Here's how to exercise

Dear PropellerHeads: Seeing all of the amazing Olympic athletes has made me realize that I need to rev up my commitment to exercise. Do you have any tools you could suggest to assist me in that endeavor?

A: I hope you're not expecting a PropellerHead to help you gain the speed of swimmer Missy Franklin, the Olympic newcomer, who won a bunch of gold medals for us; or the agility and fortitude of Jordyn Wieber, who helped the women's gymnastics team once again bring home gold. I'm a bit leery of folks who want help from PropellerHeads in regard to physical activity. We're best at being nerds always within sight of our computers, but here goes!

There are a multitude of gadgets, gizmos, and even phone apps to help you. I'll discuss a couple of the gadgets. And for those of you like me who are too cheap to buy the gadgets, I'll discuss some of the phone apps available to assist you.

Do you like to move it like Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, whose women's beach volleyball dominance is beyond compare? Maybe the Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) is just what you need. This nifty little exercise tracking device is available for around $100 and clips onto a belt, shirt, or whatever you're wearing.

Fitbit monitors all physical activity from walking to bicycling to sleeping. That's right, even sleeping. It will monitor your habits from how long it takes you to get to sleep, to how many times you wake, to how many times you toss and turn. I'm afraid tossing and turning would be the most measurable movement on my Fitbit if I had one.

Your exercise habits are logged within the Fitbit and then wirelessly and automatically synced whenever you are in proximity to its charger base. The basic web interface is free. For an additional fee of $49.99 per year, you can use Fitbit's enhanced web interface which will allow you to compare your statistics with other Fitbit users, help you set benchmarks, store your history, and print reports on your progress.

Also, for about $180 is the Bodybugg SP (www.bodybugg.com). This device is worn on an arm band. Much like the Fitbit, the Bodybugg measures and records your physical activities. The Bodybugg system's web interface is free for the first 6 months and then you must purchase a subscription. Prices are $9.95 per month or $79.95 for a year-long subscription. Like Fitbit, your information is available online.

The Bodybugg monitors your motion, skin temperature, skin perspiration, and air temperature, allowing for a more accurate analysis of your activity level. Since Fitbit only measures movement, being on a bumpy car ride will log as exercise. The Bodybugg interface also has an extensive food database which allows you to more accurately record your caloric intake.

Now for those of you who are cheap like me, there are more and more phone applications for both Android and iPhone platforms to get your rear in gear. Many of the apps use your phone's built-in gps to help monitor your progress. I'll mention a few.

First is Sportypal (www.sportypal.com). It is free to download and use. However, if you want to track your activities and compare them with others, you will have to upgrade to a paid subscription, which is still cheaper than a couple of delivery pizzas - and much healthier too!

Also free to download are apps for daily workouts. There is the Daily Cardio Workout, the Daily Arm Workout, the Daily Ab Workout, the Daily Leg Workout, and the Daily Butt Workout. The workouts are demonstrated by a certified personal trainer with easy-to-understand instructions. I doubt the apps will give you the strength, speed, and power of Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, but everyone has to start somewhere.

Now back to the tracking gadgets. Remember that Fitbit records your activity 24/7 if you're wearing it. You may want to leave the Fitbit on the nightstand unless you want your exercise buddies to know everything! Now get up and get a move on!

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. Email them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.