On a new fitness bike in the corner of a Crunch Fitness gym, Steve Wallace is pushed to pick up the pace.

Whenever Wallace loafs during his 30-minute workout along rugged coastal terrain, a yellow-jerseyed cyclist speeds ahead on the 17-inch LCD screen attached to the bike. Hard numbers of the 6 a.m. sweatfest stare him in the face — 10 miles logged, a 2:45 pace, fluctuating heart rate and calories crunched.

(ENLARGE)

Need help staying motivated? Crunch Fitness member Steve Roberts must maintain his pace on the new Expresso stationary bike. Othewise, a simulated cyclist on the computerized screen will leave him in the dust.

RELATED • Photos: Check out the latest techno fitness gear. • Atlanta Falcons help kids focus on fitness • Weight Loss Guide Lose weight, and keep the pounds away • More health headlines

"It's awesome," said Wallace, a 43-year-old former offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, now living in Atlanta. "Having the simulations makes it more interesting and takes your mind off the pain."

Meanwhile, in another corner of the gym, perhaps destined for eBay and thrift stores, are old-school stationary bikes that don't do anything except help you keep in shape. Those bikes don't store and record data that's all just a click away from a home computer. Those bikes don't show instant and long-term performance. If you wanted to track your workouts, you'd have to use ... paper.

Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise, said emerging technology provides immediate feedback and can help people meet goals, even if they are not yet seeing inches melt off their waist.

"You can get so engaged in what's being displayed that it takes away the focus from the monotony of exercise," Bryant said.

Take some recent examples of technology introduced to quickly track and or motivate those looking to keep healthy and fit:

• Nike+ iPod uses a special sensor in shoes to automatically transmit data to iPod and then a computer, allowing runners to see distance traveled on their iPod screen.

• Wrist watches and rings that monitor everything from heart rate to speed and pace.

• A Verizon cellphone service that tracks subscribers' total distance walked during a given day.

• Bodybugg, using an armband, measures calorie output by monitoring temperature and sweat.

• The Atlanta Falcons-Atlanta Public Schools partnership introducing a new video game fitness program to school gym classes. (Story)

Inexpensive gadgets still work

Getting wired doesn't require a major overhaul, according to Bryant, who says people benefit from simple exercise tools.

He suggested people get started with an easy-to-read heart monitor with alarms that alert you when you're above or below your target heart rate. Bryant said heart monitors can help people push themselves, but keep them from overdoing it.

And many fitness experts say some of the best tools out there are simple and cheap, such as a basic pedometer, costing as little as $2.

Walkers who wear pedometers and log their steps walk about one to two miles more a day compared to days they go without the pedometer, according to a University of Michigan analysis of pedometers.

Bryant said the pedometer and other gadgets are effective because they offer continuous accountability and can motivate people to step it up.

Amy Zolkowski, a 32-year-old day care worker, is one of about 17,600 to use a computerized coaching system called Fitlinxx at YMCA branches across Atlanta.

Fitlinxx attaches directly to fitness equipment and membership directors believe the program helps people stay on task and cuts down on injuries.

"It's like having my own fitness trainer with me all the time," Zolkowski said.

Fitlinxx sends her monthly reports that crunch the results and translate them into the number of "elephants" lifted and "ice cream sundaes" burned.

During the past couple months, about half of the branches have added a new "Actiped" feature, which is a quarter-sized black sensor you can attach to any shoe that tracks steps inside and outside the gym.

At the Y in Decatur, staff says members intentionally park far away to boost their numbers.

"It's human nature to not push ourselves," said Crunch fitness trainer Reggie Swindell, a regular on the virtual reality bike. "You could just go one the old machines and almost goes to sleep. This new one requires you to pay attention and stay engaged."

Still the technology doesn't appear to be luring many newbies, and instead is being snatched up by mostly exercise junkies looking for an edge.

"These gadgets are unseating some of the sedentary folks but we still have our work cut out for us," said Bryant, who calls himself a minimalist and doesn't use gadgetry.

Lauren Lorenzo, owner of Operation Boot Camp, said while instructors use simple rubber dots and military-like style tools in the class, high tech tracking devices such as Garmin watches can be very motivating.

"The instructors can download the info and send it bootcampers and tell them just how far they've run and then they can re-trace that route," said Lorenzo.

Still, Lorenzo said she's concerned some of the benefits of exercise get lost in the techno boom.

"Right now in the industry, everything is numbers driven and sometimes I think we get so wrapped in the numbers that we forget about the health of exercise of how we feel, and how it makes us nice to our spouses and feeling good. At the end of the day, people ask us, 'How are you' Not, what dress size are you?'"

TECHNO FITNESS GEAR

Nike+iPod

How it works: Your Nike sneakers come with a special sensor in the shoes that automatically transmits running time, distance and calories burned to the iPod which can then be loaded up on your computer.

When released: Summer 2006

Cost: Virtually all Nike sneakers are now Nike+ enabled

Verizon's Bones in Motion

How it works: Records physical activities using GPS from your cellphone. Has voice distance alerts and saves the data, which is accessible from any computer.

When released: September 2006

Cost: $9.99 per month

Forerunner 405 Garmin watch

How it works: Automatically transfers workout data to computer with optional

heart rate monitor.

Release date: April of this year

Cost: Beginning at $299.99

FitLinxx

How it works: A computerized system that attaches directly to fitness equipment and coaches people on speed, form and tracks individual workout sessions. Information can be accessed anytime on the Web. Available at hundreds of gyms, including dozens of YMCAs in metro Atlanta

Release date: It's been available since the late 1990s.

Cost: Typically free to gym members

Nintendo Wii DanceDance Revolution Hottest Party

How it works: Players use their feet as well as their hands by moving the Wii remote.

Release Date: November 2007

Cost: $69.99

Bodybugg

How it works: Using an armband, measures calorie output by monitoring temperature and sweat.

When released: 2004

Cost: $299.95