Thursday, October 17, 2013

Fitness Journal: Apps to Help You Reach Your Goals


UPDATE:  So far, so good!  Running has been going very well, mindfully eating has been challenging with how busy we've been but overall - I'm moving along!  Actually, I'm less than one pound away from my first goal.  Very excited - new workout pants - here I come!

Today I want to share with you some of the apps, almost all FREE, I've been using to help me reach my goals.  I have an iphone, so all the apps I'm using are through the itunes app store.  If you have another smart phone, I'm pretty sure most of these you can find for your phone as well.


1. Get Running: $2.99
This is the only app I've listed which has a fee.  A whooping $2.99.  Trust me, worth every penny.  This is a fantastic "couch to 5K" app.  Sometimes I "re-run" a time or two until I feel confident I will be able to progress to the next step.  I made a promise to myself not to stop even if I think I won't make it. I haven't let myself down yet.  A very nice lady will announce what you should be doing.  Run, walk, run, stretch, flop like a fish.  That last one isn't part of the program but it should be! I've lovingly named the "voice" Lola after the movie "Run Lola Run".  Plus, when I'm gasping for air and hoping for a break it's nice to have a name to yell out and at!  After I complete this app, there is a 5k to 10k I've got my eye on!  


2. Map My Ride:  FREE
This is an amazing tool to have in your pocket!  It will tell you to the step how far you've traveled, your pace, calories burned, and so much more.  You can save your workouts and track your progress.  Nothing is better than being able to watch yourself improve in black and white! The app will email you each week what you have accomplished and you can even share with your FB fans.  There are a few little ads on the free one but they haven't bothered me so far.  There is paid version which has more features but for my use, this one is top shelf!  I even got my husband to use it during his bike rides!  Thanks, Map My Ride!


3. My Fitness Pal:  FREE
Wonderfully executed fitness and calorie counter.  I really can't believe this app is free for all the stuff it does.  Best of all, you SCAN all your items! So much fun!  Just line them up on your counter, scan them in and they are there to use in the future.  You can create meals if it's a staple in your daily routine. This app tracks everything and then some.  You can completely customize the program to your needs, calories, goals, fitness, etc. and your on your way!  NO more excuses to not keep up with what your eating.  They really couldn't make it any more simple.  I can't tell you how many times this little app has stopped me from eating something I really didn't need! And if your a graph lover, this is the app.  It will give you a line or pie graph for almost everything!


4. Shop Well: FREE
Know what your eating!!  This is the app to help you do just that.  Once you create your account, you specify what is important to you.  No high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweeteners, vitamins and minerals, etc.  Scan in the item you would like to know about and voila - a score is given to the product based on your needs.  If your items gets a big "fail," this app will thoughtfully show you better options!  How nice is that!?!  Labels can be confusing, time consuming, and false.  Just scan the bar code into Shop Well and let it do all the work for you!  Eat to live, don't live to eat!  For lots of great info regarding eating properly for the way out bodies are designed, check out my sister's blog Five Paragraphs or Less.  Good stuff over there!



5. Amazon Cloud Player:  FREE
 Last but definitely not least, the music!  You must have music for anything to be successful... well, maybe not a crowded room of high school students taking an SAT test but almost everything!  So, I am a huge apple product fan but not a huge itunes fav.  For some reason, itunes and I have never gotten along.  So, I buy all my music from Amazon.  I can share my collection on the cloud with all my devices without being made to feel like I'm stealing something I paid for plus it's super easy.  Love it!  Also, once a month they have 100 albums for $5, check it out and rack up!  I'll share some of my latest favorite playlists in a future post!  Stay tuned! 


There you have them... the apps that keep me going, motivated and on track.  If just one of them assists you in the right direction, I've done my job!

What are some of your favorite apps to keep you on track?   

                                                                                          xoxo Kelly