Getting Fit with Tech Part 2— Apps
Apps can provide a fun and exciting way to help you get fit or to achieve your goals, whatever they might be. They’re also the perfect personal trainer…they’re free, don’t judge you for not turning up and best of all you can skip the awkward breakup.
Recap
In part one of “Getting Fit with Tech” we had a look through some of the best devices you can buy and discussed some getting fit basics. This post will focus on the Apps you can install on your phone, some of these apps will go perfectly with a device from part one so if you’re interested in any keep a lookout below!
So many options 🏋️🏃♀️🥗
There are 100’s if not 1000’s of decent fitness apps, some try and provide all the features while others focus on certain areas of health and fitness. Below you’ll find some of my personal favourites that i’ve used over time.
Food & Health 🥗
MyFitnessPal
Owned by Under Armour, MyFitnessPal is easily the biggest and most popular health platform in the world. Their app is packed with features and best of all, most of them are free!
If you’re trying to lose weight or maybe gain muscle, MyFitnessPal’s calorie counter and food tracker is the best place to start. With over 5 million items in their database you can almost guarantee that the food you eat has already been tracked which means all you need to do in order to get information like total calories or nutritional information is search and enter the amount/quantity.
“5,000,000 items in their database”
You can also set your daily limit of calories either manually or if you enter how active you are e.g. 3 workouts per week MyFitnessPal will automatically set this for you. This will allow you to monitor your intake with little effort. Now if you’re not trying to lose weight and have some sort of other nutritional goal then you can simple use the same process but pay more attention to the nutritional breakdown of the food your consuming e.g. increase protein and lower carbs.
I highly recommend giving MyFitnessPal a try. It’s really fascinating to know more about what you’re consuming to help fuel your body each day.
Running 🏃♀️
Runkeeper
If you’re into running or want to be, Runkeeper is the go to App. It allows you to track runs, set goals, challenge friends and join challenges.
Runkeeper is bound to help motivate you to get out and run. If friends are your biggest motivator then get them using the app as well to compete for the fastest times or longest distance. Maybe competing in virtual challanges or races is more your thing? If so Runkeeper’s weekly challenges will be right up your alley, compete against strangers or yourself — you choose.
Setting goals in Runkeeper is really easy and a great way to get you out the door each day. You can set goals like weight, running pace, total distance or even a specific distance and choose how long you have to complete the goal.
You of course get all the regular running app features like, routes, audio cues and being able to play you favourite playlist. Give it a jam!
Strava
Strava is very popular with professional athletes or the slightly more serious runner. It provides similar features as Runkeeper does but offers more detail when it comes to reviewing previous runs. If you’re new to running don’t let Stava’s seriousness scare you off. It’s features are flexible enough to suit any type of runner.
“Don’t let Stava’s seriousness scare you off”
One of the most entertaining parts to Strava is “Segments”. Chances are someone else has ran the same route as you and tracked it on Strava. If so their pace for each particular segment will be saved allowing you and others to beat their time. If you have the fastest time for a particular segment then you get the glory! It’s very addictive, trust me.
#Bonus App: Zombies Run
Stuck on the couch? Not into running? Find running boring? Zombies Run is the answer to all those questions. I went from not being able to run 1km without dying to running most days and competing in races and I put it all down to downloading this app not so long ago.
Zombies Run is an app that will get you from the couch to being able to run 5KM in no time at all.
Each run is designed to help you get to that 5KM goal, at the beginning you’ll be walking and running and then as you progress through the app you’ll slowly begin to run for longer…but there’s a catch 😱
While you’re out on these runs you’re listening to a story where you play a character who often has to go out and gather supplies. Supplies? Oh yeah I forgot to mention the story is based on you being in a zombie apocalypse. While out on these supply runs you might here the odd groan…If so, run!
What better way to get fit than having a bunch of virtual zombies chasing you!
Workouts & Gym 🏋️
Apple Watch: Workouts
If you already own a Apple Watch you’ll know how great the in-built workouts app is. It has the ability to track 30+ workout types from HIIT to snowboarding, choosing a different workout type tells the watch what movement type to expect so that your final results are accurate. If you don’t already own a Apple Watch, maybe reading this post will change that.
The workout app also allows you to combine workouts. For example you might cycle to the gym, workout for a hour and then cycle home again. Normally you’d either have to use different apps to track all that or just not bother, but with the workout app you can simply swipe left and select your next workout. Cool right?
The latest version of workout app also allows you to see your resting and recovery heart rate. This doesn’t sound that exciting but can be extremely useful when it comes to pushing your limits and increasing your overall fitness.
Track.Everything.Always.
Fitocracy
If you prefer the gym over getting out for a run then you need to download Fitocracy. It provides a fun and competitive platform for you to track any type of workout you may complete at the gym. 50 burpees? 100 pull-ups? 10 reps? No worries, Fitocracy’s app is designed to track those types of activities and even provides instructions on how to perform 100’s of others you might not yet know.
Fitocracy is game-fied to the max. Each time you track an activity you gain experience points and earn awards. Experience points levels you up, use this to complete with friends or strangers!
Fitocracy also provides great content from daily tips to general knowledge so if you’re curious about how to do an activity or what activities are best for you then you’ll love this side of Fitocracy.
So much more…
These are just some of my favourites. There are so many more apps I could mention but you would be here all night. What I recommend is giving an app at least 1 week of use before deciding if you like it or not. It’s way to easy to download and then delete without a decent go.
Conclusion
You now know about a few gadgets and apps that will help you with your fitness goals. The next step is on you. Set those goals, stick with it and enjoy that summer bod!
