In the past, much of the high-tech gear available for workouts was bulky, difficult to manage and often hard to understand. Today’s gear is not only slimmed down, it’s more intuitive, easier to use and often able to do more than one thing at a time. Whatever your workout involves, your choice of gear should add to your experience and not become an impediment to your routine.

Keeping It Simple and Sporty

Your choices in fitness gear should be based on your personal tastes and the requirements of your routine, not the latest fads. It is all about simplicity and can be packed easily into luggage or a gym bag. Bringing music along for your workout is easier today than it has ever been. Whether you are walking, running or doing yoga, it’s easy to bring along your favourite music on a smartphone, MP3 player or even a tablet.

Apps and High-Tech Gear

Apps on a smartphone or tablet, as well as portable gadgets designed for monitoring your workout, can be valuable additions to your gym bag, provided you get what you want out of them. The use of apps on the smartphone are usually simple and accessible.

It is important not to become encumbered by the gadgets that are available. If you are not particularly tech savvy, it’s often better to delete an app or leave a troublesome gadget behind

Pedometers

Knowing how many steps you take in those new running shoes isn’t just good for your workout routine; it’s good for your feet as well. Just like the tires on your car, running shoes are only designed for a limited number of miles before they should be replaced. For runners, this is usually around 300 miles.

The longer you wear your shoes, the less cushioning and support they give your feet, which could result in injuries that could take months to heal. Pedometer apps loaded onto a smartphone use the phone’s gyroscope or G-sensor to detect each time you take a step, even when the phone is asleep.

Smart Gear

Fishing out your smartphone in the midst of a workout to check your progress or to change a song can be distracting. Today’s smartphone apps combined with a compatible watch can give you your distance, speed and even an estimate of the calories you’ve burned with a single glance at your wrist. If you are expecting a vital phone call or an email important enough to interrupt your workout, the watch can notify you as well. A smartphone with a compatible watch can do all of these things, eliminating the need for other devices you may have strapped to your wrists or ankles in the past.

Workout Videos

Videos on your smartphone, tablet or TV can be perfect companions for a home-based workout or for when you travel. Videos are a good way to learn from fitness professionals. However, not all videos are made with your health in mind. There are so many ineffective or even unsafe workouts available nowadays and instead of relying on celebrity endorsements, videos should be chosen by the merits of the programs themselves. Internet-based videos and programs can also be valuable sources of motivation, as can podcasts and Internet radio shows.