| Remember that iPhone commercial - "There's an app for that"? It's hard to believe that commercial is already FOUR years old! In today's world, there truly does seem to be an app for everything - and the fitness world is certainly proof of that. Fitness guru Chalene Johnson offers great advice on "How to Lose Weight with your smart phone (PART I & PART II). Although I don't have an iPhone (I DID just get an iPod touch and I have an Android phone), there are many gadgets an apps that I use to help keep up with my health and fitness. There are SO MANY out there, I can't possibly talk about them all, but here is a list of ones I use (or have friends who use) to get you started. | |
| Check these out if you want to start taking health and fitness more seriously. Whether it’s losing a few pounds, training for that first marathon or just being more active, there's an app for you! |  |
 | Garmin Forerunner GPS watch This watch won't give you turn-by-turn directions (although the newer models do allow you to download courses), but it will tell you your current speed, the distance you have run and the time it took you run that distance. You can set goals and sync it with computer software that will help you analyze your runs. This is great for both the casual runner as well as someone training for a marathon. |
 | Nike + Nike Plus is an app you can download that can either be used like a GPS watch on a smartphone or with a sensor that you can attach to your shoe. Similar to the GPS watch, you can sync the data with software that will report your progress back to you. Like all good apps, Nike Plus has achievements for reaching certain fitness goals. |
  | Fitbit Fitbit is a wearable activity tracker that is a small, lightweight device that clips onto your clothing or fits into an elastic armband when sleeping. It tracks the number of steps taken each day, the amount of sleep one gets each night, is sensitive to movement and offers a look into the number of calories burned each day. Users can view their levels of activity in graphs, food and calorie intake and add in other data, such as blood pressure, mood, etc. |
  | Nike+ FuelBand The Nike+ FuelBand takes Nike + to a whole new level. It is another activity tracker that is worn on the wrist. The Fuelband allows its wearers to track their physical activity, steps taken daily and amount of calories burned. The information from the wristband is integrated into the Nike+ online community and app, allowing wearers to set their own fitness goals, monitor their progression and compare themselves to others in the community. Nike+ turns all tracked movement into NikeFuel points, which can unlock achievements. |
  | My Fitness Pal MyFitnessPal is a free smartphone app and website that tracks food intake and exercise to determine optimal nutrients and caloric intake for the users goals. You'd be surprised how much more you think about what you're eating when you track everything you put in your mouth. With packaged foods, you can even scan the barcode to enter in the nutritional information! This app is great for setting weight-loss and exercise goals. |
 | Daily Burn Tracker The Daily Burn Tracker is another free smartphone app (not to be confused with the Pro version - The Daily Burn) that can track your food intake and exercise. Like My Fitness Pal, this app is great for setting weight-loss and exercise goals. The thing I like about this app is that you can track the specifics of your workouts - not just how long you did them, but how many reps, what speed, etc. I like using the Daily Burn Tracker so I can track my fitness progress in terms of reps and weight lifted, as well as my speed while running |
 | RunKeeper RunKeeper is part motivator, part tracker and (long-term) part health graph. The app allows you to track your walks, runs, exercise bike rides, hikes, etc., by using the GPS in your phone. You can keep stats on each activity, setting short-term and long-term goals. It also offers customizable training plans and voice coaching. SiImilar to Nike+, users get notifications for new personal "bests" and milestones |
 | Tempo Magic Tempo Magic allows you to change the BPM (beats per minute) of your music AS IT'S PLAYING. You can also load playlists directly from iTunes. It's $4.99 through iTunes, but worth every penny if you use it! It's great for runners and cyclists who like to get into a cadence while running, but it's also great for group fitness instructors who want to teach at varying BPMs throughout the class. This app was my savior when I made the switch from CDs to my iPod (which was embarrassingly just last month). |
  | Hal Higdon's Training Plans Hal Higdon ran eight times in the United States Olympic Trials and won four World Masters Championships. He has contributed to Runner's World Magazine more than any other writer and is constantly offering tips and advice to runners worldwide. Whether you're training for a 5k or a marathon, Hal Higdon has the training plan for you (I used his marathon Novice Training plans for both of my marathons)! His Training Peaks software offers much more than a training plan, but the plans themselves are free. Also, be sure to follow him on Facebook for his "tip of the day". |
 | DietBet Diet Bet offers a social dieting platform that asks users to make a financial commitment to encourage themselves and their friends to hit their weight loss targets. Users create teams that compete against each other, with the person who loses 4% of their starting weight taking the pot. |
Post below and let us know what fitness gadget or app YOU are using?
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