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Fitness Notebook

Step lightly

The VersaSteps balancing pods are versatile and functional. You can arrange them into various patterns and simply step on them as if they were rocks in a stream. You can use them to build better mind and body connection or to rehab, or you can incorporate them into sport-specific training or activities ranging from Pilates to yoga. Kids seem to like them, too. As with any balancing tool, you need to pay attention when using them.

The steps are shaped like mushrooms and can be used with either flat or pebble side up. They are sold in sets of two or six and come in various colors. The dimensions: 5 inches wide by 4 inches high; each weighs a pound.

A set of six air-filled pods and a carry bag retails for $36.95. See www.power-systems.com for more information.

Bon appétit

Dr. Pamela Peeke, author of "Fit To Live," offers five nutrition tips:

• Drink a glass of 100 percent orange juice a day. It provides essential nutrients, such as folate, vitamins C and B6, flavonoids, potassium and magnesium. They help your immune system.

• Eat nuts. People who eat nuts at least four times a week have 51 percent fewer heart attacks than those who eat them less often, according to a study by Loma Linda University.

• Eating one or two servings of fish per week provides omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

• Work black beans into your diet. They provide flavonoids and folate.

• Get whole grains in your bread, brown rice and cereal for B vitamins and a variety of minerals (iron, magnesium and selenium).

A workout for busy men

Those quickie workout exercise tapes always seem to target women, but men are pressed for time, too. Those quickie workouts are also often a bit light. But if you're going to be brief, you should at least go hard.

So "Men's Health 15-Minute Workout" is a welcome addition to the market. It provides abs work, fat-burning and core strengthening. What helps it stand apart is a segment on "offset training," in which you go through the moves bearing dumbbells of uneven weights.

Los Angeles-based fitness expert Terry Simpson handles a 10-pound difference quite easily. But it's not easy, and as he reminds you, proper, safe form is critical. You can take the four challenging regimens out from in front of the TV set and to your gym or park, wherever you focus and feel best. See www.mhdvd.com ($14.95).

Which are you?

What's your exercise personality? Cooking Light, a food and healthy-living magazine, published a mail-in survey and came up with five distinct groups when it comes to food choices, exercise routines and mindset:

• Balancers (21 percent) incorporate health and fitness into their daily lives with ease. They don't suffer or give up things they love. Almost all of them agree that the key to losing and maintaining weight is eating in moderation and exercise.

• Bargainers (13 percent) find good choices a high priority but difficult. They feel they have to exercise more to make up for diet sin and are prone to feelings of guilt. Bottom line, they're making healthy choices, but at a price.

• Exercise Ambivalents (13 percent) try to make healthy food choices, opting for low-fat foods and beverages. They feel good about their progress; but are lax about regular exercise. They are more likely to have medical conditions linked to obesity and lack of exercise.

• Strugglers (23 percent) are often defined by stress. They tend to eat for emotional reasons. They are the most dissatisfied with their weight, fitness, stress level and mental well-being. They hope for a quick fix to health and diet issues.

• Rejectors (27 percent) still don't pay attention to health and fitness. They eat as much as they want and do not exercise much. For the most part, they are men.

(Note: Because of rounding and statistical anomalies, the numbers don't add up to 100 percent.)

Yoga gear goes green

Natural Fitness has launched a line of "100 percent eco-friendly" yoga products, including a natural rubber mat made entirely of plant-based material.

The dense cushion mat can be composted at the end of its use. The mats aren't cheap, costing as much as $79.99, but they might make you feel better about your environmental footprint. The company pays attention to the material it uses and harvests, and it pays for planting a tree for every product it sells.

The company's line also includes hemp bags, bolsters and straps and a bamboo yoga block as well as weighted and exercise balls.

See www.naturalfitnessinc.com for details.

When working, play it safe

Spring and summer chores count as exercise. In that spirit, take a moment to consider safety tips from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

• Separate your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your back upright and bend at the knees while tightening the stomach muscles when you lift. Use leg muscles as you stand. Don't carry or lift an object by yourself if it is too heavy or an awkward shape.

• Use a step stool instead of furniture when dusting hard-to-reach areas.

• Never place a ladder on ground or flooring that is uneven, soft or wet.

• Over-reaching or leaning too far to one side when working on a ladder can spell trouble. Your bellybutton should not go beyond the sides of the ladder.

• Avoid prolonged repetitive motions when gardening. Wear gloves to reduce blistering and protect skin.

• Take frequent breaks and replenish fluids to prevent dehydration. If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath or other signs of a heart attack, seek emergency care.

Beating those blister blues

Why let a foot blister knock you off stride? In fact, why get them? That's the thinking behind Blister Prevention Patches by Engo.

The company claims an adhesive patch sticks to a usual trouble spot, prevents friction burns and can last for weeks. The Intro Pack retails for $4.95, the Six Pack is $12.95.

For more information, see www.GoEngo.com.

Targeting trouble spots

Fitness expert Minna Lessig has released a book and DVD aimed at women toning and sculpting their trouble spots. I'm a bit skeptical of the claims that come with "Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, and Boy Shorts Bottom," but she enjoys a good reputation within the industry and has worked with the likes of Alex Rodriguez.

The book, which retails for $18.95, presents a four-week program aimed at not just toning but energizing. The DVD, which retails for $14.98, offers three workouts, each targeting specific body sections as well as a 15-minute total-body circuit. You can find it cheaper used on Amazon.com.

See www.minnalessig.com for more information.

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