In our last post, Blake mentioned a few fitness apps we use to help keep ourselves on track. In fact, the whole idea of using technology to help achieve fitness goals has been quite the hot topic recently, so we thought we would share some more info on the apps or other tools we’ve used or read about.
- Map My Tracks OutFront or MapMyRun-These apps are fairly similar and we use them on our iPhones simply as a GPS to map new walking or running routes. They keep track of distance, calories and pace which we can only assume are fairly accurate, but for us, the general numbers are good enough. You can also connect them to Facebook and Twitter if that will help hold you accountable. Personally, I think those people are annoying.
- Nike Training Club-Holy crap, this app will kick your ass. It has a lot of great workouts that range from 15 to 45 minutes all sorted by category. On those mornings where I would give anything to skip my run, sometimes a 15 or 30 minute workout in my pjs is the perfect compromise and almost always leaves me sore. The best part is—most of the workouts don’t require any equipment at all.
- My Fitness Pal-Blake and a lot of our friends use this one to track their diets and exercise. It’s basically a food journal that tracks calories and other nutrition information. The people I know who use it say it helps them think about their eating habits. The best part is that the app only makes the POSITIVE public. No showing the world you went over your calorie goal, but they do get to see that you kicked booty in the kick boxing class. I, however, don’t think I am mentally stable enough to see every calorie I eat.
Pandora or Songza-I personally don’t listen to music when I work out, mainly because I run on the street and it isdangerousand I would rather listen to the ocean anyway. However, if you are one of those people that like music to help get you going, or live in a cold weather climate, a music app is must-have. Nobody wants to pay and download every song they listen to so online listening apps are essential. I’m a big Pandora fan and even pay to not have ads. Songza is also pretty cool in that the app gives you music stations based on an activity or mood you select – a great way to discover that 80’s hair bands can boost your cardio output!
- Fooducate-Neither of us have tried this one, but after seeing it on TV (possibly on Today? Can’t remember) and reading about it, I am intrigued. The app allows you to scan the barcode on a food product and it will then pull up the nutrition information and offer healthier alternatives.
These are just a tiny sampling of the tools out there to help you meet your fitness goals and maybe make the journey more enjoyable. Are there any others you would like to recommend? Also, for you San Diego readers—if you ever want to go for a run or hike, hit us up 🙂
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