Not Just for Phone Calls:
Get Fit With Your Smart Phone
There’s an app for just about everything. The same holds true for getting and keeping fit. Help is just a smart phone away. In a recent AARP survey, 77 percent of participants aged 50-plus reported that fitness apps were useful. There are hundreds of fitness apps out there, and finding the right one for you could be challenging. Here are a few that you may want to check out.
My Fitness Pal – Free for iOS and Android. This app can be used to drop pounds or simply eat healthier. My Fitness Pal is a one-stop shop for setting your weight-loss goals, recording what you eat and tracking all your activities. It has a food database of more than 5 million items and a barcode scanner that enables you to make the best choices at home, in the supermarket and in restaurants. There’s even a recipe importer to help you cook healthfully — and creatively.
Map My Walk– Free for iOS and Android. Walking is one of the best ways to get in shape, as well as lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease. Put on your sneakers, download this app and out the door. Map My Walk uses the GPS in your phone to map out walking routes and records details of your workout, including duration, distance, pace, speed and even elevation. It will calculate the number of calories you’ve burned and even generate a history of your walks, so you can track your progress over time.
Pocket Yoga – Free for iOS and Android. Pocket Yoga does not require network connectivity to work. This means that you can take your practice with you wherever you go. There’s no excuse to miss a practice. Includes an extensive dictionary of poses that is categorized and easily searchable. There’s no better place to go if you are having trouble with a particular pose. Each entry contains pose illustrations showing correct posture and alignment, pose description and benefits, Sanskrit translations and more. Roll out your mat, make your selections and you are ready to go! Pocket Yoga recreates the experience of being in an actual yoga studio. A soothing voice will guide you through your entire practice while soothing music plays in the background. You will even get directions on when to inhale and exhale.
Lumosity #1 Brain Games & Cognitive Training App – Free for iOS and Android. Lumosity is the world’s most popular brain training program. Train your brain with more than 60 cognitive games designed by scientists and game designers. Take the Fit Test to get your baseline scores on 3 games. See how you stack up against others your age, and take the first step in your training.
The views expressed herein are for information only and do not necessarily represent the official polices of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated or the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated or the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter’s Technology Committee.