Here are the tools which help you to stay fit and fine
Anyone who has exercised with a degree of commitment knows the role social motivation plays in keeping one committed. Without it, working out just becomes like working. Continuing on the work metaphor, imagine if you went to work every single day, sat at your desk and didn’t say a word to anyone and left, you would quit, sooner rather than later, right? Yet, finding a fitness partner—one who shares your interests, fitness goals and schedule—is becoming hard these days. So, it may be a good idea to marry your social strategies with your fitness routine, and consider these fitness-focused sites and apps—they’re designed to keep track of your workouts, count your calories, and most importantly, push you to go above and beyond your goals. Remember, the other folks who are on these sites and apps are there for the same reason you are—posting about workouts, swapping notes, and keeping each other motivated. Seeing updates on the newsfeed is a great reminder to find time in your day to work out as well!
It’s just like having a training partner, multiplied by a hundred!
Fitocracy (fitocracy.com): Got a competitive streak, have you? Fitocracy takes workout tracking-tracking to another level altogether. Sure, much like other social networks, this platform has profile pages, walls where you can post status updates and groups to segregate your activities, but what it does different is that it gamifies your workouts. For each workout you record, you earn points that help you level up, much like in a game. You can also earn points and achievements by completing related milestones or quests, such as pushing yourself to run a mile in say under eight minutes (akin to foursquare). What I really liked about Fitocracy is that it does not discriminate against any form of exercise—it lets you log all types of exercises, from lifting weights to brisk walks to martial arts and yoga!
Traineo (traineo.com): Traineo is a weightloss tracking network that lets you interact with members and take part in discussions on the site’s forums. What’s unique is that it allows you to choose up to four motivators— other members of Traineo who will receive email updates about your progress and can in turn send you weekly feedback.
MyFitnessPal (myfitnesspal.com): While it’s best known for its calorie-tracking and nutrition orientation, MyFitnessPal also logs workouts by integrating with a ton of third-party apps and gadgets such as Fitbit trackers. This way, every cardio workout you do is automatically subtracted from your daily calorie intake, so you know just how much you can eat.
MapMyFitness (mapmyfitness.com): With MapMyFitness, you can map your running routes and track progress via a mobile app, and once you’re done, you can share it with your friends through Facebook. Plus, the site lets you track what you eat and share recipes and healthy diets plans with other members.
Strava (strava.com): If you’re heavily into running or cycling and need a social network that’s a little less… social, try Strava. Your status updates consist only of workout stats, and while there are no points for working out, you get to compete directly with other runners or cyclists who are running on the same trails or routes as you are (referred to as Segments on Strava). Once a Segment is defined on Strava, the network tracks all users who pass through the trail and automatically uploads their stats (speed, time, power) to the server, and each Segment has its own leaderboard, so you can see where you rank in these mini-races. GymPact (gym-pact.com): For some, online social pressure isn’t enough to keep them honest and be up early.
GymPact hits them where it hurts—in the rear—in the wallet, to be more specific. How does it work? You Says So download an app and are asked to make a pact by putting money into an ‘account’ and by setting a number of days you wish to work out. If you miss a day, you forfeit money from your account, which gets divided among those who kept to their pact. Punishing? Yes. Fair? Totally!
RunKeeper (runkeeper.com): RunKeeper is handy app for your smartphone that lets you measure heart rate, keep track of calorie intake and usage and measure distance covered (using your phone’s GPS function).
You can use the app for a variety of activities— not just running, as the name would suggest—plus the app regulates your music playlist based on your level of activity and even lets you take pictures during your exercise. It is very handy for those of us who like to head out on new routes on the morning jogs. Best of all, it has an active community in many cities and the app even lets you find new running friends based on your location, or search for people who are at the same fitness level as you.
Endomondo (endomondo.com): One of the more social among fitness apps, Endomondo offers public challenges for a number of sports, and leaderboards track achievements such as who has logged the most walking distance for the month or spent the most time being active. Of course, your own personal tracking—how far you walked, ran, biked on a daily basis—can also be shared on Facebook to communicate and share with your workout buddies in real time.
Bear in mind, while these digital tools may help you shed those extra kilos faster, some of these apps and networks make oversharing your information a bit too easy. Considering the stigma generally associated with discussing your calorie intake or weight gained, posting your details to Facebook may lead to some embarrassment, so do share and scour the privacy settings for these apps/sites with some degree of caution.