- Sworkit
This app is great to use at the home or gym. You have the ability to
choose Strength Training or Cardio, as well as the type of workout
you are looking for and the length of time you have to spend on it. For instance, on a day where I'm working out from home I might choose Strength Training, then Full Body workout for 45 minutes. It will then begin a Circuit Training Exercise with 30 second intervals. The exercise will change every 30 seconds. If you are unsure of what that particular exercise is, you can pause it and watch a demonstration video of a really, REALLY cool dude in his gym gear, out in nature who is ready to help.
You also have the ability to play your own music while you "Sworkit," which is a necessity for me.
- Rock My Run
The Rock My Run app is essential for me when I'm running. I really can't get into the groove if I don't have some tunes. This app is great because you can download free mixes according to length of time (up to 45 minutes for the free version), beats per minute (which will help you keep a consistent pace), and genre of music. It's wonderful for keeping you energized, and I like it because you don't have to spend all of this money creating playlists for this purpose. The app is free, but there are upgrade versions as well. Honestly, I haven't felt the need to do the upgrade because the free version is THAT good. This one's probably my fave.
My only complaint is that it was a little tricky for me to get the hang of when I first downloaded it. My husband was the one that first told me about it, so I had his help, but if you play with it for a few minutes and do a little browsing in the "get mixes" section, I think you'll enjoy it too.
- Calorie Count
Okay - for the average healthy person, in their day-to-day-life, I'm not a fan of counting calories. But there have been times over the years when I was trying to shed some pounds and used this RELIGIOUSLY as a tool to do so. You have the ability to count the calories of every stinkin thing that goes into your body. There are thousands of foods in the data base that allow you to access all of the nutritional information you would need in that particular food. These days what I use it for most is finding out the nutritional information of recipes I create. Our family doesn't eat very many things that are processed or ready-made, so to find nutritional info on homemade recipes is impossible for me without this tool. It's easy to plug in your recipe ingredients, and within seconds you have all of that information at your fingertips: grams of protein, fat, carbs, calories per serving, etc. It's all there.
Another great thing about this app is that it will give you an analysis at the end of the day, and an A to F rating. (yikes!) It will show you areas where you are not deficient and where you are over your optimal intake. There are pie charts that give you a great visual of what it is that you are actually eating. I know I was first shocked at the amount of carbs I was eating when I first starting using this app several years ago. It's very useful, and you can also find the full version online (which is even better) at caloriecount.com.
- Map My Run
My husband and I (let's be honest- mostly my husband these days, as the mornings have gotten COLD and I refuse to run in the cold... maybe some day) use this app to track our mileage and route. It's fun to see your progress and successes, as well as finding new routs that others in your area take. Monotony is one thing I don't enjoy about running, but I find that if I will change up my route, it keeps my interest and focus. It's easy to find friends around you that also use Map My Run. If you have a neighbor that also enjoys running, encourage them to use this app, and benefit from each other. You can turn it into a competition when you see that your girlfriend down the street ran 3.5 miles. Send her a text that says, "way to go on your run today. And by the way, I'm going to smoke you. Eat my dust." Or something to that effect.
- Interval Timer
This one is super basic, but I really enjoy using it at the gym. Especially if you like circuit training, like I do, this helps you to keep track of your intervals without being close to that one tiny clock on the gym wall. You have the ability to select intensity - low or high, and the duration of your intervals. You can play music as well, and an alarm will sound and/or vibrate when it's time for the next interval. I never do circuit training without the use of this app.
Do you have a favorite app that you use for health and fitness? Share it in the comments below.
No comments:
Post a Comment