Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts

Dec 8, 2014

Top Ninja Holiday Gifts

Looking for a gift for the ninja in your life? Look no further! These gifts will delight both amateur and pro ninja warriors:

Gym Membership

Your ninja probably already has a gym membership, so paying for a few months is a thoughtful gift that he/she is sure to love. If your ninja doesn't have a gym membership yet, look for one that offers classes and other perks for members.

Bonus: Many gyms run membership specials over the holidays, so you can usually get a great deal on a new membership.

Fitness Wristband

Wearable technology is all the rage right now, and for good reason! Fitness tracking bands are a convenient way to track all of your daily exercise - helping your ninja to set and achieve even more fitness goals.

Bonus: These fitness bands look really cool, so this gift will bring the "wow factor."

Kettlebells

Kettlebell workouts are a great way to build strength and they can be modified for all fitness levels. Professional grade kettlebells are most cost effective than other weights as well. Look for a good all-purpose kettlebell set to let your ninja progress in his/her workout.

Bonus: Many online retailers offer free shipping during the holidays, which is a huge money saver when you are having a gift this heavy shipped!

Home Improvement Gift Cards

If your ninja has been thinking about building his/her own training obstacles or American Ninja Warrior mini course, a gift card to Lowe's, Home Depot or another home improvement store will help out significantly. It's not cheap to create quality ninja training obstacles, but there is no substitute for realistic practice when it comes to training.

Bonus: They can pick out exactly what they need!

Airline Miles

If your ninja loves the American Ninja Warrior TV show, you can buy him/her an airline gift card or donate some miles so that they can fly to Vegas for the finals. Giving your ninja the chance to see Mt. Midoriyama is a really special experience that he/she will never forget!

Bonus: You know no one else will get them this!

Dec 3, 2014

Wearable Technology for Ninjas

Wearable fitness technology is hotter than ever right now and will probably be on the wish list of many people this holiday season. PC Magazine did a review of the most popular wearable technology bands and compared the various features of each. They then ranked the fitness wrist bands that they reviewed. Here's what they found:
  1. Fitbit Flex
    Price: $99.99
    Pros: Excellent battery life. Accurate. Comfortable, light, stylish. Includes silent vibrating alarm. Interchangeable bands available in several colors. Bluetooth and NFC-enabled wireless syncing to smartphones. Great Web experience.
    Cons: Limited display of information on device. No altimeter.
  2. Jawbone UP24
    Price: $149.99
    Pros: Thin, sleek, comfortable activity tracker. Measures deep sleep and light sleep. Connects with many other apps for sports, health, and calorie-counting. Beautiful app.
    Cons: Requires a smartphone. Sleep mode not automatic. Very basic calorie-counting features. Ends of band don't sit flat. No display. No altimeter. A bit pricey.
  3. Runtastic Orbit
    Price: $119.99
    Pros: Measures steps, distance, calories burned, and sleep. Excellent display. Waterproof. Includes two wristbands and one clip case. Apps available on Android and iOS.
    Cons: No food-logging or calorie-counting component (though integration with MyFitnessPal is planned for a future update). No stair tracking. App doesn't track weight. Heart-rate monitoring isn't supported. Requires a smartphone.
  4. Garmin Vivofit
    Price: $99.99
    Pros: Comfortable wrist-worn activity tracker. Monitors steps, distance, sleep, calories burned. Syncs to computer via USB ANT+ stick and Bluetooth Smart-enabled phones.
    Cons: Not particularly stylish. Doesn't count stairs climbed. No natively supported activities other than walking and running. Must actively enable sleep mode.
  5. Nike+ FuelBand SE
    Price: $99.00
    Pros: Sporty, sturdy, and comfortable design. Displays time, steps, calories burned, and "fuel" on band. Wirelessly syncs over Bluetooth. Neat group features. Lets you isolate and name special activities. For iOS and Android.
    Cons: Slightly pricey. Doesn't track distance, stairs climbed, heart rate, skin temperature, or sleep. No auto-detection for specific activities. "Fuel" is murky in meaning. Mobile app exhibited some bugs.
No matter what kind of fitness band you choose, get active and stay active year-round!