EA SPORTS Active 2.0 on PlayStation 3

EA SPORTS Active was a huge hit on the Wii console in 2009, and now EA has announced that EA Sports Active 2.0 will be coming out later in 2010. As well as being on the Wii, it will also be available on the Playstation 3, iPhone and iPod touch.

It seems virtual training is taking off and improvements in the version include motion sensors on both arms and one leg so there's no need to hold any controllers. There's also a heart rate monitor which is built into the left arm sensor which will capture the workout intensity. An active personal trainer walks users through their workouts and provide continued encouragement with feedback.

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The Fitbit Tracks All Your Activities

The Fitbit has just been launched. It accurately tracks calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and even sleep quality. The Fitbit contains a 3D motion sensor similar to the one found in the Nintendo Wii. It works by tracking your movement in three dimensions and converts this data into useful information about your daily activities.

The main improvement over the Nike + Ipod sensor is its wireless capacity. Anytime you walk past the included wireless base station, data from your Fitbit is automatically uploaded to Fitbit.com. The Web site's detailed data includes a food budget, calories burned, steps taken, and daily trends.

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Difference Between Electrical Muscle Stimulation and TENS

Electrical muscle stimulation or EMS, causes muscle fibers to become 'trained' without having to exercise with weights. It works by delivering electric impulses through electrodes on the skin directly above to the muscles to be stimulated. They then contract as a result. The repetitive contractions at certain frequencies is what trains the muscles.

Muscle simulators come preset with different programs, which cause varied responses from different muscle fiber types. Some programs are designed to improve fatigue resistance and improve endurance, while others will increase strength. Electrical muscle stimulation can be used both as a training and a therapeutic tool.

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CatEye Cycle Computer Review - Velo 8

I've been riding my bike a lot lately and finally decided to get a computer for it. I ended up choosing the cateye velo 8. On the CatEye website it says the Velo 8 is CatEye's entry level leader complete with calorie consumption counter. There was a slightly cheaper model but I thought the calorie counter would be a good option to have. CatEye have more expensive models as well with heart rate monitors built in, but for the price, this will do me for now.

Installation was easier than I thought. It came with the computer, the sensor, a small magnet that attaches to the spokes of the front wheel and a bunch of cable ties. The computer and sensor are attached by a wire but by using the cable ties and twisting the wire around the brake cable it looks neat enough.

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The Walkstation - For Loosing Weight At Work

Here's a novel way to help employees loose weight in the office. Its called the walkstation. By replacing the office chair with a slow moving treadmill, workers will naturally burn more calories. The work station is elevated so you can work away while taking a stroll. The idea is not to work up a sweat but just to keep you slowly moving so you can still use the computer, read email, have meetings, and make phone calls.

Researchers have found that compared to sitting and working, working while walking can burn an extra 100 to 130 calories an hour. And that's at just 1 mile an hour.

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World Record Breath Holding - Static Apnea

The world record for a person holding their breath underwater is currently 17 minutes and 19 seconds. This type of competition is called static apnea and is usually attempted in a pool. Apnea is the scientific term for breath-holding, literally meaning 'without air'. Competitors can breathe pure oxygen for up to 30 minutes before the attempt. Although these records are recognized by Guinness, they are not recognized by the free diving community which do not allow the breathing of pure oxygen.

In 2007, German engineering student Tom Sietas set a world record by holding his breath for 15 minutes and 2 seconds. He beat his previous time by 37 seconds. His secret is to fast for 5 hours before the attempt to get his metabolism down. He then breathed bottled oxygen for 20 minutes before plunging into a tank in New York City. He also holds the record for holding his breath without bottled oxygen at 9 minutes and 8 seconds. Thirty-year-old Sietas apparently has lungs 20 percent larger than the norm for someone his size.

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How To Increase Lung Capacity

For 20 years or more it has been known that a persons lung capacity is an indicator of longevity. The "Framingham Heart Study" found that "The bigger that your lungs are the longer your life will be". Lung capacity provides information about the general health of the lungs.

The capacity for the lungs can't be physically increased (yet), however there are ways to improve the efficiency of your lungs and prevent volume loss as you age.

The average human lungs hold about 5 liters of air. An Australian swimmer, Grant Hacket, has a whopping 13 liter lung capacity. Lung capacity can vary with height and age, sex, weight and degree of physical activity. Females tend to have 20-25% lower capacity than males and tall people tend to have more lung capacity then shorter people.

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