Ever since the major video game platforms (the Nintendo Wii U, Sony PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Xbox 360) added motion-controlled gaming, players have been jumping off the couch and moving more than their trigger fingers. But say you're new to the world of games and are more interested in fitness than collecting virtual coins or battling digital aliens. Which console should you buy?

The tech folks at Consumer Reports spent nearly 100 hours putting together treadmills and ellipticals last year! And just last week I found mechanical engineer Kyaw Naing stretched out on the floor putting together 8 new stationary bikes we'll be testing soon. Kyaw joked that unpacking the equipment sometimes takes more time than putting it together. He photographs all the pieces once they're out of the box to make sure we're not missing any parts and as proof of what we received since we buy our products off the shelves or online, just like you.

Our ratings of new elliptical machines include the pricey, but thrilling, Vision XF40 Touch, $3,100, which comes with a Virtual Active feature that lets you run the trails of the Rockies or catch a glimpse of Niagra Falls as you work out.

There are just a few things to know about Mother's Day. First, remember the holiday. This year Mother's Day takes place on Sunday, May 12, so you don't have many shopping days left. Second, book a table. Restaurants are packed on Mother's Day, so if you're going out to celebrate, get on Yelp, OpenTable, or some other dining site now. And third, don't limit yourself to the classics and the clichéd. When choosing a Mother's Day present, the sky's the limit, as you'll see below in our selection of gifts for the mom who . . .

My heart rate monitor has been sitting, unused, at the bottom of my gym bag for months. I couldn't get used to putting on the chest strap that comes with it, especially during winter workouts when that chest strap was ice cold from being in the car all day.

Imagine if your favorite fast food menu listed the number of miles you'd have to walk to work off each item you ate. That's the type of scenario that researchers created as part of a study in the journal Appetite, where they looked at how much people ordered with different types of menu information.

Health experts warn that if you sit at a desk all day, you have a greater chance of dying early, even if you exercise regularly. As an editor who not only sat in front of a computer for many hours a day but also was concerned about the grim desk-related statistics, a few months ago I jerrybuilt a standing desk. A new test at our Yonkers, New York, headquarters has allowed me—literally—to take the next step in avoiding sitting while I work.

Sleep problems keeping you up at night? Exercise, no matter the level or time of day, might help, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation released this week. It found that people who exercise, whether light or vigorous, early in the day or right before bed, sleep better than people who don't exercise at all.

Some days you just can't make it to the gym or studio. So why not let your smart device be your trainer? These apps can take you through various kinds of workouts wherever you happen to be.

Personal devices that monitor your activity and vital signs and upload that information to your computer or mobile device were the hot health technology at this year's CES. At the show's Digital Health Zone, I saw a gaggle of new gadgets that track your body in multiple ways, even during sleep, and integrate that data into a comprehensive report on your overall wellness.

We're currently reviewing the Bodyguard 260P treadmill ($3,399, shown below), the first such piece of exercise equipment we've tested with iPad integration, in this case via the Imagine by Bodyguard fitness app. To use the feature, you'll need at least an iPad 2 running iOS6 and the free app. You can use the fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini, with the Lightning adapter.

The Federal Trade Commission filed deceptive advertising charges against the marketers of the Ab Circle Pro, for telling consumers that exercising on the device for just three minutes a day would lead to losing 10 pounds in two weeks. The defendants agreed to settlements that include $15 to $25 million in refunds, depending on how many requests are received.

The Albanian weightlifter kicked out of the London Olympics on July 27 after he tested positive for steroid use told officials he had taken vitamins and dietary supplements and was unaware they contained stanozolol, a steroid on the list of prohibited substances.

While you might not move at quite the same pace as the Olympic athletes who will compete in the upcoming men's and women's race walks, perhaps the London Olympics can inspire you to step up your game.

On a recent visit to see my mom, we had a reminder about the importance of regularly checking blood-pressure levels. She's already on medication for the condition, but her hairdresser noticed her ankles were swollen and suggested we get her levels checked. Good thing: They were unusually high, indicating stage 2 hypertension, which could trigger a heart attack, stroke, or kidney problems.