Workout Wonders: Five Fitness Products That Actually Help

The fitness industry is saturated with products promising big results for your wellness, from the infamous Thighmaster to the downright peculiar Shake Weight, but is it really possible to put in minimum effort and get out maximum results? I’m going to say no on that one. However, that is not to say that there aren’t products out there that can benefit your wellbeing. In fact, we’ve rounded up a shortlist of fitness products that help you target specific muscle groups or offer a mental boost to push you past physical thresholds.

1. Rebounder: While walking or running off fat is fine, bouncing it off is fun! The Rebounder is essentially a mini trampoline, but it can help you torch up to 1,000 calories per hour. The low-impact nature of bouncing means you don’t have to worry about your joints, and bouncing also speeds up your metabolism, stimulating your lymphatic system (which cleanses your body of toxins), and gives you more energy to boot. Many gyms have a Rebounder or you can buy one to use at home.

2. BOSU trainer: The BOSU (BOth Sides Up) trainer gives you a two-for-one offer for your money, providing two types of workouts from one piece of gear. To make upper body exercises –such as push-ups, planks, or other abs movements— more difficult, you can use either side of the BOSU to add instability and force your muscles to work harder. However, while you can stand on the ball to work the lower body, research does show that it’s better and safer to build balance and stability by doing exercises on one leg. Again, you can BOSU-it-up in the gym or at home.

3. TRX: This product has gained popularity from celebs like singer Gwen Stefani and swimmer Christine Magnuson, an Olympic medallist, and it’s not hard to see why. Created by a Navy SEAL, the suspension system targets every part of your body in one workout, using nylon straps and your own body weight to build strength, balance, flexibility and core stability. By simply fastening the straps to a sturdy tree branch or piece of gym equipment, you have over 300 options for better exercises, including lunges, chest presses and one-legged squats. Get one of your own or visit your local gym to try it out.

4. Nike+ FuelBand: While plain old pedometers track the number of steps you take, the Nike+ Fuelband records your activity plus counts the calories you’ve burned—and gives you encouragement every step of the way. The Fuelband estimates how much energy you burn each day using a calculation based on your rate of motion and oxygen consumption. Whenever you’re doing anything active, you set a points goal for yourself based on time, distance or calories burned. Then, when you beat that goal, the band turns from red to green. For even more help and motivation, you can sync your device to the Nike+ website and get personalised progress reports, tips on hitting your goals, and virtual trophies and rewards.

5. UWaterG4: As someone who loves swimming, do you ever look at joggers moving along to their IPods and get jealous? Music is a great motivator, but you can’t take it with you into the pool – only now you can. The UWaterG4 is a walnut-sized waterproof MP3 player that allows you to plug in underwater, meaning you never have to go without your motivational tunes. The tiny size means you can easily clip it onto your goggles or your swimming costume with the elastic headband and, if it comes loose, it’s even got a flotation device so you won’t lose it to the depths of the pool.