You may have a need or curiosity to figure out what your fitness status is after a period of inactivity or even periodically, to measure progress (or regression!). How important it is we have already written about it here, but in order to accomplish this you must have tools. We recommend them here, not neglecting that if something goes wrong and you get injured, you may also need some remedies. Of course, excluding that the problems are more serious, in which case our advice is always to seek expert advice.
In this buyer’s guide we recommend the tools to know your fitness status and some remedies if something goes wrong. Ready? Go!
Get to know you
Let us assume that (almost) everything can be measured. We measure each other’s weight, height, belly circumference, times (especially those!). Weight is a meaningful figure up to a point, which is why the advice is to spend a little more and buy a scale that also provides an estimate of fat mass and other parameters.
Garmin Smart Index People Weighing Scale
The Garmin Smart Index scale measures weight, percentage of water, fat, muscle and bone mass, rileva up to 16 different users and automatically recognizes them from weighing, and best of all, you can connect it via wirelessly with Garmin Connect.
Accuweight food scale
To control your weight you also need to weigh what you eat, right? The Accuweight digital scale is reasonably priced, weighs up to 5kg of food, and is minimalist with its total black glass top and red display only. We like it!
Measure and note your performance
Having checked your body weight and what you eat, it is time to put on your shoes and hit the streets to measure your performance. To do it right, you need to know exactly how far you have traveled, and if you don’t have an athletic track available, you can only rely on precise measurement. Here’s how to do it.
Metric wheel
The metric wheel is used to measure, precisely, a distance on the road. Just push it on its wheel and it takes care of measuring. A kind of stroller with only one wheel. And without a seat. A wheel with a stick attached, basically. And a display where you can read how many meters you have traveled.
Moleskine Passion Journal Wellness
We always write down everything on our cell phones or computers, so for a very personal passion like running, we thought it was more romantic to use paper. Moleskine’s Passion Journal Wellness notebook is designed precisely to allow you to jot down your progress from the perspective of mental and physical well-being alone.
Train from home
To train, one must not only run, or rather: to run well, one must also train. No: to run well you also need to do other kinds of training, that’s how it was! Fortifying the core and other parts of the body is very important for running better because it allows you to do work that running neglects. The tools we recommend are useful for free-body exercises or even for practicing yoga, a discipline that is always great to incorporate, not only for athletic training per se but also for the mental benefits it brings.
Core Stability: incremento delle performance e prevenzione degli infortuni
To do floor exercise at home you really need very few things. Two in particular.
Foam Roller
Used for muscle massage, foam rollers are used on various parts of the body by “sliding” over them. The set we recommend consists of 4 items: a large roller for massaging entire muscle bands, a smaller roller for more punctual massages, a ball, and a set of 3 elastic bands of different strengths for extension work.
Mat
Most useful for floor work, lying down or crawling, and for yoga, this mat has one face that adheres to the floor and a softer face on which to practice exercises. It is made of TPE, a totally recyclable material.
Hydrate
How important it is to hydrate before, after and during sports activity we have already told you. But how to do it? Here’s how!
Sports Water Bottle OOBY
A simple water bottle to hold water or the liquid you prefer to drink during your runs but with a special feature: a loop in the center that allows you to grab it like a handle so you can carry it more easily.
Chilly’s Bottles
Beautiful and colorful, Chilly’s bottles have a special feature: they are thermal and capable of keeping the contents warm or cold for many, many hours. Don’t you believe it? Try leaving them under the summer sun-you won’t believe the result.
If things don’t go right
Did you stick to the training program, made an effort but got injured? Before going to a specialist and then hoping that the situation is not serious, these are some tools you can use to minimize or keep less serious injuries under control.
Nexcare Flexible Bearing
Ever heard of cold therapy? It is used to treat minor joint pain, very localized trauma, and contractures. In fact, the cold helps to flush out the muscle tissues involved. These Nexcare pads are reusable, and you just keep them in the freezer in hopes of having to use them as little as possible!
Compex SP4.0 Electrostimulator
To recover muscle tone faster and to have a pleasant massage, electrostimulation is one of the most effective methods. The Compex SP4.0 system can also analyze the muscle and figure out what type and intensity of stimulation is needed.