As the days get shorter and colder, I find myself struggling to find the motivation to get out and get moving. I have the distinct advantage of having a partner who is equally active and together we encourage one other and often exercise together. There are times when we aren’t together but with the miracle of technology we often can see what the other is doing. Both of us have the Map My Ride app on our phones. Map My Ride is one of the many fitness tracking applications that are available for you to download on your mobile device. It uses the built-in GPS of your mobile device to record your work out details, such as duration, distance, speed, calories burned and route travelled. Workout data can be saved and also shared with friends. As my partner and I are “friends” I often get the details of his workout sent to me. As I have a slight competitive streak in me, I often see the details of his workout and this sometimes motivates me. I either feel the need to match his workout, do better or at least get off my tush and do something.
A recent interview on the CBC’s The Current discussed the impact of fitness gadgets such as the FitBit and other fitness focused apps. You can listen to that interview here and it questions whether these technologies are beneficial or if we have become too attached to these fitness gadgets. The reason I exercise is pretty simple. It’s because I love the feeling. I like pushing myself and I like the natural high I have hours after having exercised. It just makes me feel good, physically and mentally. Is that enough though? I wondered if I should delve into the world of fitness tracking. Could an app, fitbit, fuelband, fitbug or any of the other oddly named trackers or applications make me want to exercise?
First of all, there are the apps such as Map My Fitness, Map My Ride, Map My Run, Map My Confusion. Okay, I made the last one up. By all indications it would appear that these are all the same app but with different names. They do what I explained above, which is, using the GPS on your mobile device, they track your work out. The one thing I like about this app is the map, especially when cycling, as it’s good for someone prone to getting lost. You can see where you are and change your route if needed. Unfortunately I find that is the only thing I use this app for and I have never used it when running. What I like about running is the freedom. Just give me a pair of runners and my music and I’m good. I don’t like the idea of being beholden to my mobile device and while it may be interesting that I rode 21 kph during the 12th kilometer of my 45 km ride, I am not dependent on that information to get me going. There are other apps such as Endomondo and Strava and like the Map My Fitiness apps, track athletic activity via GPS. It is important to note that these apps also provide training plans and coaching but these are often available for a additional monthly fee. If you are familiar at all with Strava you might have heard of Strava Segments where the site software provides a ranking of times on route segments, including top male and female performance. I know some people who are extremely motivated by this and will ride or run a small section of a route just to get the top rank. Again, if that’s what motivates you, go for it! For me, I just feel taken back to Grade 7 track when I finished 3rd in the 1000 metres. I know what I can’t do and I am quite happy with what I can and comparisons are not motivation.
On to body monitors, which are personal devices that track your activity and vital signs and then upload that information to your computer or mobile device. Fitbit is the name of a family of wearable monitors which when worn will track every part of your day including activity, , food, weight and
GPL actually has pedometers that you can borrow. While they may be “old school” they still are one way that you can track your movements throughout the day. Also, the library has many books about fitness walking, some specific to using pedometers, that can help you in your use of this technology. I particularly like to keep up with the latest trends in exercise that is often available in the latest health and fitness magazine so I have explored the content on Zinio. Zinio provides access to popular magazines. The titles I frequently peruse are Women’s Fitness, Runner’s World and Bicycling and these are just a few of the titles relating to health and fitness. Zinio allows you to read issues online, download them, or you can use the handy app on your iphone, ipad, android device or kindle.
So, whatever motivates you, whether it’s friend you work out with, or a wearable device that tells you how many steps you have walked, use it and remember that every workout starts with one thing, a single step in the right direction.
In the Best of Health 