Social Workout

Workout Wear

It's Seasonal Gear Shift Time

Happy first day of Fall. Now that summer is over and done with it's time to go shopping. Well, for me to go shopping. Truth be told up until recently all of my exercise happened within the confines of the gym. I like it there, everything is organized and climate controlled...and I can wear the same black yoga capris and t-shirts to workout all year round. I've never had to amp up my fitness wardrobe for a change in climate before. But thanks to a newfound love of the outdoors I'm left with a dilemma...what the f@#k do I wear now? Lucky for me, and you, I did some research.

Other Places

SW Labs

Motivation Through Technology

If I could have sex with anything in my gym bag it would be a little doohicky I attach to my sneaker. I have never in my life before owned anything by Nike (because I apparently live under a rock) but the Nike+iPod gizmo is by far the most motivating fitness fad I've succumbed to. Best $30 I have ever spent and here's why:

Online & Video

Wired Workout

RunKeeper Offers Real Time Run Tracking

RunKeeper, the increasingly popular iPhone app, now allows runners to broadcast their GPS coordinates in real time. What's that mean? Well, now friends and family sitting at home can watch a line progressing along a Google Map as you stride across the landscape, complete with pace and elevation statistics. Sort of cool! It's also sort of reminiscent of Disney Mobile's ill-fated experiment with GPS-enabled cellphones which allowed parents to spy on their children. Doh! Privacy concerns aside (you can turn off the "Live" feature), RunKeeper is on the march, and has lot's of other features for iPhone-packing runners and cyclists. The app, offered both as a free basic version and a $9.99 "Pro" version, allows users to share their running routes, seek out other runners in their area, and it also generates nice graphical reports on distance covered and calories burned.

What's In Your Gym Bag?

Walmart Sports Bras and Gym-Proof Mascara

Ed. Note: We've got a new feature! We're sending reporter Lucinda Hark out to look deep into the heart of New Yorkers, via their gym bags. We carry a lot of weird and wondrous stuff around with us. Some of it you'll want to add to your own gym bag. Some of it, undoubtedly, you'll be glad to keep at internet distance. To kick things off, here's a peek at the goodies in Lucinda's own gym bag.

In my gym bag:

• Blinc mascara. $25, but it lasts all day and even makes it through sweaty treadmill time without smudging. And all you need is a warm washcloth to remove with no racoon eyes!  

Wii Fitter

Coming Soon, The Zii

Wii Fit lovers, there may be more to love on the horizon. Nintendo trademarked the name "Zii" back in October, but tech nerds only just spotted it in the trademark databases yesterday. Speculation now rampant. Could this be the Wii 2? Wii in HD? Mobile Wii? Unclear as of now, though of course we'll keep you posted. 

Sleep Deprived

Snooze Standing Up

Need a nap, but no bed in sight? Forget sneaking off to a bathroom stall or climbing under your desk. Sleep inconspicuously in public with The Vertical Bed. It fully supports your body weight while you stand and comes with noise-cancelling headphones and sunglasses so you can sleep anywhere and blend right in. Tested on the streets of New York...

New York

Link Love

Ear Buds, Octomom, Scottish Poledancing

• Tabloid: Paul McGill, a 38-year-old man, beat out all the women in Scotland this week to take home the title of Scottish Pole Dancing Championship.... Can't decide what's more surprising: That Scotland, land of angry, puritanical Trainspotters, has a national pole dancing championships; or that the thing was won by a guy. (Does Vegas even have a pole dancing championship?) Must be the kilt wearing. Bravo Paul! Back in the U.S., everyone's excited that Ashley Tisdale, of High School Musical fame, drinks Fiji Water. If that alone is not incentive enough to avoid drinking water imported at great environmental expense from remote Pacific Islands, consider that some feel Fiji Water, the company, is propping up the current military dictatoriship ruling Fiji, the Island.... Finally,  freaky octomom Nadya Suleman does yoga. But that doesn't mean you should stop. 
• Science:  Swedish researchers have shown that rye bread "satiates" hunger more completely than wimpy white bread. Go for the 100% rye — the dense flat pumpernickel is best — not the light stuff mixed with wheat flour. Also, get this: The caraway seeds in rye bread can also help alleviate "gas pains and general gastrointestinal discomfort...." Separate and unrelated, Obstetrics and Gynecology reports that regular exercise throughout pregnancy reduces the odds of delivering over-large babies. That's good for all kinds of medical reasons, not to mention issues relating to personal comfort. So keep up those Zumba classes, just don't go overboard and get pregorexic. 
• Gear: The Baltimore Sun reports that people with small ears need struggle with oversize earbuds no more. Groove Hanger headphones are here to save the day. Though people with small ears who are also short may get tangled in Groove Hanger's ridiculously long three foot cord. 

Workout

Sexy Dancing with James!

The Labor Day weekend caused me to fall off the dancing wagon a bit. I was visiting my parents in Missouri, and it appears that there is not a single dance class for adult beginners in a 150-mile radius of my hometown. (No, Zumba doesn't count.) Makes me feel lucky to live in New York!

Ivana Workout

Ivana Trump's Beaded Fitness Dress

Forget about lycra or luon. For high performance sweat-wicking, nothing competes with breathable beads. So says Ivana Trump, who works out only in her Bob Mackie evening dress. "Yes, it’s very heavy," she admits, "But nothing ever stops me from having a great time. In fact, that’s my slimming tip of the day: Wear a heavy beaded dress and go dancing every night." She went overboard with the pink marble in the '80s, destroyed The Plaza, and bore The Donald's child, but on this we're totally with her. 

Catsuits

Where's MY Powerskin X-Glide?

Everyone from The Sports Scientist blog to the New York Times editorial page is outraged by the crushing victory of no-name German Paul Biedermann over Michael Phelps this week at the swimming World Championships in Rome. It's all about Bidermann's Arena X-Glide swim suit. Trust us, you haven't lived until you've been swaddled in buoyant polyurethane. How much faster is this new swimsuit than than your old, threadbare Speedo? Well, Bidermann's not the only one wearing them, and get this: 11 world records have dropped this week -- many of them by whole seconds or more, which is EONS in big time swimming. Bidermann's 400 meter time this week was fully eight seconds faster than the time he posted at the Beijing Olympics. Whatever. "I think the suits are destroying a little bit the sport," he noted. "It’s just, put on a suit, and you’re really, really fast." OK, nevermind the scandal and ethical implications, you've got more pressing concerns. FINA, the governing body of swimming, has banned the suits after this season, which means Arena and others may stop making them. A victory for fair competition, sure, but a potential missed opportunity for you. Your chance to crush your masters swim lanemates, and/or raise eyebrows on the beach in Montauk could be gone soon. Men, for a cool $384.31 you can still pick up a Powerskin XTreme "manpant" at participating online retailers. (Women, a full body suit is just $357.44.) Even if you're not a swimmer, this could make for a killer Halloween outfit. Act now while supplies last.