Gadgets That Motivate

Determined to slim down this year? According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, one of the best ways to improve your exercise habits is to track your progress. So VIVmag sought out the best gadgets for doing just that. Here are our five faves:

1. Know all your important numbers with Tanita’s new BC558 Ironman Body Composition scale ($299.99 thecompetitiveedge.com). Smart exercisers know that weight only tells a small part of the story: Just as important are muscle mass, bone mass, visceral fat and body fat — all of which the Tanita tells you.

2. How does one jump without a rope? With a JumpSnap ($59.95 jumpsnap.com), a ropeless jump-rope that calculates the calories you burn. No more tangling (or tripping)! Bonus: easy to pack.

3. Listen to tunes and lose pounds with the Sansa Clip (2 gigabytes, $59.99 sandisk.com), an MP3 player that has a built-in microphone and recorder so you can note the distance and time you ran before you forget.

4. Get in shape with the bodybugg (from $399 veritasfitnessgroup.com), a calorie-counting armband (the contestants on NBC’s The Biggest Loser are fans). Simply strap the bodybugg to your arm and go about your daily routine. The display shows how many calories you burn — whether you’re jogging a mile or vacuuming your living room. Also, take advantage of two free personalized phone sessions with a bodybugg coach and a three-month subscription to bodybugg.com.

5. Slide on the MIO Motiva watch ($100 miowatch.com), which records calories consumed and burned throughout the day. It comes with an alarm to let you know if you’ve gone over your daily calorie target and monitors your heart rate, too.

Tags: Bodybugg, bodybugg coach, Diets, Food energy, Mayo Clinic, NBC Limited, Nutrition, The Biggest Loser, USD