Did you hear?… Health magazine lauds equipment in annual awards

In its fourth-annual installment, Health magazine has named four pieces of equipment it calls “best,” changing its strategy of the past couple of years where it named equipment in categories above and below certain prices.

This year the awards were dubbed “America’s Healthiest Buys” instead of “Best of Fitness.”

Horizon/AFG picked up two of the four 2008 awards – one for home gym and one for treadmill – while LifeCore and SportsArt claimed the remaining two slots, for recumbent bike and elliptical, respectively.

AFG, Horizon’s specialty fitness brand, was named as having the “best weight system” for its 2.0 AS Home Gym. The gym is a cable system (MSRP $1,200) with high, mid and low pulleys. Horizon’s T1200 treadmill was named “best treadmill,” and is sold exclusively at Dick’s. It is a part of the Made for iPod program, which incorporates a dock, charger and console controls in the folding treadmill design (MSRP $2,600). 

“First year for AFG and first year basically for the company in strength,” Mike Olson, Horizon vice president of marketing told SNEWS®. “So this is a great way to enter the category. With the treadmill, we were the first to sign up with Apple for the iPod program.” 

LifeCore nabbed “best stationary bike” with its update on the step-through recumbent, LC1000rb (MSRP $1,500). It has full programs and an advanced console, as well as a mesh-back comfort seat with back and seat-tilt adjustments.

The magazine named SportsArt’s E825 elliptical as “best.” The piece has an electronically adjustable stride length for varied fit (MSRP $3,700).

The equipment division was judged by Lynn Allen, who has been a consultant for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

A total of 25 pieces won accolades from the magazine in six categories including, in addition to equipment, gear (watch, bag, pedometer, light, hydration), apparel (bra, jacket, pants, shorts/skirt, top), footwear (run, walk, trail run, light hiking), fuel (bar, beverage) and DVDs (Pilates, yoga, dance, strength, cardio).

In the gear category – with that category’s judging led by SNEWS® gear pooh-bahs Michael Hodgson and Therese Iknoian – winners were the Timex iControl watch, a Sherpani gym bag, the ThinQ pedometer, the NiteIze SpotLit carabiner light, and the GelBot hydration/gel bottle.

To see winners in other categories, click here. The June issue of Health magazine, published by Time Inc., hit news stands May 27.