If you need a personal trainer, look no further than your phone.
Not only can you get apps for calorie counting and exercise logging, but you can also get apps that actually plan workouts for you.
When a UTM Health and Human Performance class was asked, MyFitnessPal was ranked the No. 1 go-to app for all-over fitness.
MyFitnessPal is a health and fitness application that allows you to log how many calories you consume throughout the day, as well as logging any exercise you complete. MyFitnessPal is one of the top free apps in the Apple iTunes Store.
“I love it because you can scan a bar code and it recognizes what food and how many calories it is. You log your exercise and it figures out how many calories you burned. You can fill out your personal information and tell how many pounds you want to lose or what kind of exercise regimen you plan on having. It calculates how many calories you should consume throughout a day in order to reach your goal. It makes it really easy to stay on track,” said Blaine Shamp, a UTM junior Health and Human Performance major.
There are many other apps that are similar to MyFitnessPal.
The number one rated app in iTunes is the Nike Training Club. This app is directed mainly towards women and has many features. Users can find workouts to fit their body types, create their own workout to music, watch instructional videos, and get tips from top Hollywood trainers. This Nike app is continually getting bigger and gaining more users.
The app that was rated the second best in iTunes for its value is Couch to 5K. This app is set up to help anyone at any age train to run a 5K in nine weeks. For more experienced runners, there are options to train for a 10K. On this app, there are virtual coaches, recorded mantras and a native music player to not only record workouts, but also track your process.
The third most commonly used app is Pocket Yoga. This app offers definitions of different yoga positions and terms along with instructional videos that lead users through different variations of yoga, difficulties and three different durations.
RunKeeper is the fourth most used app. This app is for runners who can’t stand running inside on a treadmill. Users are able to run anywhere outside and keep track of how far they have run and how many calories they have burned. This app also saves the routes you have run and allows runners to compare earlier performances.
The fifth most commonly used app is Cardio. This app keeps track of the rate you are going as you move throughout different activities, and compares it to the general population or more tongue-in-cheek opponents.
All of these apps are ranked 4.5-5.0 and are only a couple dollars each. However, there are also free options, like Situps to Six Pack, an app that is similar to Couch to 5K, claiming that it can take you from doing zero sit-ups to 200 in 9 weeks.
In the Apple iTunes Store, the current top free app is Situps to Six Pack. It’s an app that is similar to “Couch to 5K” programs. It claims that it can take you from doing 0 sit ups to over 200 in only 9 weeks.
Also, you don’t have to be a smart phone owner in order to reap the benefits of this technology. Apps can be downloaded onto almost any electronic device.
With these smart-device options, getting in shape can come in any form.
