Apps make life easier ... what would we do without our smartphones?
I remember the days of carrying around a spiral notebook to keep track of my workouts/lifts, water intake ... and then jotting down heart rate information during workouts so that I didn't forget. For nutrition tracking, I would write down the day's meals on the back of the workout sheet ... and then calculate everything out when I got home. What a pain, but that's how it was done. Looking back now, that's like cavemen painting on walls ... banging rocks together. lol
The apps that I like to use are:
1. iDrated ($1.99)- It's a simple way to track my water intake ... and if I go too long without drinking, it will remind me. Each time I drink water, I simply open the app ... press on the image (it looks like a silhoutte person), and then a bottle appears. Then, I just slide my finger up or down to get to the correct amount (in ounces). It's that easy. Better than the old "hashmark-on-a-post-it" method that I had been using.
2. Pyra-Food (free) : My current nutrition plan has me eating a certain number of portions of different food groups each day. So, instead of carrying around a tracking sheet, I found this app. Set up takes a few minutes to get it the way you like, and it comes with a tutorial video built-in ... although it's pretty easy to figure out. When I eat a portion of a certain food group, I just tap twice on the corresponding block, and it places an X on that block (one tap = 1/2 of an X in case you ate half of a serving). The blocks are set up in a pyramid, as it is based on the USDA food pyramid ... but the blocks can each be assigned to whatever food group that you like (assigned in the set-up section, continue to tap each block to scrolll through the various choices). There are 22 blocks in the pyramind.
3. Run Keeper (free, with option to upgrade to pro): Besides the obvious (since I am not much of a runner), I like to use Run Keeper in stopwatch mode to track my calorie burn and heart rate while I do my Insanity and other workouts. The best feature for me, is that I can set my heart rate max zone to wherever I like ... and the app's female voice will tell me when I have exceeded that level ... 2nd best feature is that when I have completed the workout, it uploads the calorie data to my MyFitnessPal account (there's some set-up involved, but not too hard).
4. Gym Boss (free): This is an awesome FREE timer app. I use it for my HIIT workouts to time the intervals and rest periods ... as a boxing round timer ... and I even have a timer set up in the app for when I do time-under-tension weight training workouts (1 minute of slow reps, followed by 1 minute of rest). It has an assignable audio alarm for each interval type (with 3 different alarm sounds) so that you know when it's time to work, and when it's time to rest. Having all of these different timers stored within one easy to use app is such a time saver. Set-up takes a few minutes, but it's easy.
5. Pill Reminder ($1.99 for full version, free for light version): Did I already take my fish oil? This app solves that. You can enter in all of your pills, supplements, etc (with picture, or use default pill images) and set up your schedule. It will remind you when you are due to take your pills, and also provides a check list so that you can check them off as you go through your day. Set up is a tad cumbersome, but well worth it I think.
What are some of your favorite apps for tacking your nutrition and fitness efforts?