’s gonna put me in the poor house!).

Anyhoo, when the shoes arrived I saw they were Nike+ ready. I already had the required iPod Nano, so I picked a Nike+ iPod Sport Kit for $29 and a Nike Sport Arm band for an additional $29 at the Apple Store. (*NOTE: This is a nano gadget only. It won’t work with your regular iPod or iPhone).

The kit includes a wireless sensor that goes into built-in pocket inside Nike+ ready shoes and a transmitter that pops into the end of your nano.

Follow some simple instructions on your nano before a workout, and you’re off. This gadget provides instant details on your walk or run like time, distance, pace, and calories burned than can be downloaded to your computer. Yep, it works with your playlists! There's even a very polite built-in voice that will give you a verbal summary of your walk or run at the touch of a button.

Keep in mind, I don’t use all three of these things at the same time. Nor are they necessities. However, they might just motivate you into gold medal shape!

P.S. Thanks for all the good wishes and support during my deadline crunch. I wish I could take you all out for new lipglosses!