Finding the motivation to work out can be tough. These nine fitness accessories will give you a little help.

By Sarah Unke

Hamstretch
Tight hamstrings can keep you from getting across the court in time to reach a tough ball; they can also cause knee and back pain. But a lot of people don’t have the flexibility in their legs and backs to do a proper hamstring stretch. Enter the Hamstretch. This stretching aid helps those lacking flexibility get the stretch they need in their hammies, glutes, and hips. It’s simple to use: Lie on your back, put your leg in the cradle of the Hamstretch, and pull back with your arms.
www.hamstretch.com, $50

Lug Puddle Jumper gym bag
With convenient pockets, this bag has your gym-going needs covered. There’s room to pack extra clothes along with a laptop and anything else for the office. The strap on the back is meant to slide onto a rolling suitcase, but it can double as a spot for a tennis racquet. The best features: a detachable mirror you can use to check yourself out before you leave the gym and a separate mesh pocket to quarantine shoes and sweaty clothes.
www.lugtravel.com, $75

Sharper Image scale and body-fat monitor
Keep track of your weight-loss progress with this scale. Also, after you enter your age, height, gender, and an approximated fi tness level, the LCD digital display will tell you your body-fat percentage. And because it’s clear, it won’t be an eyesore on your bathroom floor.
www.sharperimage.com, $70

Nintendo Wii
Fit The Wii has put a new face on video games by prodding players off the couch. Wii Fit, a new suite of games set to come out in the first half of 2008, takes this a step further. Armed with a pressure-sensitive balance board that you can stand on or even do pushups on, you can try aerobics, yoga, stretches, and games.
www.nintendo.com

Tanita Healthy
Jump jump rope Jumping rope is a great way to get a cardio workout without setting foot in a gym. With this adjustable 10-foot jump rope you can work your heart anywhere you want. It’s digital, so you enter your weight and the LCD display tells you how many calories you burn, just like when you’re on a treadmill. And you can go as long as you want: It counts up to 9,999 jumps and 4,108 calories burned.
www.thecompetitiveedge.com, $20

Perfect Pushup
Trainers herald pushups as an excellent strengthening exercise because they tone your chest, arms, back, and core simultaneously. The Perfect Pushup improves the motion by allowing your arms to rotate naturally (like when you punch) as you lower and rise, reducing strain on your joints. The movement destabilizes you more than when your hands are on the floor, increasing the core workout. It also comes in a travel version that collapses to fit in a little pouch.
www.perfectpushup.com, $40, travel version $60

Sigg water bottles
Plastic bottles are piling up in recycling centers, while reusable hard-plastic bottles can’t be recycled. So where can you fi nd an eco-friendly, reusable water bottle to take to the gym? With more than 100 aluminum bottle designs to choose from, Sigg has you covered. The bottles last 10 to 20 years and are recyclable. And the internal coating doesn’t have a smell or taste, so your water won’t have that plastic-y flavor.
www.mysigg.com, $16–30

Motorola S9 Active wireless headphones
Ever catch your headphone wire on something and have the tunes ripped away from your ears? With these headphones, which have a Bluetooth adaptor that plugs into your iPod and communicates with the headphones wirelessly, you can say goodbye to that gym-time annoyance and move freely.
www.sharperimage.com, $170

PumpOne downloadable workouts
You take your iPod to the gym, so why not have it double as your personal trainer? PumpOne.com has complete workouts in the categories of strength, weight loss, endurance, flexibility, and heart health. You download them, sync them onto your video iPod, and click through your workout while listening to your own music. Each exercise has instructions and photos to show you proper form. When you’re done with an exercise, click the next button for your next move. There’s even a tennis-specific stretch and core package.
www.pumpone.com, single workouts start at $9, packages start at $49