Blood, Sweat and Pampering
Some exercise gear is meant just for fun or appearances. But other equipment really goes the extra mile--helping you push through a workout or pampering you once you’re done sweating.
Here are five products that make the grade:
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Bruising While Cruising?: Is anything more aggravating than running a road race with your fanny pack bumping up and down on your behind? But where else to stow energy bars, your keys, loose change and other essentials?
That dilemma inspired veteran runners Gerry Hans and Mary Button, the husband-and-wife team behind RaceReady sportswear of Glendale, to design and market the LD (for long distance) Short, offered in men’s and women’s styles, extra small to extra large. Besides a Velcro-fastened front pocket, there are five open pockets made of mesh along its backside. Vertical stitching between each section keeps these pockets in place. The short is made of Supplex and has an inner liner of CoolMax fabric, designed to wick away sweat.
Our mini-marathon test: There was no pocket movement, even with the pockets loaded with sports gel and loose change. The change even stayed put. And the shorts are comfortable. They’re at specialty running shops for about $30. Call (800) 537-6868 for store information.
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At Your Fingertips: Speaking of hassles, fishing around to find your Walkman’s volume control when you’re walking or running is annoying too.
It seems audio manufacturers have been listening. Several offer headphones with built-in volume control right on the headphone cord.
Among the offerings are Sony’s Audifonos Dinamicos, about $15 at stereo stores. Call (800) 222-7669 for store information.
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Focus, Aim, Punch: For kick-boxing fans, RevGear Sports offers new finger-free gloves for women. In soft leather, these gloves look more like pads with attached elastic bands that slip over each finger, the mid-palm and the wrist. Unlike regular boxing gloves, they allow enough movement to be worn throughout an entire class during such activities as jumping rope and cool-down push-ups.
To test them, we went to the cardio kick-boxing class taught by Jayne Dressor at the Burbank YMCA, where the wearing of special kick-boxing gloves isn’t mandatory but encouraged. They make it easier to focus on the punches, she says. Not to mention punch the right spot when Dressor travels around the class with her “focus pads,” asking students to punch as she checks proper form.
Our black-glove test: These gloves get you in the spirit and do keep you focused for punching and other upper body movements. At the end of the hour, the hands aren’t dripping with sweat because air can get to the palms and fingers.
The gloves cost about $30 at martial arts stores. Call (800) 767-8288 to order by mail.
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A Traveling Towel: Packtowl is billed as a towel for all needs--sweatband, camp potholder, emergency dressing. Made of viscose rayon, the towel is lightweight and absorbs more than nine times its weight in water, according to a spokeswoman for Cascade Designs, the manufacturer. Dries quickly too. An attached loop makes it easy to hook the towel to a backpack or waist pack.
Our field test: After we submerged it completely, it dried completely in 40 minutes outside on a 78-degree day.
About $6 for the small (10 inches by 27 inches) size and up to $20 for the extra large (39 inches by 59 inches). There’s also the Packtowl combination, with a small towel, soap and a storage bag, for about $22 at sporting goods and camping stores. For store information, call (800) 531-9531.
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Rest Those Tired Bones: For tired hikers, the slogan of Crazy Creek Products is music to the ears. “Don’t just do something. . . . Sit there!”
Among the products that back the slogan: Crazy Creek’s Long Back Chair for campers and hikers. It’s 2 inches wider and 4 inches longer than the original and promises extra back support. Simply unfold the pads, adjust the black straps holding top and bottom together and you’ve got a chair.
Our tryout: This chair looks flimsy but isn’t. The back support is noticeable. At a suggested retail of $46.99, the Long Back seems a good investment over the original chair, which sells for about $40.
The chair is available at specialty and sporting goods stores. Call (800) 331-0304 for store information.
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Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kdoheny@compuserve.com.