Yahoo Finance 5 Free Apps to Help You Get in Shape
It has officially been 12 weeks since I had my baby, which means that it is time to think about getting back in shape. The gym has never been my favorite place but after nearly six months of sitting around and either growing a baby or taking care of a newborn, I am eager to get moving again. I don't currently have the time to get to the gym, however, so I went in search of free smartphone apps that I could use at home to not only get a good workout but also provide an extra bit of motivation as well.
Here are five of the best free fitness apps I found:
Fitnet
I would love a personal trainer but I neither have the t ime nor the budget for that luxury right now. Online personal trainers are available but they usually come with a fee as well. So I was excited to find Fitnet because it offers a large assortment of free five-minute workouts that are perfect for when you only have a few minutes to spare but want to get in some physical activity. What really sets this app apart, however, is that you can turn your phone's video camera on while you are working out and receive instant feedback for how closely your actions are matching those of the trainer! While this isn't really personal training, it's a fantastic perk from a free app.
Workouts included with Fitnet span three categories: cardio, muscle training and mind/body, which includes things like yoga. Within each of those three categories you can choose from different tracks and there are different workouts for each.
C25K
There are probably multiple 5K races being run in Chicago nearly every weekend of the year, and one of my goals for last year was to actually participate in one of them. That goal got put on hold, however, when I found out I was pregnant. Now, this is the year. C25K is a free training app that prepares you to run a 5K race over the course of eight weeks. C25K is designed for those who are new to running and looking for an easy program to follow. Workouts are completed three days per week, with each workout lasting no longer than 40 minutes. In the beginning, the focus is on walking and running intervals, which will help you build up stamina and endurance, and by the end of the eight weeks you should be able to run a full 5K.
MyFitnessPal
Being physically active is only half of the weight loss battle, with the other half being diet. I am spectacularly bad at following diet plans, but at times when I have tried to lose weight in the past I have kept track of the foods I'm eating using the MyFitnessPal app. There are many apps that will track what you eat, but this one happens to be my favorite because it is free and because their database of foods makes tracking what you eat quick and easy. In addition to your food, you can also use MyFitnessPal to keep track of exercises completed and water consumption.
PumpUp
Whenever a new fitness app is released it is inevitable that a few people will start posting their results to their Facebook timelines. The nice thing about this is getting encouragement for working toward your fitness goals. The bad part is that most people don't care that you just ran seven miles. The PumpUp app is designed to let you share your fitness excitement with like-minded individuals who want to cheer you on and hear about the fitness milestones you are hitting.
Through PumpUp, you will find a community of people who are also working toward their own fitness goals. Users share everything from post-workout selfies to status updates to pictures of healthy meals. The site feed looks a lot like Instagram, except that every photo is fitness or nutrition-related. This app provides a great platform for visually tracking your fitness milestones.
Pact
Finally, for those who really need an extra dose of inspiration and want to put their money where their mouth is, there's Pact. With Pact you have the ability to set fitness or nutrition goals and then earn money for completing said goals. (Yes, real money!) Goals can be things such as going to the gym four times per week, walking 10,000 steps per day or even eating 10 servings of vegetables each week. Pact syncs with other fitness trackers such as FitBit to help track your progress.
The way you make money from Pact is that you have to put up a certain amount of money to participate. If you fail to meet your goals then your money will be disbursed amongst other Pact members who meet their own goals. If you meet your goals then you receive some of the money from the pool and you won't pay anything.
Lisa Koivu is the founder of ShopGirlDaily.com, a budget fashion and shopping blog for women who want to have the best for less.
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