Fitter in the News

Swap Your Desk Chair For a Stability Ball
Balancing yourself on a stability ball (those oversized balls bouncing around gyms) strengthens your core muscles - abdomen, lower back, and hips - which stabilize the trunk and allow you to run faster with less effort, according to Deborah Mullen, a certified trainer and runner in San Luis Obispo, California. Sitting on a stability ball also demands good posture, which carries over to proper running form and decreases risk of back injuries. "Runner's lower back muscles tend to be stronger than their abs", says Mullen. "That imbalance can pull the back out of alignment." Start with an hour the first day, and gradulayy increase tim spent on the ball an hour each day. You might feel sore at first, especially if your abs aren't in six-pack condition yet - Jonanna Sayago
Runner's World - October 2004

...The best thing about the Bongo Board, retailers pointed out, is that both kids and adults are pulled toward it, but for different reasons - the kids for adventure, while the adults for nostalgia... - David Ferris
Geartrends - Summer 2004

Was that a scootercycle? Expect to see a lot of TRIKKES on city bike paths this summer. Often compared to in-line skating or skiing on pavement, "trikking" will appeal to all manner of riders, from hot-shot tricksters to baby boomers who like the low-impact feel of in-line skating - Annarosa Sabbadini
Doctor's Review - March 2004

Spine sense
This is no ordinary stool. Masquerading as a slick seat you're more likely to find in a trendy LA resto than a doctor's clinic, Fitterfirst's Swopper is a core-strengthening tool that bends and bounces every which way, so you have to work your abs to stay upright. A spring-loaded seat post, which adjusts to weight and height, permits a whole range of fluid and intuitive motions such as tilting, swaying and bouncing. The result is a very light ab workout you do while also exercising the mind at your computer screen. Physiotherapists will love this one.
Doctor's Review - September 2003

Bongo Boogie Boosts Balance
...The Bongo Board is a tool with which to fine-tune awareness of your body's position in space or a ticket to six weeks in traction, depending on how you approach it.Looking and functioning much like a two-by-four on a rolling pin, this device is all about adding balance, stability and a quicker reaction time to your repertoire. It teaches your body to be aware of, and correct for, subtle and not-so-subtle weight shifts and imbalances. Working on a Bongo Board (or any balance device) helps create a stable base on a fluid medium. That it adds a little fun to your workouts is merely a bonus...
- Pete Estabrooks for the Calgary Herald - December 2003

Wobble Boards - They can prevent ankle twists, improve balance and build muscle. Spending around 15 minutes a day on a wobble boards - a rocking platform that makes you teeter like Boris Yelstin after lunch - can help an injured ankle heal faster. But it also can prevent ankle sprains, says John Cianca M.D., director of musculoskeletal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. The exercise strengthens the peroneal muscles, in your lower legs, which brace your ankles during side-to-side movements. "These muscles prevent your ankle from rolling inward, the most common cause of sprains", says Dr. Cianca. The exercise also improves your balance for running, inline skating, skiing and golf. A wobble board offers upper-body benefits too. Doing pushups ona wobble or balance board forces you to push equally hard with both arms, says Kyle Pierce, Ed D., C.S.C.S., a weight lifting coach. That's useful, because many men have uneven muscle development.
Men's Health - Spring 2002

The Best Inventions of 2002 - Three-Wheeler - This isn't your kid brother's tricycle!
The Trikke (pronounced "trike") is made at the same Chinese factory that builds Razor scooters. Its three wheels may look silly, but they make the Trikke more stable than the Razor. After pushing off with one foot, the rider uses the side-to-side rocking motion used by in-line skaters to keep it going.
Dennis Galante for Time - November 2002

Fitter International Inc. #25 on Alberta's Fastest Growing Companies 2002
Alberta Venture - January/February 2002

For Stronger Abs, Please Take a Seat.
Do crunches make you cringe? Try sitting on an exercise ball. It strengthens and tones your abs as it improves your balance, posture and coordination. How? By forcing your abs, back and trunk muscles to work even though you're unaware of it, says Los Angeles fitness trainer Kevin Lewis. Adding small bounces or lower-body tilts will up the ante. One Shape editor who sat at her desk for just six weeks developed abs that are the envy of the office, without a single crunch. If you can't ball-sit, a small rubbery disk on your chair (the Sit-Fit) delivers similar results.
- Amy Goldhammer Shape - May 2001

Balancing Acts
Don't be put off by the funny equipment - functional training builds real-world skills in the gym or at home. Our can't-miss regimen will leave your friend staggering. Louis Stack sees the future of exercise: Dutiful employees sequestered in their cubicles, each seated on a Swiss ball - a kind of latter-day Hippity-Hop sans handle - sipping coffee, typing reports, and making phone calls. Hasta la Vista health clubs; buh-bye Tae-Bo. No, Stack's not some interior design wing-nut. Rather, the Calgary-based former World Cup skier champions Swiss balls, along with a dozen or so other devices sold by his company, Fitter International Inc., as the keys to what's known as functional training... - Alisa Smith
- Outside - January 2001