Living in the “tech age” certainly has its benefits when it comes to your wellbeing. Health and fitness-focused smart phone applications can be extremely handy motivational tools, provide specialised workout advice, match music to your exercise, track your progress, log your runs and much more.
Here are 6 fitness apps that FIT is currently loving and they are just a click away from being yours too.
1. Jefit Workout Pro
Say goodbye to that awkward notebook or scrunched piece of paper that follows you around at the gym. The Jefit Workout Pro app is a better, smarter and convenient way to keep track of your sets and reps. It provides you with simple tools for creating weight-lifting workouts and keeping a log of routine details as you go. You can record your sets, reps and how much you lifted. Plus, the calendar function is great for planning your workout and rest days.
2. MyFitnessPal
This app is the perfect tool to keep you on track with your daily nutrition intake and fitness goals by recording what and how much you eat and drink, and how many calories you burn through exercise and activities. Of all the apps that follow a similar formula, MyFitnessPal has the largest database of foods and beverages and is extremely user-friendly, making it a winner.
3. Pact
Do you need to be kept accountable with your gym visits? Try putting your wallet where your fitness intentions are and it might be the perfect solution to blowing off a workout. Pact is an app which facilitates money wagering on whether or not you’ll go to the gym or complete a planned workout. If you stick to your guns and hit up that weights session, you keep the pennies in your pocket. The “cash pot” is communal and if you’re reaching or exceeding your goals, you’ll actually earn money. But don’t be a slacker, or you’ll pay for it – literally.
4. RockMyRun
Simply kick off your workout and select a playlist from one of RockMyRun's music sets, and get a beat tailored to your heart rate as you run. When your tune matches your tempo, it motivates you to forge ahead and stay at or increase your pace. With a wide variety of musical genres, this is a fun app to try out on your next running session.
5. Nike Training Club
Nike has used their world-class training research to develop this clever app, which is like having your own handheld personal trainer. Designed for all fitness levels, Nike Training Club offers 60 customisable workouts which are delivered by your virtual trainer through audio guidance and visual demos. Oh, did we mention it’s free? Yep! Fitness expert from Body + Soul, Damien Kelly, suggests using this app 3-5 times a week. “With a mix of cardio and strength sessions, this app covers your whole week,” he says.
6. Pocket Yoga
Technology and yoga join forces in an unlikely but fantastic duo with this app. Guaranteed to bring a bit more Zen into your life and stretch even the most hard to reach spots, Pocket Yoga offers 3 varying yoga practice styles, difficulty levels and “class” lengths. The best thing about it? The sessions can be done just about anywhere. An audio guide takes you through the asanas (or poses) and assists with breathing, while the images provide visual cues so you can get your downward dog down pat.