Last weekend, my best friend finally decided that it’s time for us to hit the gym and be the man we are. I said yes in my squeaky, shrilled voice, which surprised me since I remember only doing it back when I was in high school asking my crush to be my prom date.
He’s been going around this idea for years and I don’t want to be the one to discourage him, not since I have a teenage crisis of my own. It’s time to wake up the sleeping testosterone monster within – with the help of some apps. All hail Apple!
1. JEFIT: This app lets you set up your workout, keep track of the number of reps and the amount of weight you’re lifting. This benchmark record challenges you to do better with your weight and repetition the next time you train. Other features include exercise record, 1 rep max calculator, set timer, and assessment for stats like BMI, weight, and muscle measurements. The best thing about this app? IT’S FREE!
2. You Are Your Own Gym: This app promises one thing, that “you’ll get into the best shape of your life without stepping foot into a gym!” A bit contrary to my BFF’s wishes, but what the heck? This exercise at home uses the same techniques used by the Special Forces and taught by fitness instructor and bestselling author Mark Lauren. Great if you’re in constant travel or can’t get your hands on real weights. It comes with 200+ video demos so you don’t break your arms trying to do reverse push-up.
3. Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal: Boasts as the fastest and easiest-to-use calorie counter for iOS. This app contains the largest food database by far and offers extremely fast and easy food and exercise entry. This lets you set a calorie goal as well as track your progress towards meeting it regularly. A nifty tool whether you want to bulk OR cut.
4. RunKeeper: Running is perhaps the most effective, most used and most effective training app for the human species. RunKeeper effectively turns your phone into a GPS tracker that tracks your walks, runs, bikes, rides, and hikes, and then show you how many calories you burned after. RunKeeper tracks your performance over time, allowing you to challenge yourself to go harder. This stuff makes cardio exercises fun.
5. Fooducate: Open this app every time you’re at the grocery store and use it to scan the barcode of any product you’re holding. Eureka! You get comprehensive information about the product you may have missed from reading the barcode alone. It alerts you whether the product has unnatural additives/preservatives, added sugars and other misleading claims. Another awesome feature is a product comparison that lets you compare two foods and allow the app to decide the healthier choice. Pretty awesome!
You can use a combination of these apps for your daily grind. We’re now into our second week of our circuit and everything is aching (the good kind).
This was a guest post by Michael Ancheta, Marketing Officer of APD, a 360 Degree Digital Services Provider.