3 Hi-Tech Gadgets to Help Inspire Your Exercise Routine

We all know that exercising is good for you, but maintaining a regular workout routine can be more of a mental challenge than anything, sometimes. And often, there isn't enough time in the day or the week to squeeze in regular workouts at the gym, or get into a good basketball game.

Yet if the problem is your lack of motivation, there are a few hi-tech, electronic gadgets that can help motivate you back into an exercise routine...and maybe even help you carve out some time of your busy schedule when you previously didn't think that was possible.

Some of these gadgets are designed to make exercise exciting and fun again, while others are designed to help you keep track of your exercise routine, whether its tracking your calories burned or the number of steps you've taken.

Here are a few high tech products that just might help motivate you to get moving, and get healthy:

1. The Nike+ Sport Band monitors your exercise routine from various inputs and aspects. A sensor placed inside a Nike+ shoe sends data to a sensor, which is displayed on the band. So as you're walking, jogging, or running, each step you take is detected and transmitted to the band, including time, distance, pace, and the number of calories burned. The band can store up to 30 hours of data, which can then be uploaded to your computer through a USB port. On top of that, the band's battery is recharged through the USB port while you're transferring the data! The data is then analyzed at nikeplus.com, and you can view your progress there over several weeks or months.

2. The Garmin Forerunner 405CX Watch is another fitness tech gadget that monitors a variety of aspects of your workout routine. Using GPS tracking signals, it calculates your pace and the distance traveled, as well as calories burned. A unique and highly sought after feature of this watch is that, while you exercise, it displays your heart rate through a wireless heart rate monitor (included with watch) that sends data to the watch. You simply tap the touch bezel to change between displays. You can either try to keep pace with the Forerunner Virtual Partner, or you can set your own goals. You can also transfer your data wirelessly to a computer suing the USB ANT stick so that you can look back on your exercise progress over the weeks and months, which can further inspire you as you see your progress.

3. The F1-Smart Treadmill was launched recently by Life Fitness, often recognized for providing quality fitness equipment and technologically advanced exercise inventions to health clubs and homes around the world. The F1 Smart is a foldable treadmill that's easy-to-use. This isn't just any old treadmill, though. It has seven pre-programmed workouts and a full library of customized workouts that you can create through the Virtual Trainer website, and a patented FlexDeck® Shock Absorption System that reduces joint stress by as much as 30 percent (as compared to running on hard surfaces, such as concrete). The F1 Smart treadmill was tested and refined in a state of the art laboratory in order to ensure the most advanced, superior biomechanics, just like all of the company’s health club equipment. Another added benefit is that this treadmill automatically puts the treadmill into energy-saver mode after workouts, which reduces energy use by 90 percent. And you can't beat how the F1 Smart features iPod® compatibility, so you can charge your iPod while you listen to music and exercise. Now that's a piece of equipment keeping up with the times!