These tools for fitness can also give a motivational boost to folks starting off 2007 with specific health goals and resolutions.
"A lot of people are data-driven these days," said Bryan Stednitz, assistant director of fitness and wellness for Indiana University's Division of Recreational Sports. "They want to see (that) what they're doing makes a difference.
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Online services, such as , are taking advantage of the social networking phenomenon by providing ways for people to share experiences and jogging routes.
Some online services, such as , offer free streaming exercise music and workout podcasts, says Stednitz.
And then there are all the gadgets -- the GPS mapping systems, heart-rate monitors, fitness watches and shoes and clothing with monitoring sensors usually used with iPods.
A lot of this is pricey, but as more people buy these high-tech fitness products, expect the price to go down, says Erik Rhey, features editor for PC Magazine.
Here is a roundup of techno toys you can buy to help your workout.
Bones in Motion Active (BiM) software and the Runner's World RunTracker is a wireless training resource that can be used by runners, walkers or cyclists on select Get It Now-enabled cell phones.
With BiM Active, people can track workout routines using its GPS tracking technology to monitor speed, distance, calories burned, pace and route, and listen to V CAST Music.
Cost: $9.99 for monthly service or $1.
99 daily for Bones in Motion software or RunTracker service; between $50 and $200 each for 10 different Get It Now-enabled phones.
These glasses for runners have retractable ear buds with telescoping boom speakers and push buttons that allow you to fast forward, rewind and pause music. Lenses are polarized to cut glare.
Cost: $200 to $500, depending on storage amount and lenses
For runners, this fleece-encased PrimaLoft insulation provides warmth, and a removable Lavawool system draws away moisture from skin. The nylon frames are foldable and adjustable. The ear buds are built into the behind-the-head ear warmers made by Vermont-based Gordini.
Attach to your iPod or wear them just for warmth.
This water-resistant watch for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy snow sports and other activities. Gives you heart rate, altimeter, barometer, vertical speed and temperature readings.
It also has a Polar Fitness Test measuring fitness levels in five minutes and Polar OwnCal energy expenditure that counts calories burned during exercise.
This wristwatch is a GPS-enabled trainer that calculates heart rate, distance, time, speed, calories burned and pace-setting with "virtual partner." It can beep when you're out of your target heart-rate zone, store and review up to 1,000 laps, save favorite routes, track your speed vs.
heart rate. $350; model 205 without heart rate monitor.
Use your iPod nano and a pair of Nike-Plus ready shoes, with a sensor placed in a cavity in the shoe's sole, and a receiver.
Hear how your run or walk is going by pushing a button on the iPod nano. Track time, distance, pace and calories burned while running or walking, and create a personal playlist in iTunes.
Cost: Sport kit, $29; shoes, about $100.
This is a wireless power meter for a bicycle that combines a light-weight power-measuring hub with a 2.4Ghz wireless transmission. You buy the rear wheel, with a hub attached to it that measures torque and wheel speed.
Then you insert it into a bike frame. Information is transmitted via digital radio frequency to a receiver mounted on the seat stay. Data is wired to the PowerTap computer, mounted on the handlebar.
The computer gets a signal from the heart-rate monitor chest strap. Screen displays trip distance, time, cadence and energy expenditure. The data can be downloaded using software included in the package.
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