The patches offered by Health Marvels employ the holistic healing system of Reflexology. By using compression and touch, the Health Marvels patches stimulate reflex points in the feet to promote equilibrium. The heat from the patches helps absorb perspiration. This method claims to cleanse the waste and toxins expelled by the body. The theory concludes most nerves in the body end in the feet, making the bottom of the feet a dumping ground for toxins and impurities.

Tourmaline, known as The Electric Stone, is a naturally occurring mineral used in many of the patches produced by Health Marvel. The mysterious dynamic properties of Tourmaline have been a source of study for years. Tourmaline generates a weak electric current that produces far infrared rays. This process converts moisture in the air to negative ions. These ions, said to draw out the bodies impurities, are hot subjects in many health products.

List of Ingredients

Wood Vinegar, Bamboo Vinegar, Sporopollenin, Chitosan, Loquat Leaf, Dokudami: Houttuynia Cordata, Vitamin C, Tourmaline, Vegetable fiber, Dextrin, Agaricus, Chitin, Red pepper, Amethyst, Grapefruit, Milk Thistle, Green Tea, Dandelion, Blackhaw, Fennel, Licorice, Aloe Vera

Product Features

The tourmaline patches are color coded based on the active ingredient. There are approximately fifteen patches available with a variety of claimed effects. Each package contains adhesive backing sheets and a separate pad. Tourmaline purports to relieve stress, increase metal alertness, improve circulation and strengthen the immune system. Additionally, use of the pads promises to help with fatigue, joint pain, headaches and skin rashes.

Advantages

• The products are approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health.
• According to the Health Marvels website, The Detox Pad Patch has achieved the position of ‘Number One Seller’ fourteen times in Japan since 1990.
• The electromagnetic properties of tourmaline are proven. There is research to suggest negative ion release enhances people moods.
• There are a number of testimonials offered on the website regarding the benefits of patch use.

Disadvantages

• Products offering tourmaline have no scientific backing. There is a lot of medical jargon that when dissected is meaningless.
• The FDA has not approved this product.
• There is limited information available on the products produced by Health Marvels. The patches offer little is the way of third party endorsements.

Conclusion

While there is a lot of hype about products containing tourmaline, at this point that is all that exists. There does not seem to be any substantial medical studies involving the effects of this mineral for the human body. Tourmaline, as with most products used in holistic healing, simply does not have academic support to prove its worth. The Health Marvels patches have yet to gain FDA endorsement. The company offers little in the way of scientific testing for any of the ingredients included in the patches. Until proven medical studies can accept or refute claims, no one will know if tourmaline or the Health Marvels patches have the ability to eliminate waste and toxins from the human body.

iJoy Ride is an exercise machine created by Human Touch. The machine works to strengthen the lumbar, abdominal and hip muscles with a unique free ride motion. According to the official Human Touch website, the iJoy Ride provides effortless workouts that are fun and easy.

List of Ingredients

The iJoy Ride fitness rider.

Product Features

Human Touch has created a machine that allows the user to sit and workout with very little effort. According to the written literature and workout video, the iJoy Ride moves from front to back and side to side at varying speeds. The rider is forced to tighten various muscles of the body in order to hold on without falling off. The motion of the iJoy Ride is similar to that of a bull riding machine. There is only a seat and a front bar to hold on to during the ride.

Along with the base iJoy Ride machine is packaged with a remote control the user can use to change settings during the ride. The control is small and compact enough not to inhibit the work out. Movements can be adjusted during a workout or before the workout begins. There are no preprogrammed work outs so the rider must choose when to stop or how long to ride.

The theory behind the iJoy Ride is sound. When the body is forced to balance, many muscle groups are used in the process. The abdominal muscles, however, are some of the smallest in the body and thus offer no calorie burn to speak of during an exercise work out.

Users are limited to 253 pounds of body weight which may be too little for some dieters. There are no diet plans or fat burning supplements suggested with the iJoy Ride. The product sells directly from the website for $499 plus shipping and handling. It is ready to use out of the box and requires a common household electrical outlet to work.

Advantages

• Balancing is a good work out for core muscles.
• Customer reviews are listed on the main website.
• An instructional video can be found online.

Disadvantages

• There is very little calorie burn associated with core movements.
• The price of the iJoy Ride is far higher than other comparable work out machines.
• The machine is limited to users below 250 pounds.
• No supplements or healthy diet guidelines are provided along with the machine.

Conclusion

The iJoy Ride is an innovative solution for toning core muscles along the midline of the body, but weight loss will probably not occur with machine usage. The machine is also priced at more than $500 with shipping and handling which may be too expensive for some dieters as it works only one section of the body with no cardio effect.

iForce Nutrition formulates and manufactures a line of athletic supplements for body builders. Most of the products in the iForce line are not suitable for use by people simply trying to lose weight. Products include Adipoxil, Reversitol, Reversitol V2, TT-33, Hemavol, Testabolan V2 and Maximize. Adipoxil is the one supplement that aims to reduce body fat by increasing metabolism for all users and not just weight lifters.

List of Ingredients

Adipoxil : 3,3 Diiodo L-Thyronine, 3,5 Diiodo L-Thyronine, Advantra Z (providing 50mg Synephrine and a Full Spectrum Extract of Naturally Occuring Amines: Hordenine, Octopamine, Tyramine, N-Methyl Tyramine), Octopamine HCL, Methyl B-Phenylethyllamine HCL, Cayenne Pepper, Raspberry Ketones, Caffeine Anhydrous, Chlorogenic Acid (50% Green Coffee Bean Extract), Fucoxanthin, and 10% Yohimbine HCL.

Product Features

Adipoxil by iForce Nutrition is not a supplement for the weak at heart. There are at least three stimulants in the formula and one that has many of the same effects as banned ingredients from the past. Advantra Z is a strong stimulant that can cause increase heart rate, jitters, nausea and vomiting. Caffeine is another stimulant and Green Coffee Bean is a third.

Fucoxanthin has been tested in rodents and the results were reduced fat stores in the abdominal areas. No research has been completed, however, on humans and thus the potential side effects are not known. Yohimbine is a common weight loss supplement ingredient and is also used as a natural erectile dysfunction aid in men.

Packing three strong stimulants into a fat burner may seem like a great idea as the user will get three times the burn, but that is not the case. More stimulants simply increase the chance of having side effects from taking the supplement. Over stimulation can lead to health problems that require medical intervention which may leave some dieters feeling skeptical about iForce Nutrition Adipoxil.

The cost of a one month supply of iForce Nutrition Adipoxil is $24.95. This price is comparable and potentially cheaper than other fat burners on the market. Direct sales from iForce Nutrition are not supported. All supplements must be purchased from a third party retailer.

Advantages

• Ingredient lists were found online.
• Some products are priced lower than comparable products.

Disadvantages

• Only one supplement is designed for fat burning.
• Multiple stimulants can lead to jitters and vomiting.
• iForce Nutrition does not sell products.
• Ingredient lists are hard to find on the official website.

Conclusion

iForce Nutrition sells supplements for weight lifters, body builders and seasoned athletes. While Adipoxil is a fat burner, the use of three stimulants could cause health problems, especially for someone who may be sensitive to caffeine or new to using diet and weight loss supplements. Effective weight loss can be accomplished with fewer stimulants.

iFit is an online provider of fitness routines. Users can choose to join the website for free and download free work outs for various fitness equipment including ellipticals, treadmills and stationary bikes. Several weight loss tools are also offered on the website for members. iFit currently only allows members who have an activation code from an iFit compatible piece of fitness equipment, but some workouts are available for viewing via video online.

List of Ingredients

Workouts for iFit compatible fitness equipment.

Product Features

iFit is an integrated workout system that links fitness equipment to the Internet for a whole new level of fitness. When a machine is compatible with iFit, an Internet connection allows the machine to store new work out routines and programs for use. If the machine comes with 15 preprogrammed routines, for instance, the iFit website allows the user to download many, many more as desired.

The limitation to the iFit website is the fact that users must have an activation code from their equipment literature in order to take advantage of the online tools for weight loss. There are free videos that can be used to spice up a workout routine, but they will not be saved to your treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike.

Some workouts are free to download while others can be purchased from the official website. The cost of iFit downloads are between $20 and $30 depending on the length of the workout and the total number of workouts in a given set. iFit SD cards are used with some machines to speed up the download process.

Advantages

• iFit can supply an ever changing source of fitness routines.

Disadvantages

• iFit tools are limited to people who own an iFit machine.
• Purchasing work outs can become very expensive.
• iFit machines typically require an Internet connection to work.
• Losing weight requires continued dedication to working out.
• There is no mention of diet or supplements on the iFit website.

Conclusion

iFit may be a great option for someone who owns an iFit compatible machine, but for everyone else, the tools are locked and unavailable. iFit is an expensive alternative to workout videos and audio downloads. Working out, while a crucial part of the weight loss system, is something that requires dedication and time. Not everyone will have the time to search workouts then download the files to a machine or SD card. Some users also complain about problems with downloads and slow Internet connection links to iFit.

Fat burners are an inexpensive way to boost weight loss without an expensive home fitness machine. For the price of one or two downloads from iFit, a researched and proven weight loss supplement could have you burning fat.

iDiet4U is a website dedicated to sharing information on the various diets, both fad and trusted, used to increase weight loss. The main page of the website lists some of the most popular in fad diets along with some viable, healthy weight loss plans. Consumers may have trouble sorting through the long list of information provided by the website, however.

List of Ingredients

Information on popular weight loss diet plans.

Product Features

iDiet4U shares information on fad, new, old and trendy diets that you may wish to attempt to increase weight loss. Under each heading is a list of foods that can safely be eaten on the plan or an explanation of how the weight loss diet works. The Fast Food diet, for instance, lists foods that are safe to eat while dining out at fast food restaurants. Most of the choices are lower in calorie, but may not be a healthy alternative.

Links are provided throughout the website leading to additional diet plan information. These links are often associated with third party retailers selling diet books, fitness plans or eBooks about weight loss. External links leading to places like Amazon may cause the dieter to lose faith in a website or the information they provide as a positive review for the plan may just be written to increase sales.

What is interesting about iDiet4U is the fact that “safe” choices are listed for each diet plan. While some of the diets are clearly fad, like the Chocolate Weight Loss Diet, information provided is on point and as healthy as possible for the given program. Dieters looking for quick bits of information may find it on the iDiet4U website. There is no cost for using iDiet4U.

Advantages

• Information is provided on many popular diets.
• All information is free of charge.
• Links are easy to find for all of the reviews diets.

Disadvantages

• Scrolling text and ads can make the site a bit difficult to navigate.
• Most diet reviews are associated with third party product sales.
• Review may be biased to increase profit.

Conclusion

iDiet4U is a website out to make money as dieters find the supportive information they wanted about a given plan and click through to buy books, DVDs or CDs. The website is best used as a source of information, but that information may not be 100% honest. There were no negative reviews found on the website and every page included a link to a third party website selling some product associated with the plan.

Weight loss is about eating right and choosing the best supplements to increase fat burn. There are research backed supplements available that can work better to help a dieter achieve their goals than any fad diet.

dotFIT is a program that combines diet plans, supplement plans and exercise plans to provide you with a personalized overall plan to lose weight and get healthy. Neal Spruce is the founder and CEO of dotFIT. Diet plans are designed to meet your individual needs and are personalized accordingly. Your current lifestyle, food preferences and fitness objectives are taken into consideration when creating your diet plan. There is a food logging system in which you record what you eat and also many recipes and meal ideas are available to help you meet your goals. Supplement plans are designed to provide you with the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients that you need in your body on a daily basis to function well. Supplements are available to help with weight loss, overall health and adding muscle. Exercise plans are designed to help you lose weight, build muscle, get lean, relieve body pain or improve on athletic performance. Because everybody is different, exercise plans are specifically tailored to meet each individual’s needs. In order to sign up for dotFIT, you must pay a registration fee of $39.95 and then $9.95 each month thereafter. Another option is paying $299.95 for a 12 month subscription; this includes the exerspy armband. The exerspy armband is device that you wear on your arm and tracks calories and activity. Both options include a coaching session.

Ingredients

Not applicable.

Product Features

dotFIT will give you a customized program to provide you with nutrition assistance and a fitness regime. You will be assisted by a personal trainer who has been certified in the areas of fitness and weight loss. Once you join dotFIT, you will have access to various tools online to help you reach your goals such as menus, exercises, recipes and resources. The main principle behind dotFIT is that you must burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.

Advantages

• dotFIT offers personalized diet and exercise plans to meet your individual needs.
• You will receive a personalized coaching session to help you define your goals when you join dotFIT.

Disadvantages

• dotFIT does not offer a money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

Conclusion

dotFIT appears to be a reasonable way to accomplish weight loss goals and increase overall health. A coaching session is offered when you sign up to determine your goals and give you an outline of diet and fitness plans that you will need to follow in order to meet those goals. Various items such as supplements, food bars, etc. are offered for sale to help you with your weight loss and health goals. dotFIT involves changing your lifestyle and tracking information in regard to exercise and food consumed in order to lose weight. If you are not ready for such a commitment you may find better results with taking a diet or weight loss supplement in conjunction with a healthy diet that you maintain on your own.

The Sprinkle Diet is another name for the Sensa diet plan. Sensa is a powdered dietary aid that claims to curb hunger when sprinkled on food. The powder does not have any taste and can thus be used as part of the Sprinkle Diet in conjunction with both savory and sweet meals and snacks. According to information on the Sprinkle Diet official website, studies have shown people who use Sensa lose more weight than those who do not.

List of Ingredients

Maltodextrin, Tricalcium Phosphate, Silica, Natural and Artificial Flavors.

Product Features

The Sprinkle Diet system is based on six, one month formulas that curb appetite. Sensa is formulated for use on all foods and should be sprinkled on every meal in order to continue weight loss. At the end of the six month rotating period, users can choose to start over at month one in order to continue losing weight.

The ingredients listed in Sensa do not contain fat burners or metabolism boosting agents. The sole means of appetite suppression is based on smell. According to the creators of Sensa, the Sprinkle Diet helps the brain to signal being full sooner and thus the users tend to eat less food when Sensa is sprinkled on meals. The plan includes a full size shaker of Sensa for home use and a smaller container that can be carried with you to work or restaurants with ease.

The website includes testimonials from users who have lost weight using the Sprinkle Diet. These testimonials include before and after photos. The studies listed on the website have been completed by Dr. Alan Hirsch who is also the creator of Sensa and are thus biased. The Sprinkle Diet costs $235.00 for a six month supply and can be purchased on an auto-ship program for people who have a lot of weight to lose.

Advantages

• The ingredient list is offered online.
• The cost of the plan is comparable to other weight loss supplements over the six month period.
• Testimonials include before and after photos.

Disadvantages

• Studies were completed by the creator of the Sensa Diet.
• No outside studies have been completed to verify the initial results.
• Six months is a long time to continue using a weight loss product.

Conclusion

There are testimonials supporting the use of Sensa or the Sprinkle Diet to lose more weight. These testimonials, however, are not supported with scientific studies backing the results. While the Sprinkle Diet cost is comparable to other programs, the user will essentially be paying about $40.00 per month to lose just five pounds as the average weight loss over six months is 30 pounds.

To increase metabolism, there are proven weight loss supplements with ingredients to boost fat burn. These ingredients are backed with third party research studies.

Shape Ups are comfort and training shoes developed by Sketchers. They claim to help the wearer tone up and lose weight just by wearing the shoe during a regular work or school day. The shoe’s motto is “Shape up while you walk.” The Sketchers company has attempted to create a shoe that could be worn throughout the day to increase energy and muscle tone in the lower part of the body without injury, pain or strain on the muscle. The result was the Shape Ups design.

List of Ingredients

Specialty shoe designed by Sketchers.

Product Features

Shape Ups are created with soft, arched soles that simulate sand walking. When weight is applied to the sole during a normal step, it sinks while maintaining just enough curve to force the foot to roll. According to the Sketchers literature on Shape Ups, this movement works to improve muscle tone in the buttocks, lower leg, calves, thighs and abdominals.

Consumers wishing to learn more about Shape Ups can view demonstration videos and commercials on the Sketchers website. There is also a Team Shape Up where users can join others who wear the Shape Up shoes for working out or simply walking. In order to meet the needs of the consumer, there are various different styles of Shape Up. When the shoe was first introduced, the athletic look was only offered by Sketchers. Today, there are versions that look like athletic shoes, casual shoes and hiking shoes. Shape Ups are available for both men and women.

Sketchers offers clinical study information on the benefits and effects of wearing Shape Ups, but there are no links to the official study published online. Be that as it may, the results of the study include increased weight loss, muscle tone and decreased body fat. Trials participants were followed for six weeks.

Sketchers official website offers the Shape Ups shoes for sale directly or through various offline retailers. The shoe is priced starting at $110 a pair. If the shoes are unworn, they can be returned within 45 days for a full refund.

Advantages

• Sketchers sells Shape Ups online and offline.
• Shoes are backed with a 45 day money back guarantee.

Disadvantages

• Shape Ups are much more costly than other fitness shoes.
• Some consumers may not like the look of the shoe for everyday use.
• There are no links to official research studies online.
• If you currently lead a sedentary lifestyle that does not involve walking, Shape Ups will not benefit you very much.

Conclusion

Shape Ups may be a good addition to a workout routine to increase weight loss and fat loss. The Sketchers Shape Ups, however, cannot be worn in every life situation. People who are required to dress professionally at work may not have the time to use the Shape Ups enough to see a benefit and that narrows down the potential customer pool dramatically. There is also the cost of the shoe which is far greater than comparable fitness shoes.

The Montenegro Method fitness program consists of 21 minutes of working out per day for 21 days. According to the literature on the official website, the Montenegro Method combines science and fitness into a program that works the body toward a healthy place. Marta Montenegro is the creator of the Montenegro Method. She works as a journalist and publisher and founded the SOBeFit Magazine.

List of Ingredients

Endurance, Power and Strength DVDs plus a one year subscription to SOBeFit with select packages.

Product Features

The Montenegro Method is a progressive workout series that builds the body through all aspects of fitness. Strength, power, flexibility and agility are all addressed and users are taken past the point of comfortability in order to build muscle and burn calories faster. As the body grows stronger, the Montenegro Method gets more intense.

Circuit training and set workouts are included on the DVD series. Giant sets and tri sets are used to exhaust a given muscle group, most often the largest muscles of the body and core muscles. These sets include three or more exercises focused on the same body part in order to achieve more profound results. For the beginner, the Montenegro Method may be a bit too intense as a starter program.

There are no extras listed on the website to purchase with the Montenegro Method DVDs, but Marta is shown using dumbbells in various sections of the website. This could mean the consumer would have to purchase additional equipment to complete the workouts on each DVD.

Nutrition is also a part of the Montenegro Method, but no specific guidelines are listed on the website. Marta suggests DVD users follow nutritional advice in her SOBeFit Magazine, which is not included free with every DVD purchase. This adds up to another cost for the consumer.

The Montenegro Method is sold online for $39.98 as a package that includes 10 workouts and a subscription to SOBeFit Magazine.

Advantages

• The Montenegro Method uses circuit training and varying exercises to increase fat burn and weight loss.
• The DVDs can be ordered directly from the website.
• Consumers are encouraged to contact Marta with questions about the program.
• A FAQs section explains many of the technical fitness terms on the website.

Disadvantages

• Not every beginner will be able to keep up with the intense workouts.
• Home workouts require dedication to fitness which can be hard for some dieters.
• Additional equipment may be required for the Montenegro Method DVDs.

Conclusion

For the fitness buff looking to invest in a DVD series for home use, the Montenegro Method may be a great choice. Beginners, however, may be left feeling over worked and over budget by the time they purchase a magazine subscription, DVD series and dumbbells.

Incredible Green Heat is a reusable heating pad created around the Hulk character played by Lou Ferrigno in the 1970s. The heating pad includes crystals that turn into liquid when activated. The heating pad can then be used for 30 minutes to soothe aching muscles, feminine cramps and all over body pains.

List of Ingredients

Heat transferring gel.

Product Features

The Incredible Green Heat product tries to play on the image of Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. In the 1970s, Ferrigno played Hulk in the television series when the main character transformed from every day Joe into the muscle bound green monster.

As a heating pad, the product does not require energy to activate which is a selling point for the company. We would love to say this is an eco-friendly option, but in order to reuse the heating pad it must be boiled for fifteen minutes which uses more electricity than a standard heating pad. With every use, the Incredible Green Heat gel insert needs to be boiled within 48 hours to recharge for another use.

There are no ingredients listed on the official Incredible Green Heat website which is concerning. If the pad were to break open, no safety information is listed in regards to skin contact or inhalation of heating chemicals if the pads break in the water.

The Incredible Green Heat is sold exclusively through the Active Forever website. Pads are sold for $25.95 each. There is a one year warranty but the product cannot be returned for a refund due to personal hygiene concerns. Active Forever return policies charge a 25% fee if an item is returned and if the shipment is refused, the credit card will be charged shipping and handling even if there was no shipping charged on the original order.

Advantages

• Heat can help aching muscles associated with exercise.

Disadvantages

• The Incredible Green Heat is difficult to maintain and takes 15 minutes of boiling between each use.
• The cost is higher than other portable heating pads.
• No returns are allowed.
• No ingredient list is offered by the manufacturer or seller.

Conclusion

In terms of weight loss, a heating pad can be an effective source of relief. However, this relief has little to do with increasing fat burn and metabolism. The Incredible Green Heat is a portable heating pad that requires a lot of time spent “recharging” the pad between uses. The overall cost of the heating pad and the time spent boiling the pad may be too much for many consumers. Active Forever, the retailer for Incredible Green Heat, says there is a one year warranty but does not allow the product to be returned for a refund.