Go with the fitness gadgets

Sophie Reyes and Ana-Lucia Reyes (front) try out their moves with the X-Box Kinect at the Dick Smith store at Caneland Central.

Lee Constable

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LOSING weight after Christmas is a goal many have in common and new fitness technology could be all they need to shed those extra kilos.

Smart phones are now able to download Apps that can record (through GPS) the speed, distance and the amount of calories joggers burn when they are out for a run.

New fitness games that involve dancing and movement are also available on the Nintendo Wii and X-Box 360 consoles.

B and M Personal Training's Bruno Surian said he encouraged people to try out the new technology.

"Well I think anything that makes people interested in exercise is great," Mr Surian said.

"The new technology might be all they need to tip them over the scales.

Mr Surian said it was useful for people who were trying to lose weight to monitor the amount of calories they were burning.

"The calorie counter (Apps) can be useful when people are really trying to knuckle down and keep track of how many calories they are consuming and how many calories they are burning through exercise."

Mr Surian said heart rate monitors were also useful devices to use when working out.

"We have some clients with heart problems come in with doctors' notes with restrictions on how many beats per minute their heart rate can be," he said.

"For our clients who are fit, we use them to push them as far as they can go."

For a morning cardio walk, Mr Surian suggest young people get their heart rat up to around 150 beats a minute and for over 50s around 120 and no more than 140.

"When some people are out walking... they might think they are exercising but you will not see results and less you push yourself outside your comfort zone."

HANDY

• Calorie counter and GPS walking Apps
• Heart rate monitors
• Pedometers
• Nintendo Wii and X-Box 360 Kinect exercise and dancing games
• Fitness classes on You Tube