Health and Fitness Accessories - The 5 Things You Can't Live Without

As serious health and fitness enthusiast there are dozens of high tech gadgets, devices, programs and accessories that promise to make getting in shape easier. Here are five great health and fitness tools you can't live without if your mission is to get lean, fit and strong.

With these entertaining, motivating and tracking items, you will find new enthusiasm for losing weight and getting healthy.

1. Polar Heart Rate Monitor

A heart rate monitor is a watch and chest strap combination that records the amount of heart beats per minute. A heart rate monitor uses your resting heart rate to determine your current fitness level and tracks your improvements.

Wearing a heart rate monitor while training tracks the time you spend exercising, the intensity of your efforts (maximum, minimum and average beats per minute) and the amount of calories you expend based on your age and weight.

The heart rate monitor watch is robust but the chest strap will eventually lose its elasticity and may suffer rust on the metal components from being in contact with your sweat.

2. iPod

Can you imagine running a 5k race with a portable CD player stuffed down your pants?

iPods are one of the best things to ever happen to exercising. You can listen to your choice of music, audio books and podcasts as loud as you want without annoying anyone.

Beware getting your iPod wet when running it the rain, or next to your sweaty skin because they don't like the moisture. Other iPod hazards are wearing it in an armband when you are training your biceps (it restricts the muscle contraction) and dropping it off the console of the treadmill on to a concrete floor. And there is nothing worse than your battery dying half way through a long steady state cardio session.

3. Free Online Calorie Counter

A web based calorie counter means you can continue to log all your food and exercise even when you are away from home.

These sophisticated programs can tell you how many calories you have eaten, how much protein, carbohydrates, fat, sodium, fibre and vitamins are in your diet and your calorie balance once exercie has been subtracted. Most come with pretty graphs and reports to keep you on top of your nutrition.

4. Online Fitness Professionals

Cyberspace is full of fitness professionals who can help you become as fit, lean and healthy as you want through their online coaching programs, e-books, challenges, articles and forums. Whether you need a training program, a nutrition strategy, or a cheer squad, you can find them all on the Internet.

Sometimes though, the volume of information and the opposing opinions can be more confusion than helpful. If you take carefully considered advice and trust your instincts you will discover what works for you as an individual.

5. Your Favorite Shoes

Once you find a pair of trainers that give you support, comfort and style you will be a loyal customer for ever. Just remember that if you train 4-6 times a week you will need to get new shoes approximately every six months.

Keep your old pair of shoes under your desk at work so you can duck out for an impromptu quick walk at lunchtime even if you wore your stilettos to work that day.

When you are fully equipped with a Heart Rate Monitor, an iPod, a program to track your calorie input and output, a online trainer and the coolest pair of joggers you can find, you will have all the tools necessary to lose weight, get fit and be healthy.

Living a healthy life should be an adventure and you will enjoy it even more with these five excellent accessories.

*Sony Walkman photo courtesy of barthez4