Every person requires a slightly different type of boost when it comes to being motivated into getting fit. For some, it’s a running partner, for others a health scare – but nowadays, health and fitness-tracking apps seem to be giving couch potatoes the push they need to get out the door and on the run to a healthier lifestyle.
There are several health-related apps out there that are successfully playing the role of the overenthusiastic fitness trainer, and here is a handful of the best:
Contents
- 1 ZOMBIES, RUN! ($7.99)
- 2 ONE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS ($1.99)
- 3 GolfLink Game Tracker & GPS Support ($9.99)
- About the author: Janice Bevilacqua is an avid runner, as well as a writer of articles and blogs that are primarily tech-related. She writes for Consumer Priority Service, a company that delivers dependable extended warranty programs for electronics, home appliances and other digital products.
1 ZOMBIES, RUN! ($7.99)
So often, people quit their exercise regimes for the simple reason that they get bored after a while. Well fear not, because with this app, your fitness routine is about to be anything but boring. Rather, it’ll be one fun activity after another, all with the main objective of – that’s right – escaping zombies. Just have a look at how the game is introduced on the app’s site:
“You tie your shoes, put on your headphones, take your first steps outside. You’ve barely covered 100 yards when you hear them. They must be close. You can hear every guttural breath, every rattling groan – they’re everywhere. Zombies. There’s only one thing you can do: Run!”
How can you NOT want to play this game? With the mission of saving hundreds of lives, this app has you working off poundage while collecting supplies, solving puzzles and reviewing documents in order to ward off the monsters. Compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and Windows Phone, the running game delivers a story to you as you jog. You can choose your own music to run to with this app, so the story unfolds between the tracks of your favorite tunes – all while you burn calories and add years to your life.
2 ONE HUNDRED PUSH-UPS ($1.99)
This app is really all about the push-ups. So if you are, unlike me, one of those upper body-strong, driven, push up-loving weirdos out there – this is the add-on for you. (On the other hand, if you are, push-up phobic like me, you may want to start with the simple definition for “push-up”, which is according to Wikipedia, “a common strength training exercise performed in a prone positions, lying horizontal and face down, raising and lowering the body using the arms.” Whooda thunk it?
The app is actually based on a six-week long training program in which you build up your endurance to eventually be able to bust out 100 push-ups in a row via about 30 minutes of workout per week. You can tailor the app to your level of endurance, your age, sex and your busy schedule – and the app can be integrated with Facebook and Twitter so you and your friends can keep each other motivated.
3 GolfLink Game Tracker & GPS Support ($9.99)
As Zen-like and therapeutic as golf may be, it’s actually a terrific way to burn calories and get in a decent workout. What else do you think happens when you’re trolling the greens, lugging your nine-irons and putting your best umph! into driving your golf balls out of sight?
With this app, which is compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, golfers can seek out a winning golf course, keep track of a game, keep score for up to four players at a time, calculate shot yardage and improve not only their game stats but their quality of life, too.
A list of other fitness apps can be found in a related article on mashable.com.