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Fitness Toys

Make fitness fun with these gadgets for grown-ups.

Getting fit doesn’t have to be expensive. Sure, you can join a gym or take classes at the Y. But it’s nice to have a few inexpensive toys at home that enhance your workout. They also make great gifts. Here are three favorites that you can find for less than $30.

Pedometer
If you like gadgets, you’ll love the pedometer, a small device you wear on your belt that records the number of steps you take each day. Fancier models track distance walked and calories burned, but you don’t need the bells and whistles to get started.

“I like the pedometer because it helps you push yourself to be more active,” says David Di Paolo, MD, a radiologist at the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, and a health and fitness instructor who hosts UT Fitness Over 40. “It’s an easy way to encourage exercising by noting your progress.”

If your goal is heart health and general wellness, work your way up to 10,000 steps a day, which translates to about 4.5 to 5 miles of walking. At approximately 75 to 100 calories a mile, you’ll burn about 400 to 500 calories. If weight loss is your goal, aim for more steps, at least 12,000 to 15,000 steps each day.

Attach your pedometer in the morning and check your progress midday. If your step count is low, take a walk after lunch or dinner.

Exercise Tubing
Exercise tubing makes a low-cost and highly effective alternative to dumbbells and other strength training equipment. There’s nothing magical about these colorful stretchy rubber tubes (think giant-sized rubber bands in a tube shape). Like handheld weights, they make your muscles contract against resistance. The advantage of tubing is that it’s lightweight and portable—making it easy to store in a drawer or toss into your suitcase for business trips.

Tubing comes in multipacks, so you can choose the appropriate amount of resistance for your current level of fitness, (thin tubing offers less tension and thicker tubing has more tension). Look for accessories such as handles, a how-to DVD or manual, and a door attachment.

Stability (Swiss) Ball
The stability ball, which resembles a large beach ball, provides a cushioned place to do abdominal crunches, push-ups, stretching, and more. Made of durable vinyl or rubber, these lightweight, inflatable balls are great for isolating and strengthening the core muscles of the abdomen, back, and chest, says Dr. Di Paolo. They also help improve your balance. As you sit or lie on the ball, you’re using various muscles to keep your balance while performing exercises. Just make sure that you have someone to spot you if you’re new to the stability ball or feel wobbly when trying a new exercise.