5 Reasons You Should Be Using Fitness Apps

 

Face it we live in a "Connected World", gone are the days when you went home and for the most part left your job at the office, where it was there waiting to greet you the next morning. 

Between smartphones, tablets and laptops we're connected 24/7. The running joke for some is "My company lets me work half-days, I get to choose which 12 hours it is" you get the point.  

When traveling it's very easy to get off track with diet and exercise and loading a few apps just might be the ticket to keep your momentum going.

5 Reasons You Should Be Using Fitness Apps

1. Since you're going to have your phone with you while you exercise, you know you will, you might as well use it to your advantage.
2. It's a very easy way to track your fitness progress and many apps can send you an alert reminding you to exercise.
3. Most apps will allow you to "feed" information into other apps. For instance the steps that your FitBit app tracks can push that information into MyFitnessPal without any intervention from you.
4. You can have a different workout everyday.
5. Many of the apps a free.

 Next time you have a free moment try downloading a few of these.

Lose weight with MyFitnessPal, the fastest and easiest-to-use calorie counter for iOS and Android. With the largest food database by far (over 5,000,000 foods) and amazingly fast and easy food and exercise entry, it'll help you take those extra pounds off! And it's FREE! There is no better diet app - period.

Looking for something to track running, walking or cycling? Then try Runkeeper, I've been using it for over 5 years and it gets better with each new release. (Free with an upgrade to a Premium version)

FitDeck Makes exercise simple, convenient, and fun. Choose a FitDeck that suits your specific needs, fitness level, sport and lifestyle—no equipment, with equipment or a combination. Shuffle cards to create thousands of routines with unexpected combinations, sequences, and intensity levels. ($9.99)

The Gymboss Interval Timer app is a programmable interval timer perfect for any workout where timing is needed to time work and/or rest periods. You can time a single time interval, or multiple time intervals, and repeat them as many times as you wish. Perfect for running, HIIT, tabata, crossfit, home workouts, mma, boxing, weight lifting, stretching, or any other workout that requires timing.

If you're into wearables I've used the Up Band as well as the FitBit and both do an excellent job of tracking your steps and sleep patterns. Plus it's fun to see how much you move, or don't move each day.

WOD

An on the road work out this evening..the hotels fitness room sucked so it was back to the room for a workout before dinner

3 Rounds
Jumping Jacks
Burpees
Mountain Climbers
Planks
Thrusters
High Kicks

3 Rounds
Push Up
Air Squats
Planks
Bridges

As I mentioned above there was dinner involved at the end of a long travel day.

Stopped in Columbia, SC for the night, my usual stop is the Carolina Wing house but this evening I tried something a bit different. I love "Pub" food and this place had the dark look as if you were in the U.K.....The beer selection is well rounded even though they were out of the Sam Adams Double Bock. Our waitress was a bit scattered but her service was excellent...Started with an order of Thai Curry Egg Rolls, different but very good and the main course was Turkey Green Apple & Brie sandwich with a side of Pub Chips. Well worth the trip and worth going back to. 

WOD

3 Sets
Medicine ball swings
Medicine ball Squats
BOSU push-ups
Planks

3 Sets
Thrusters
BB Lunges
Deadlift
Bridges

3 Sets
DB Snatch (right arm left arm)
Step Ups
Incline Push Ups

3 Sets
DB cross overs
Planks
Air Squats

40 Minutes

More Sweat

3 Sets
Medicine ball swings
Medicine ball Squats
BOSU push-ups
Planks

3 Sets
Thrusters
DB Lunges
Bridges

3 Sets
DB Snatch (right arm left arm)
DB Swings
DB Deadlift

3 Sets
DB Shoulder Press
Incline Push-Ups
Planks
DB cross overs

Got to the gym this morning and decided to continue to rest the back...in other words no running, no squats, no Olympic lifts...so I decided to do some circuit training stuff..get the heart rate and keep it there.  I love my Gym Boss and so does my dog that's why there's two teeth marks in the middle of the screen and Gym Boss has an app for the iPhone but since I'm so 2010 I still have an iPhone3 and that model is not supported...but I did find a great Interval Timer that gets the job done. So for sets of 30 seconds this is what I managed to eek out, and it did get the heart rate up.


3 Sets
Medicine ball swings
Medicine ball Squats
BOSU push-ups
Planks
 
3 Sets
DB Shoulder presses
DB Lunges
DB bent rows
Incline push-ups

3 Sets
DB Snatch (right arm left arm)
DB Swings
Goblet Squats
DB Deadlift

3 Sets
Step -ups
Planks
DB cross overs

Monday Workout

Still nursing a tweaked back which has now caused my sciatica to act up, the pulling across my thigh muscle is driving me crazy. I foam rolled some this morning which helped but I'm having a hard time reducing the inflammation.

I went for a nice 3+ mile walk this morning, this is the time of the year to live in Florida. I managed to get in a Crossfit style workout before dinner it consisted of
10 DB Snatches (Right Arm)
10 DB Snatches (Left Arm)
30 Jumps
15 Two Handed DB Swings
30 Air Squats
10 Up Downs
I managed to shave 18 seconds off my second round and broke a sweat, some chicken on the grill, brown rice and green beans rounded out the evening.

Changing It Up This Morning

I got up this morning planning to get in either a bike ride or a run but alas it was raining...I had lifted last night so a resistance session wasn't in order...so I broke out a Bob Harper DVD that I picked up off his site several months ago for $5.00.
As I unwrapped the DVD I was thinking how tough could this really be? Well damn, It was all I could do to last 30 minutes before I had to take a break...it was tough, my quads and glutes were on fire, even after several hours I could still feel the fire.
Not an easy workout by any stretch of the means and well worth the $5.00/

First Official Tri Workout

Starting out slow, so to speak..and trying to figure out how to transition or create a strength training template that doesn't leave my muscles drained and then wondering how taxing swimming and cycling is going to be on me.
2 Minutes Warm up 4 MPH
8 Minutes 5 MPH
14  Minutes 1 Minute intervals 4 MPH/5 MPH
2 Minutes Cool Down

Rewiring The Body

Two weeks into working out in a gym and my body is sore in places that it hasn't been sore in for years....but it's a good kind of sore.

Last Thursday I did over squats, an exercise that has been absent from my programs for years, and my shoulders still felt it on Friday.  Yesterday was back squat day! Due to a jacked up L1-L5 I've stayed away from back squats for the last 18 months. During that time I've done DB lunges, sled pulls and Goblet squats and really concentrated on strengthening my core. Yesterday I re-watched EliteFTS so you think you can squat series on You Tube since I've been out of the groove for a while. I managed to work up to a set of 175, far from where I had been in the past but it felt good. After I was done one of the trainers came over and said I had one of the best squat forms that he had ever seen........since he didn't try to sell me a block of training sessions I taking it as him being serious LOL.

This morning was cardio day..... a 40 minute run. I manged to knock out 3.4 miles running HIIT style. My total for the week was just under 10 miles, not bad for someone that's not a runner.

Oh yeah, I still haven't gotten on the scale to find my starting weight for this challenge.....I should have made it my goal to be under 210 instead of just losing 5lbs, oh well live and learn.

M.I.A. .......not really......

It's been a very busy last week, but I've managed to exercise almost everyday since the challenge ended including 15+ miles of walking/running.
I've signed up for another Warrior Dash...... and can't wait for that weekend to arrive..this time "More Beer"



Starting last Monday I've done all that I can to cut as many carbs out of my diet that I possibly can...by the end of the week I had dropped 3lbs. Around Christmas time I was at 236, 10 weeks later 213, maybe I will stop snoring now.

Along with dropping the amount of carbs that I've been eating I've traded brown rice for black beans...lets see if the rest of the household appreciates this change as much as I do. I've also been drinking more WATER.......Ugh as much as I try I just have a hard time sipping on water all day.

Final Numbers

CE: 93/104/90 (103.33%)

RT: 21/20 (105%)

CT: 30/20 (150%)

PG1 (40-4-40): 51/40 (127.5%)

PG2 (Warrior Dash): 1/1 (100%)

PG3 (Lose 10lbs): 15.6/10 (156%)

I did what I set out to do....get my exercise and diet back in focus. I must say thanks to all of the 52DC participants as they provided some great motivation.. I'm already thinking of some new PG's "No Walmart on the weekend", "No technology after 6:00 pm on Saturday", "Slow or Low Carb Diet"

I must say that I saw the scale creep up a few pounds this morning...homemade pizza, brownies and that wonderful malt beverage last night...but I got in a RT this afternoon so all in all I'm hoping that it all evens out.

EliteFTS.com: So You Think You Can Squat

In their never ending quest to pay it forward the guys over at Elite FTS have put together an instructional series on squating. Their site is littered with more free dead on instructional information than you know what to do with.

Feb 13

It was a great weekend I managed a CT and an RT, saw a movie, cooked on the grill, cooked a turkey that we bought for Thanksgiving and cut the grass.







Since I cut the grass what would be better than tear it up with the weight sled.....my wife managed to snap a picture or two of my primitive landscaping tool.






We had seen a Spaghetti Squash recipe the other night on Diners Drive-ins and Dives and tried to recreate it at home.

We cut the squash in half and boiled the squash for around 10 minutes..... while boiling we sweated garlic and onions in olive oil and then added squash, sweet peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and let them cook down



After the squash got soft we scrapped it out and added it to the skillet after a few minutes we threw in some sauce and the spooned the whole mixture back into the cleaned out squash boats.






Throw on some mozzarella and back into the oven till browned.

All in all it's one of those recipes that we'd fix again and it turned out to be somewhat healthy.

Feb -4

I took Thursday completely off from exercise....it was a long day....it started before 7:00am and finished around 11:30pm when I pulled into St. Petersberg, Fl. When 5:30am came this morning it was just to early to do any kind of cardio.

Managed an after work RT before I fell into the Chipolte Burrito Bowl trap...The Burrito Bowl not that bad calorie-wise 570 which was OK the 65g of carbs was high but I knew what I was getting into. What put me over the edge was the 73g carb loaded Chips and Salsa....damn




As many different workouts that I've tried over the years the one below is next up on my list.

Feb 1

4.6 miles of an evening walk........there's something to be said for walking a neighborhood and getting the lay of the land. Right at 14 miles worth of cardio since Saturday..



So far the boredom of the new template hasn't set in but then again it's only week two ahhhhh the joys of Adult Attention Disorder...that's what I'm blaming it on. The squat thrusts do get the heart rate up.

Warrior Dash 2011 A Recap.......

Yesterday was the Warrior Dash, It was possibly one of the best afternoons that I've spent...ever. It's not about finishing with a competitive time, even though there is a winner, how do you know what's competitive when it's a 3 mile race across junk cars, hay bales, under barbed wire and over logs and up cargo nets and through tires.....The fact that you hit the finish line with a huge smile on your face lets you know that you were competitive.



You're not an Official Warrior until you get your official warrior headdress.
Yes, you need to start the race with clean clothes, the cleaner the better.








Oh yea, I forgot to mention the two fire pits you have to hurdle just one obstacle shy of the finish line...the last obstacle you ask....well it's the Muddy Mayhem pit so just in case you are on fire the muddy murky dank water will extinguish your flames....






Lots and lots of costumes...the Harlem Globetrotters showed up.











The Jolly Green Giant and Mullet Man also made an appearance. These guys were drinking beer before the race...my kind of guys.











Batman and Robin without any alcohol...these guys were actually stretching and warming up.








If you make it across the finish line you get a medal! In 46 years of life this is the first time that I've ever gotten a medal......







Mud, Sweat and Beer - In this case one for each hand! Both Light Beers which equals one real beer, I think.

My wife filmed my amazing jumping skills...it's no wonder the hair on my shins is missing.

These guys filmed the race with a helmet cam....a pretty decent representation of the race.

and yes this counts as a CT I finished in 47:58 and placed 2404 out of 5159....

Jan 28

I got to work from the house today so I treated myself to a homemade bowl of shrimp and brown fried rice, Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries....Mmmmm Mmmmm good. Unfortunately any gained health advantage from my lunch was lost at dinner time - 18 wings later I left a full and satisfied customer - on well a CE lost. The only saving grace might have been the fact that I had a double header today, a CE in the morning and then a RT before dinner. How did I manage to demolish 18 wings less than an hour after working out? Who knows but I did take in a whole bunch of protein at dinner.

Managed to walk at a 4MPH pace this morning...sunny and Friday...sweet.

Last session of the new template and I like it each of the sessions. I'm planning on working in some sloshpipe exercises, sled work and farmers walks. I took measurements on Jan 1st and re-took again this evening - 11lbs gone and 1" missing from the waistline, an 1" off the thighs, 1/2" off the biceps, 1/2" off of the chest and as usual nothing missing from the calves....still 19 1/2"..

A day without laughter is a day wasted. Charlie Chaplin

Jan 26

It's been one of those weeks where I'm not on the road and it's been nice...This evening my wife made a wonderful Weight Watchers Chicken with Black Bean Chili dinner.
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine or water
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, undrained
1 can (14.5-oz) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeno peppers, undrained
6 Tbsp low-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cook the ground round in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to crumble. Add chopped onion and the next 7 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Place meat mixture in an slow cooker, and stir in beans and tomatoes. Cover with lid, and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with cheese.

257 Calories; 10g Fat (36.1% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 48mg Cholesterol; 578mg Sodium

I managed two servings and I've got some for lunch tomorrow...sweet!

Getting more into this new template and still feeling muscles ache that haven't ached in a while.....I cut the rest periods down to 60 seconds and started with about 10 minutes of stretching and foam rolling.



I managed to get in a four mile walk while my wife was in school. Several folks were still burning their Christmas lights....more power to you! Keep 'em burning till Easter I say. Most of the time that I walk or run in a new place I just start out and sometimes I manage to easily find my way back to the car sometimes it's not so easy and it adds an extra mile or so to my trek....but the nice thing with Runkeeper is that it lets you see the route you've walked.....

Jan 24

Hanging out with my wife at Starbucks this evening....how did we ever survive with dial-up internet? Once you connect to their WiFi and hit their landing page they have categories to browse I choose wellness and then was presented with many choices one of which was local runs and rides..I clicked on the link and found no less than 25 local places to run or ride all marked with distances and elevations. Being in Florida most of the elevations were 1".


Got in a RT before a marathon day of phone calls and projects. Changed up the routine a bit...added some exercises that I haven't done in a while and this evening I can actually feel some muscle soreness in places that I haven't felt it in quite some time. That is always a welcome feeling.

Jan 23

A very uneventful weekend (for a change) no travel, no major projects just a few trips to the grocery store, working in the yard, cooking on the grill and a couple of adult beverages...not beer...

Saturday afternoon I got in an RT..nothing that crazy..I got the sloshpipe out as well as the weight sled, and from the inspiration of TNTMan I tried doing countdown sets...I made it through 7 before the wheels came off..I think these may need to be their own session or at least at the beginning not the end of the workout.


I got to try out my new running shoes this afternoon....sweet. I love Nike Air Max shoes. The South FL weather was sunny with a slight breeze. The run was finished with firing the grill up for a ginger infused flank steak, and as the coals heated I kicked back with a glass of Gentlemen Jack on ice. It was a nice weekend.