Everything And Nothing

Have a ball (or 75!)

Offering an easy way to pick up and store up to 75 tennis balls at once, the Wilson Ball Hopper Pickup 75 is an ideal accessory for practicing your serve or swing. The unit is made of heavy-duty plated steel, with handles that fold up for easy ball retrieval. You can also flip the handles down and convert them into lock-in-place legs, making it easier to dispense the balls.

And a minimum of $500,000 from sales benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation over the next five years.

$36

Four plans to get you out of a workout rut

Andrew Del Rossi, an advanced health and fitness specialist, says that he tells Real Simple magazine that he tells his clients to think of a tripod with three legs - diet, strength training, and cardio. "If you aren't addressing all three, you aren't going to get any results," he adds.

He says we all need to do a full-body weightlifting workout twice a week. He designed a plan for weight-lifting neophytes that targets all of the important muscle groups. It's available online here.

Rear View

Karolina Kurkova and Heidi Klum, both runway models, swear by the Platypus Walk for a great-looking rear view.

So waddle around a room (at least 15 steps each way) with your feet turned out and knees bent in a grand-plie squat. Hold the position until your legs start to shake.

Put your hands behind your head and be sure to sit back in your heels. You'll look like a platypus if you're doing it correctly.

Fall to the floor sobbing in pain and repeat... ;) (It's all in the name of beauty, folks. Come on!)

Jump to it

The ropeless Jump Snap offers a tangle-free way to burn 200 calories in 15 minutes.

$49.95

Run for the pumpkins

It's time for Fleet Feet's annual Pumpkin Run! Meet at the store on Thursday, October 25, at 6:30 p.m. for a 5-mile fun run followed by door prizes and refreshments. (Be sharpening your eyesight and strengthening your biceps - the runner who can find and carry a pumpkin back to the store wins a special prize.)

For more information, contact Fleet Feet at 601-899-9696 or [email protected].

MP3 tune-up

Los Angeles deejay Steve Boyett offers free Podrunner mixes at www.itunes.com. The hour-long electronica and techno downloads are all labeled with beats per minute (ranging from 130 to 181).

And did I mention they are free? ;)

(Just type in Boyett in iTunes and then subscribe to the podcast.)

Go online to enliven your workout

• A new tool from Google Earth (free at http://earth.google.com) plots hiking trails almost anywhere. Click the Layers list to reveal Featured Content - pick the Trimble Outdoor Trips finder, then type in a city. You'll get coordinates, directions and video and/or audio clips for local paths to download to your cell phone or GPS device.
• Browse www.youtube.com for thousands of free exercise videos (Search pilates routines and hip-hop dance class by Alvin de Castro.)
• At Reebok's www.GoRunEasy.com, joggers can plot their loops, post photos of sights along the way, share playlists and hook up with local running groups.

[ via Maridel Reyes, Self magazine, October 2007 ]

Take your training underground

Underground training, the latest fitness craze, uses unconventional methods and weights (like sandbags and kettlebells) for intense cardiovascular workouts.

In "farmer walks," participants carry bars with handles and weight loaded on each end. Some sling sledgehammers onto tires. The workout is much more demanding but takes less time overall, as several areas are worked at the same time.

The idea is to exercise the body as one unit, instead of isolating areas (as in regular strength training).

To see the workouts in action, go to www.youtube.com and search for 300 workout.

Net gains

The soap stars at Lever 2000 want you to pick up a racket and hit the courts. Through September, when you buy a specially marked pack of bars, you score a free lesson from a tennis pro in your local area.

As part of their Raise Your Game promotion, consumers can receive a free tennis lesson by purchasing a six- or eight-bar pack of Lever 2000. Lessons can be redeemed at participating tennis facilities across the country, and locations can be found at www.USTA.com/Lever2000.

[ via Brand Week ] 

Step into shape

This May, take the WOMAN challenge. Pledge to walk 10,000 steps or get 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day for eight weeks and the Office of Women's Health will provide a free pedometer (while supplies last), a log to record your progress and weekly motivational e-mail reminders.

Register at www.womenshealth.gov. (And sign up Mom, too, while  you're at it, in honor of Mother's Day.)