Nordic Walking

Did you know you are invisible? If you go out for a fitness walk or dog-walking in the early morning or evening this time of year, it’s probably dark. Even walking through parking lots to the grocery store puts your pedestrian body at risk of not being seen by drivers. If you wear a running jacket, it might have some reflective striping. But most winter coats, ski jackets and hats are unreflective and come in muted, dark colors. You might as well be wearing a ninja suit - and your dog probably is invisible, too.

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Serious researchers studying how our feet interact with athletic footwear decided we had it all wrong. They’ve come up with a completely different midsole technology that supports the foot at the points in a stride their research determined it was needed. The result are OESH shoes — that’s the word shoe “upside down and inside out.” They sent me a pair to try out. I am a pretty big skeptic when it comes to claims about footwear, but I think they are on to something with these shoes. At the very least, they fit my feet right and feel natural to walk in. Their cantilever midsoles are different, but unlikely to produce stares. Review: OESH Shoes

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The 24th annual Slim Chance Awards from Frances M. Berg highlight bad weight loss products. From fraud to quackery, these products are unlikely to help you lose weight.

Most Outrageous: Just Think Media markets acai berry weight-loss pills, colon cleansers and resveratrol supplements. Canada’s Anti-Fraud Call Centre and the United States Federal Trade Commission are pursuing complaints (FTC Complaint) that customers found their credit cards overcharged and were unable to get promised money-back guarantees.

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Just in time for your resolutions, Consumer Reports has tested and rated treadmills, and pedometers and pedometer apps. Here is how they stacked up.

Best Treadmill: Precor 9.31 (Compare Prices): This non-folding treadmill is also on our list for top premium treadmill, and was nominated for the Walking.about.com Readers’ Choice Award in 2011.

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What do you do when you don’t have a pocket to carry your cell phone and the belt clips they sell seem to have it dangle precariously from your waistband? Hipzbag is a solution - a stylish redesign of the fanny pack for the iPhone age. Hipzbag Review

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If you’re starting to feel cabin fever, here are the winners of my yearly poll of AVA walkers to choose the best walks in the USA from among over 1800 year-round walking routes offered by local clubs. Top 10 Walks in the USA of 2011. All of these routes are offered this year, 2012, although some are seasonal and don’t open until spring. These walks are everywhere, and if you aren’t in the loop, here is a search for AVA year-round walks. I’ve done six of the top ten walks — how about you? This year the AVA has a new trail rating system.

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The Consumer Electronics Show 2012 gave Innovations Awards to fitness gadgets that walkers may find useful. I’ve already tried two of them.

Gaiam Touch Heart Rate Monitor SE336 from Oregon Scientific: The watch has a sleek, buttonless thin design you don’t mind wearing all day. It pairs with a chest strap heart rate monitor. It has fairly basic heart rate monitor functions, but is aimed towards users who just want to know if they are in the right zone and burning calories. Review| Compare Prices. I actually prefer their strapless model, the Touch ECG SE338 (Compare Prices), which looks similar and only takes your finger pulse.

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