Fitness PR Division

Looking frumpy going to the gym can no longer be an excuse as more and more fitness gear comes out on the market that is more in fashion than the typical monotone shorts and t-shirt look of the past. I know that my clothes are a statement about me and if I look good I feel good, the same can be said to motivate us while working out.

If you are looking for fitness gear with a celebrity flare, Bebe Sport (whose spokesmodel is Eva Longoria) and the Hearts Rbx collection, designed by Scarlett Johansson, are a good place to start. The Bebe Sport Collection not only looks extremely fashionable, but functionality is not lost or compromised because of it. Bebe’s fitness gear has the technology to wick away moisture, retain its fit after multiple washings and provides maximum mobility for better performance during your workout. The Hearts Rbx collection provides fashion combined with comfort and a twist on clothing that can also be worn as dress down wear. Hearts Rbx wouldn’t be complete without its retro Reebok running shoes.

Adidas has the ultra hip Stella McCartney line. With McCartney’s flawless design history and the fact that she is a woman designing fitness gear for women makes me confident that she understands how our bodies move while working out and how clothes need to fit just right in order to make for a comfortable workout. Of course, being the uber cool fashion designer that she is, her Adidas line is nothing short of gorgeous.

When you think of running, do you envision pushing your body to the limit of exhaustion or even that Boston Marathon winner who is basically crawling across the finish line? Whatever happened to running just as a relaxing way to exercise? Reebok has decided to try to bring back the fun to running with their new Run Easy campaign.

Run Easy is about reminding us that running doesn’t have to be a competitive sport. There was a time when it was deemed exercise that was open to anyone; from running solo on the beach to an enjoyment of social time with a running buddy, running was easy at one point and not something that you had to be competitive at.

One of the Reebok Run Easy ad campaigns states: Run + Puke + Run = Crazy. A little over the top, a little gross when you think about it, but isn’t that the point? Running shouldn’t have to be exercise to push us to our limits, and honestly, it really doesn’t need to be involved in the “No pain no gain” theory of fitness. Running should be fitness that is open to people of all athletic abilities.

This polar opposite approach to the fitness gear industry involves many well known athletes such as Allen Iverson, Vince Young, Chad Johnson and Nicole Vaidisova, among many others.

The main question Reebok asks consumers is, “What are you just doing?” which is obviously a stab and/or take on Nike’s “Just Do It” motto. The campaign began this week with Reebok’s launch of the website GoRunEasy.com and will begin with digital advertising and print ads in select major cities, by the end of the month we will see the commercials beginning to air.

So will it work? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Just as the Leapster gave children fitness for the mind, some of the latest video games for your console have video games geared towards getting your couch potatoes up and moving. One of the most popular being Dance Dance Revolution, which made its way from the arcade into living rooms and now even gym classes across the country.

With child obesity rates rising, it is games like Dance Dance Revolution that can make fitness fun for kids. Schools are taking note of the benefits of incorporating this video game into the gym class curriculum. It gives the children the best of both worlds, incorporating the technology of video games in with physical fitness to keep them active and healthy.

PowerGrid Fitness is another innovator when it comes to video games and fitness. They designed the KiloWatt in 2004, which was very large and very expensive. They have now come out with the Exer-station which is little less expensive than the original KiloWatt and geared towards home use. The Exer-station is a full body video game controller made to work with just about any game. So if you are playing a race car game, the harder you push, the faster your car goes. The Exer-station utilizes their ISOCOR technology, which allows isometric muscle contractions to control computer and video games. While you never have to get up and put any pressure on your joints, you still endure a muscle strengthening work out.

The Sony Playstation EyeToy is another video game component meant to be a fitness-related game. The EyeToy is a camera you attach to your television and Sony Playstation 2 while you use your body to play the games such as Play, which incorporates Kung Fu and dancing; Play2 which has 12 different physical games such as blocking soccer balls and hitting homeruns. There are several other games in the series, all meant to be interactive, fun and worthy of being deemed exercise.

As gaming continues to be part of our culture, it seems only natural to allow the transition from sedentary game play into one that can become part of your child’s daily exercise routine.