Some fitness retailers aren't even waiting for the Friday after Thanksgiving. One of my favorite online shoe stores, Roadrunner Sports, has a coupon for $25 off on a $150 purchase through Nov. 30, plus free shipping, as well as coupons for for free shipping through Dec. 31. Roadrunner Sports coupons.

Browse the Deals and Coupons: BlackFriday.info has a Fitness category where you can browse deals from oodles of retailers offering Black Friday deals. They link to KeepCash.com for online coupons. Browse the sports and fitness coupons.

Big Box Sporting Goods Stores: Sports Authority stores will open at 5 a.m. on Friday and hand out "Bonus Bucks" discount cards to the first 80 people who enter each of its stores. The "Bonus Bucks" cards will be worth from $10-500 toward any purchase in the store on that day only. They have a buy one/get half off second pair deal for all shoes.

Modell's Sporting Goods open at 5 am and have a good Black Friday deal on Nike thermal mock turtlenecks at $25. Those are great for winter walking. Modell's coupons include one for free shipping and in-home set up of select exercise gear -- a great deal!

Dick's Sporting Goods stores will open at 5 am, but their Black Friday deals haven't leaked yet. Their online coupons include $20 off any Timex item. I like the Timex heart rate monitors.

Outdoor and Running Store Coupons

• Eastern Mountain Sports
• REI
• Finish Line
• Footlocker

Avoid Gift Cards: Gift cards and gift certificates are still iffy propositions in these times of economic turmoil. If a retailer goes bankrupt, the gift cards and certificates may not be honored.

Gift Ideas for Walkers.

The new Nautilus Mobia home fitness machine just debuted, and I had the chance to try it out at Nautilus headquarters. It is a new concept to give a higher intensity workout with low impact and a walking motion. How high intensity? It really had me puffing at a moderate speed and resistance, I had to slow it down and reduce the tension. But I was simply walking -- no strange motion to get used to like with an elliptical.

The Mobia employs two treadles, each with a moving belt, and they move up and down to meet your foot on the forward step. The result is a very low impact walk, yet you are going significantly uphill. I felt immediate engagement of my core abdominal muscles and hip and thigh muscles. This is a serious workout machine, although the top speed is only 4 miles per hour.

To top it off, it is designed to look good in your house, it's quiet and it takes up less space than a treadmill, although it doesn't fold up. I was impressed.
Nautilus Mobia Review

Photo courtesy of Nautilus, Inc.

You know you are going to be feasting. Not only is Thanksgiving coming up next week, but that is just the start of the holiday eating season. If you eat, you must walk. It's hard to get out of the house or onto the treadmill without a plan. Use my Walk Finder pages to find an organized walking event or walk/run race near you. It will help jump start your holiday exercise plan. How much do you need to walk to walk off the Thanksgiving calories? Use my Thanksgiving Calorie Calculator to find out exactly how far you will need to go. Better get started today, because it's a long way for the typical feast!
Photo © Wendy Bumgardner

I walk in a wet climate, but I'm not willing to sacrifice lightweight shoes for waterproof. Luckily, shoe manufacturers are producing more and more models that meet the needs of those of us who want to walk fast or run and still have a waterproof shoe. Keen sent me a pair of Keen Obsidian WP trail shoes to try out. These are lighter in weight and flexible in the forefoot - both excellent for walking. I put them through puddles and wet grass and got nary a drop inside the shoe, plus the gusseted tongue kept out leaves and fir needles.

At first, I thought these shoes just weren't for me because the uppers were so tight. I got a pair a half size larger than usual and that fit much better. Then I removed the insoles and put in a pair from my usual shoes. Voila - I had a snug but not tight fit. The insoles they provide are great if you have a high arch to support, but not for my flatter foot. Now, I need to return their samples and buy a pair for keeps! The toe box had plenty of room for my wide foot.

My remaining quibble is with the lacing system, which is pretty much useless. In order to keep the laces looser over the forefoot but tight at the ankle to prevent heel slippage, I had to tie a knot in the middle of the lacing rather than do my usual bunny-ears lace lock. Still, I managed and I think these shoes will see me through many soggy months.

Keen Obsidian WP Review

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Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.