I have another collaborative post with y’all about living a healthy life on the blog today!
Everyone that has ever endured an exercise regime for long enough to lose motivation will know just how hard it is to come back from that slump. It is almost impossible. You’ve “given up” once, so what is to stop you from giving up again? Well, the truth is, lots. There are lots of things you can do to stop you from losing motivation in the future and help you stay on track to reach whatever fitness goals you may have set yourself.
There is the buddy up system where your absence doesn’t just affect yourself. There is only washing your hair on gym days that will see you go hard or get ridiculed. Otherwise, you could try out group classes where you feel more accountable to show up or getting dressed into your running gear knowing that you will feel really bad if you get changed without going for a run. You could even find a gym near you that offers far more than just a few running machines and some free weights, by which we mean a sauna, massage parlour, smoothie bar, jacuzzi and free kids club. However, you could just mimic what you do in every other area of your life and look to your smartphone for the answers.
That’s right. Your smartphone possesses all the motivation and encouragement you need to get up and get fit. It doesn’t matter whether you previous fitness attempts petered out because of boredom, burning out or because there are not enough hours in the day; we’ve come up with a list of apps that will turn your smartphone into a personal trainer/nutritionist/motivator, and here they are:
- Runkeeper
One of the biggest motivation-killers is tedium. It is doing the same run time and time again. Of course, the simple answer is to just sit down with a map and figure out all the different routes you could go in your local area, how long it will take to run them and how far they are, but who has got the time or patience to do that?That’s where Runkeeper steps into the arena. Not only does it display a load of predetermined runs for you to choose from, it also uses your phone’s GPS to record all the information you may need. You can even choose a specifically designed program if you fancied. It’s no wonder this has become such a popular app.
- Zombies, Run!
Have you ever wondered how fast you could run if your life depended on it? Well, you can now find out the answer thanks to this app which essentially cuts into your music so that the sound of the undead become apparent in your ear, hunting you down as warnings come in that they’re gaining on you. Surely there isn’t better motivation than this. Of course, it isn’t just the sounds of the walking dead groaning that hopes to motivate you, it is the fact this app is entirely interactive. You are Runner 5 and your job is to collect equipment for the Abel-Township, a post-apocalyptic survivor town. Yup, this game is serious business. It is addictive. And with the 20,000 challenges set across 23 missions, you’ll find you are as fit as a fiddle in no time.
- Nike Training Club
What is a list of exercise and fitness apps without a big name brand? The reason the Nike Training Club app makes it onto our list is simple: they have made it their mission to find great workouts and supply them straight to your phone using a huge database filled with all sorts of routines that will motivate you. It doesn’t matter what your goals are – sculpting, toning, building muscle, bulking up, slimming down, focussing on a specific area of your body – you can find a workout to suit your needs. Of course, Nike being Nike, they haven’t missed a trick, meaning there is something for everyone, from total newbies to total gym-lovers. They’ve even made it so that your music can sync with your workout too.
- Charity Miles
There is no bigger motivation to do something than knowing it will benefit someone else, which is why the Charity Miles app has seen such a popular launch. To get straight to the point, you earn money for a charity of your choice every time you run, walk or cycle. You simply scroll down the list of charities in the app, select one that makes your gut wrench a little bit and then hit the road as corporate sponsors donate a few cents for each mile you complete. It may not be much, but when you add up all the people that use this app you can be part of something great. You’ll be losing pounds while making a bit of dough for those who could really do with it.
- Lose It!
Yup, another app with an exclamation mark in the title. However, unlike the one where zombies are trying to eat you, this one is designed to help you lose weight by counting calories and logging the exercise you do. No, this is not a new app in the marketplace. But that works in its favor because it now has an incredibly strong following and a community that helps you stick to your goals. Here is the best bit, though, Lose It! is also compatible with a bunch of other decent fitness apps and devices, from the FuelBand to FitBit, Runkeeper to MapMyFitness. This is good because it makes balancing your intake of calories against the rate you burn them a lot easier and a lot more accurate.
It doesn’t matter what your goals are – whether you are trying to lose weight, do more steps each day, get through a brutal morning workout or find the motivation to get back on the saddle after an injury – you may find all the motivation you need is stored in your pocket. Now, how awesome is that? (That was rhetorical – you know it’s awesome.)
This post was a collaborative effort – please check out my disclosure policy page for more details.