I was told that I should "get outside" by a coworker since I live in a great area and jog, as opposed to jog on my treadmill. Good point I thought, but I still want to be able to view my e-mail, irc, rss feeds. So I started a new project...

I have a lightweight pair of glasses with a small LCD screen, connected to a pocket PC (with video out) which is also connected to my phone via bluetooth. I've added a bluetooth GPS, so as I jog near certain areas it will play content, "I live in Seattle so when I jog near the Space Needle, say, the system knows when I am near this landmark and can set off information about it (video and audio)" said Phillip Torrone, the 28-year-old inventor of the geek gym.

The Geek Gym has xbox (xbox live), a tablet PC on WI-FI with e-mail, IRC, instant messaging, RSS reader, web streaming news, video, audio etc. along with a LCD tv which is connected to a media center PC for recorded tv and DVD watching.

The portable geek gym consists of a pair of sunglasses with a half-inch square LCD screen incorporated into the right lens, a Pocket PC with video output, a pedometer that can be attached to a running shoe, a Spot Watch that can receive and display news from the Web, headphones and a GPS unit.

The gym requires actual running, but it helps with the motivation part. Because the GPS unit is in constant communication with the Pocket PC, the system always knows where the runner is.

The addition of a cell phone with Bluetooth added to the mix means the jogger can also check his e-mail while on the run. The system alerts the runner to a new e-mail with a beep and the subject line scrolls across the LCD.

What's the risk with having access to all this technology while you workout??

Personal trainers have said that, in theory, any device that motivates people can be considered a good thing. However, it may distract you and you could end up tripping over a tree root because you're looking at the screen in the sunglasses and not paying attention to where you're running.

Devices such as these could disrupt focus on the workout, which could be detrimental.

Studies of people on treadmills and bikes with a TV in front of them have found that the people with the TV get less of a workout than those who focus on the workout alone. The TV tends to slow down the pace, as people are not focusing on the workout but getting distracted. Other studies have shown distraction when examining cell-phone use while driving. You can drive well and are able to talk on a cell phone well, but when you do both together your performance on both decreases.

Exercise should be a time we use to recuperate from all the technology we have to endure during the rest of the day. We all need to give our bodies a vacation from technology. If we don't give ourselves this downtime the effects can be harmful.