TECH RUN
Don’t become a couch potato with your smart phone. Put it to use.
Fitness apps to match 8 different personality types
1 For the first-timer HUMAN (iOS)
Perhaps, the hardest part about getting in shape is finding the motivation. If you have never, or hardly exercised before, and want to start with something low-impact, consider Human from Human.co Inc.
The app is simple. It encourages you to get outside for 30 minutes to run, walk or cycle. The free app even tracks your progress and can share your accomplishments on the social network of your choice for some added motivation.
2 For the outdoorsman
MAPMYHIKE (iOS/Android)
Avid trekkers and mountain climbers, MapMyHike is just the app for you.
It employs your phone’s built-in GPS to track your movements, even when you are travelling outside the city. You can map out a route to follow in advance (like hiking trail or a marked vertical ascent), or simply set out and, after you return, see where you travelled.
The free app provides information about your speed, pace, elevation and number of calories burnt, and even tracks what you eat.
Avid trekkers and mountain climbers, MapMyHike is just the app for you.
It employs your phone’s built-in GPS to track your movements, even when you are travelling outside the city. You can map out a route to follow in advance (like hiking trail or a marked vertical ascent), or simply set out and, after you return, see where you travelled.
The free app provides information about your speed, pace, elevation and number of calories burnt, and even tracks what you eat.
3 For the brisk walker
ACCUPEDO (iOS/Android)
If your exercise comprises mainly brisk walking, free app Accupedo is a wonderful way to follow your steps.
Apart from being an accurate pedometer, it can track your progress in terms of steps, distance, minutes, calories or laps (around a standard track). You can track your progress over days, weeks and even years, to learn how you’ve improved over time.
If your exercise comprises mainly brisk walking, free app Accupedo is a wonderful way to follow your steps.
Apart from being an accurate pedometer, it can track your progress in terms of steps, distance, minutes, calories or laps (around a standard track). You can track your progress over days, weeks and even years, to learn how you’ve improved over time.
4 For the gamer FITOCRACY
(iOS/Android)
If you are into video games, you know that few things are more satisfying than levelling up your skills, as you progress through an adventure.
Fitocracy turns your workout into a game, complete with quests and experience points. As you finish your workouts (running, or weightlifting), you’ll receive quests tailored to your preferred activities, gain experience points and move up to new levels.
This free app also lets you compare your achievement level to those of your friends. We think, a little healthy competition can help in weight loss.
If you are into video games, you know that few things are more satisfying than levelling up your skills, as you progress through an adventure.
Fitocracy turns your workout into a game, complete with quests and experience points. As you finish your workouts (running, or weightlifting), you’ll receive quests tailored to your preferred activities, gain experience points and move up to new levels.
This free app also lets you compare your achievement level to those of your friends. We think, a little healthy competition can help in weight loss.
5 For the gambler GYMPACT
(iOS/Android)
To keep your commitment to becoming fit, it may help to make it interesting with GymPact, which lets you wage real money against other exercisers.
The concept is both simple and tricky. You can decide how many days a week you exercise, and gamble some money that you’ll actually fulfil your promise. When you go to the gym, check in on your phone. If you don’t meet your goal, the free app will take your money and give it to someone who actually kept to his or her commitment. Work out and get paid; stay still and lose out.
To keep your commitment to becoming fit, it may help to make it interesting with GymPact, which lets you wage real money against other exercisers.
The concept is both simple and tricky. You can decide how many days a week you exercise, and gamble some money that you’ll actually fulfil your promise. When you go to the gym, check in on your phone. If you don’t meet your goal, the free app will take your money and give it to someone who actually kept to his or her commitment. Work out and get paid; stay still and lose out.
6 For the techno freak
FITBIT (iOS/Android)
All you techies, consider Fitbit. You can select one of three gadgets: the wrist-mounted Flex, the clip-on One or the pocket-friendly Zip. In conjunction with the free smart phone app, these devices can track how many steps you walk, how many calories you burn, how much food you consume and how much sleep you get over the course of a given day.
Over time, you can adjust your habits to maintain a healthier lifestyle, and your gadget will monitor your progress in real time.
All you techies, consider Fitbit. You can select one of three gadgets: the wrist-mounted Flex, the clip-on One or the pocket-friendly Zip. In conjunction with the free smart phone app, these devices can track how many steps you walk, how many calories you burn, how much food you consume and how much sleep you get over the course of a given day.
Over time, you can adjust your habits to maintain a healthier lifestyle, and your gadget will monitor your progress in real time.
7 For the weight conscious
LOSE IT! (iOS/Android)
Fitness and weight loss is not the same, but they go well together. If your primary reason for getting in shape is to lose weight, it helps to monitor your diet as well as your exercise habits.
The app Lose It! does that in a simple way. You enter into the programme your goal weight, how much weight you intend to lose each week and how many calories you plan to consume per day in order to achieve your goal.
Each day, you feed in what you ate, along with your exercise, and Lose It! calculates how many net calories you have consumed. This free app also lets you monitor your progress over time and compare your stats with friends.
Fitness and weight loss is not the same, but they go well together. If your primary reason for getting in shape is to lose weight, it helps to monitor your diet as well as your exercise habits.
The app Lose It! does that in a simple way. You enter into the programme your goal weight, how much weight you intend to lose each week and how many calories you plan to consume per day in order to achieve your goal.
Each day, you feed in what you ate, along with your exercise, and Lose It! calculates how many net calories you have consumed. This free app also lets you monitor your progress over time and compare your stats with friends.
8 For the stay-at-home type
GORILLA WORKOUT (iOS/Android)
Gyms are expensive, but exercising is not. If you want to get fit, guerillastyle, this Gorilla Workout is just the app for you.
This programme can help you build and tone muscles, even if you’ve never done so much as a situp before. The app uses a game like progression of workouts that start off simple (10 push-ups), but get pretty brutal as you get fitter (50 knees-to-chest jumps). If you have enough room to jump straight up and do a push-up, you have enough room in your home for Gorilla Workout.
If nothing else, the app demonstrates that the human body is still the best workout tool.
Gyms are expensive, but exercising is not. If you want to get fit, guerillastyle, this Gorilla Workout is just the app for you.
This programme can help you build and tone muscles, even if you’ve never done so much as a situp before. The app uses a game like progression of workouts that start off simple (10 push-ups), but get pretty brutal as you get fitter (50 knees-to-chest jumps). If you have enough room to jump straight up and do a push-up, you have enough room in your home for Gorilla Workout.
If nothing else, the app demonstrates that the human body is still the best workout tool.
MM131021
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