Was your New Year’s resolution about dropping unwanted pounds? According to Today.com, almost 40 percent of all New Year’s resolutions concern losing weight. There are countless weight loss aids out there; from diet books, to videos, to websites that track calories.
With so many options it can be difficult to get focused and stay on track. The fitness movement isn’t going anywhere; as the U.S. struggles with obesity the industry can only grow. It was only a matter of time before the tech companies jumped on board. Apple released Lose It! for iPhone users and the BlackBerry PlayBook has a whole slieu of apps designed to help you trim down and tone up.
FitBit
FitBit provides you with a small device called a “Tracker” that you wear at all times. It automatically tracks your activity level, monitors your sleep habits and keeps track of your food and exercise (all entered by you). It then takes this information and combines it into health reports that help you follow your progress and make any necessary changes. The FitBit app allows you to access your FitBit logs at anytime without visiting the website.
joyFit
Working out is better with a support group so for joyFit, developers integrated a social network aspect. Like Foursquare, you acquire points for each workout and your “rank” increases accordingly. You can also receive virtual cash that you can use to buy items that will increase the rate of your social-cardio climb. After each workout, you can choose to share your progress with your friends. This apps introduces a healthy dose of social competition to keep you motivated.
FitDeck Bodyweight
This app contains an index of 50 exercises meant to work your whole body. It also provides a list of exercises that isolate the lower, mid and upper body to help you focus on trouble areas. The best part is none of the exercises require additional equipment. You use your own weight as resistance and the app provides a visual guide for each move with varying degrees of difficulty so you can mix it up whenever you like.
Fitness Panacea – Yoga Cure
If your workout style is a little more low-key or if you are physically unable to do a strenuous workout, this app will help you get in touch with your inner yogi. Also meant as a curative program, the poses are organized by ailments (slightly unhelpful) but if you can get past the weird set-up it has a lot of good information. It also provides a variety of calming music for you to choose from to get you into the meditative mood.
Whether you are an iron man contender looking to work off that last 1 percent of body fat, or someone stepping foot inside a gym for the first time, there are tools out there to help you succeed. Support is an important part of achieving weight loss goals and with the new BlackBerry PlayBook apps you’ll never jog alone.