Electronic Awareness Raising (EAR)
January 9, 2009 9:09 am ThoughtsA recent magazine feature on the top 50 Fitness Gadgets ranging from electronic devices through to high tech clothing that would obviously help you on your way to any New Year’s resolutions to take some/more exercise and get fit/fitter, has got me thinking.
“What would my top fitness gadgets be?” After pondering the question on and off for some time, I decided that my choice of gadget(s) would have to do some extra that was that little bit special – some added feature or function that you couldn’t get any other way. As my thoughts turned to narrowing down my list, there was something I couldn’t just put my finger on. Then it came to me – what they were about was “Electronic Awareness Raising (EAR)”.
So in raising my awareness whilst exercising of my speed/distance and heart rate, one of my top fitness gadgets has to be an advanced sports watch (in my case a Garmin Forerunner 50).
My other choice of top fitness gadget goes to the Nintendo Wii Fit. Here’s the rub – it is not to do with increasing my fitness – but rather raising my awareness of when I am NOT exercising. Somehow that small, slightly irritating, anthropomorphic character that monitors your progress has got inside my head. I know it is only a computer program responding to when I do and don’t exercise. And I know that it knows that I know that it is only a program, but somehow I have become very aware of when I am NOT exercising and that I should do something about it!