Can Your Smart Phone Get You In Shape?
Smart phones make our lives easier and maybe even a wee bit less active. But with the many fitness apps available many for free, they are also making it easy for you to get a workout into your busy day. Here are five to get you started, if none of these speak to you, there are so many more you are bound to find one that fits your lifestyle and personality. Hot5: Free: iPhone:
Hot5 is an app that provides you with 5-minute videos that you can do anywhere and range from an ab workout to Yoga and everything in between. The app is modern looking an easy to use, while providing you with updated looking videos for whatever work out you choose.
Hot5 is great for if you want to just add a 5-minute Yoga or ab routine after your daily run or bike ride, or if you need a full workout you can mix and match videos so to create your own total body workout. Great for if you travel and you need an in room workout, or just on days you can’t quite make it to the gym, but you have an extra 20-30 minutes at home.
This app can also be used as a way to form a personal habit of working out if you are just starting. You only have to commit to 5 minutes per video a day, and then add on, as the workout routine becomes more of a habit.
RunKeeper: Free: iPhone/Android:
Runkeeper A popular app that tracks your runs, walks, and bike rides with the GPS already built into your phone If you are so inclined to brag to your friends about the workout you just got in or just shame a fellow workout partner into getting out there Runkeeper allows you to share your workout information with your friends and workout partners.
A great feature of this app is the audio coach that gives you updates on your pace, time, and distance of each workout. A great feature to help you know where you stand in your workout without having to look at your phone.
MapMyFitness: Free: iPhone/Android:
MapMyFitness is much like Runkeeper in that it tracks your run, walk, or bike ride with use of GPS, but it does offer a Route feature that allows you map a route before you leave the house, or you can search the millions of routes already logged in by your fellow bikers, runner, and walkers. Great for if you are in a strange city and you want to find a 3-mile run route, yes you could just map it yourself in the app, but if someone has already done it why not just steal their route. Plus what a great way to see a new city, but through the workout routes of locals?
MapMyFitness also offers a food log with tons of foods already listed in its data base, which helps you keep count of the calories your are in taking verse the calories you have burned with your workouts.
GymPact: Free: iPhone/Android:
If you ever said that you would workout more if someone paid you for it, well this app is for you. The app requires you to commit to a certain number of days that you will work out within a week (starting on Sunday night) and how much money you are willing to risk if you miss the workout. That is right, if you miss a workout you have to pay (minimum workout price of $5.00). On the plus side you make all of your workouts you get paid the amount you risked.
For example you commit to working out 3 days in week for a stake of $5.00. If you make all 3 workouts you earn $15.00! Not to shabby for just doing something you know you should do anyway. Of course if you miss a day your credit card will be charged the $5.00 or whatever amount you set up as your “stake”. GymPact uses the money that was charged to people for missed workouts to pay for those who did workout, so if you miss a workout you just paid for someone will power to get to the gym.
GymPact works by having you check in to the gym when you arrive (like Foursquare), you can log outdoor workouts by connecting to either your Runkeeper or MapMyFitness apps, which use GPS to keep track of your workouts.
Zombie Run 2: $3.99: iPhone/Android:
In case being paid to workout (or having to pay for not working out) doesn’t motivate you enough there is Zombie Run 2, the running app that offers 100 games/stories that mix with your own music. The story unfolds as you run in between tracks via radio messages and voice recordings.
While it sounds scary there is a story for every fitness level, and if you need to step up your pace you can turn on “thrilling zombie chase” that will have you trying to out run a zombie herd. As with any game as you run you collect supplies and ammo that you can decide what to do with when you get home.
If you biggest complaint with running is that it is boring this just might be the app for you, whether you are running on the streets, trails, or treadmill this app is sure to make it exciting and get your heart racing. Another perk, if the Zombie Apocalypse really does happen you will be ahead of the masses.
Yes Smart Phones have made our lives easier and maybe a bit lazier, but with one of these five apps you can have your smart phone helping to get you in better shape, and even prepare you for a Zombie Apocalypse.