Lockdown has left us all feeling like couch potatoes, but luckily for us, getting fit is easier than ever. With products like the Fitbit and health apps that provide exercises and calorie trackers, it’s so simple and relaxed to help get yourself back into shape.
Let’s be honest – we’ve all put on a little bit of weight or are less fit than we were prior to being trapped in lockdown for months on end. Places are opening up and we’re able to go farther than before, but it can still be a struggle to get going. Over the last few months I’ve found quite a few different ways of keeping myself motivated, mostly using my phone, FitBit and health apps available on the Play/App Store.
To start with, Facebook can be a great place to find support for keeping active. There are several groups where everyone cheers for each other and help people on their fitness journey. These type of communities are perfect if you’re finding it hard to do it all by yourself, and you’ll often find people in very similar situations.
Another thing that isn’t strictly to do with health apps is YouTube. I find YouTube great for workouts, especially when I have limited time. There are so many varied exercise videos, and the best part is that – as long as you don’t mind a few ads – it’s entirely free!
Something to go right alongside your exercises (while we’re still on the subject of free things) would be your phone’s built-in health app. Whether you have Samsung Health, Google Fit, or Apple Health, you can use these to track your workouts, your food, your water intake, and even how many calories you’re burning just from sitting.
If you’d rather go out for a bit of fresh air, you can use the app What3Words. This is especially helpful if you’re planning on meeting up to exercise with a few friends in a specific area. This app is similar to Google Maps, but rather than working using addresses, What3Words has assigned each 3m square a unique phrase using 3 words, making it really easy to identify unique places.
Going out for exercise? Use the app Map My Run (by sports brand Under Armour) to track where you’ve been or to find a new route to explore. With both a free option and a premium option, this app is a fantastic way to help you exercise. It even syncs up to Under Armour’s Smart Shoes to help track your steps, stride, and pace!
Another way to help track your work outs is a little more pricey than the previous options, but from my experience I’d say it’s well worth the money: the Fitbit. There’s a huge range of these devices to pick from, meaning there are cheaper options if you just want them to help you exercise. I find my Fitbit really helpful personally, as it can more accurately track your workout by measuring your heart rate. Using Fitbit Premium is also great as you get more detailed stats as well as some meditation programs.
Now that exercise is out of the way, you might want to try to sort out what you’re eating as well, especially if – like me – your healthy eating habits went out the window when lockdown began. MyFitnessPal is an app specifically for this. It allows you to input the food you’ve eaten, and it will tell you the calories contained and help you work towards daily goals. With the premium option, you can also view the intricacies of each meal, such as the fat content and protein etc.
Obviously there are plenty of other health apps available, these are just a few of my top picks. It’s amazing how technology can even make something like keeping fit and active simpler, especially when it can be such a struggle for people.
