Fitness accessories

Whatever your preferred workout, fitness accessories can help you to achieve more, or at least be more comfortable!

In general, fitness accessories will help you to achieve at least one of those things. Examples of this would include:

• Increased performance: Heart rate monitors, running shoes, swimming buoys, foam rollers, stability discs, Swiss balls.
  
  
• Increased comfort: Workout clothes, swimming goggles, yoga mats.

Of course some fitness accessories will do both - a good yoga mat will not only make performing the positions more comfortable, but because you are more comfortable and relaxed you will perform them better.

In some cases the increase in performance can be quite dramatic - research has shown that performing crunches on a Swiss ball uses up to 60% more abdominal muscles than performing the same exercise on a mat.

Similarly, using a heart rate monitor allows you to accurately assess the intensity of your workouts. While it is useful to know that you are at the correct heart rate during your cardio workouts, when you are performing more intense interval workouts, it becomes absolutely essential.

Finally, there are those products that allow you to try out new activities - in particular home workout videos and DVDs. From Yoga and Pilates to the many cardio and strength workouts, the choice is endless.