Are Fitness Apps Worth the Effort?

fitness apps
28 Aug

Last Updated on August 28, 2016 by Michael Brockbank

The wonders of technology make many facets of life much easier. Mobile devices and wearable tech offer many benefits, especially when it comes to your health. However, these fitness apps may not be as grand as you might believe. While few apps will fail due to inaccurate programming, most will fail because of the human element. Yes, it is individuals who will determine if an app is successful or not.

Using Fitness Apps for Health

add ab workouts myfitnesspalThere are many great platforms on the Internet right now. You can track everything from the foods you eat to your daily activity. As most will use the latest in scientific data, you can get an accurate portrayal of your fitness through these tools. Unfortunately, not everyone will use the apps as they were intended. As a result, the data is less than perfect and often inaccurate.

Let’s take MyFitnessPal, for example. This platform is an excellent way to track your daily food intake as well as tracking your physical activity. But, the numbers are only accurate as long as you remain true to tracking your food. Just because you don’t want to see your calories in the red doesn’t mean that not recording that slice of cake is going to be healthy for you.

Fitness apps are only as accurate as the data you enter. If you want to get the most out of the experience, you’ll need to take advantage of everything the app offers. I’m not saying that you have to pay for a premium account. In fact, I don’t have premium anything on the apps I use. However, you do need to use the app as it was intended. In the case of using MyFitnessPal, you’ll need to track every morsel of food if you want an accurate record of nutrition.

Some people will try to “cheat” there way into health by not recording foods or saying they planked for an hour when it was actually 30 seconds. Sure, it may look good to friends and family on those apps who may be following you. But it’s not doing anything for you from a health perspective. The only one you’re cheating is yourself.

Many Apps to Choose From

RunkeeperWhether you want to track certain vitamins or minerals or you want to focus more on muscle-building workouts, there is an app for everyone. I use Runkeeper for walking and riding, Exercise.com for weight training, Fitbit for accurate calorie count and MyFitnessPal for tracking it all. All of these connect to each other to form an intricate web of health. You don’t need to go to such extremes, but it’s nice to know that you can should you choose.

These are only the ones I use. There are plenty more available and probably some that are better. Each person needs to find the perfect app for themselves as it will play a role in whether you’re successful or not. If you don’t like the app you’re using, you won’t optimize the experience.

Connecting Fitness Apps Together

One of the most beautiful aspects of most fitness apps is that many of them can combine efforts to give you a powerful platform for health. For instance, I use my Fitbit Charge HR to record calorie burn in MyFitnessPal. This gives me an accurate recording of how my physical activity impacts my calorie count for the day.

It All Boils Down to You

In reality, you are the one who will determine if fitness apps are worth the time and energy. If you don’t plan on using the app on a regular basis, it’s more than likely not going to help you. It will take a degree of dedication to keep using an app every day. When you do, these little pieces of software can become one of your greatest tools for achieving better health.

Apps, weights, yoga mats and more are simply tools to use to achieve better health. If you don’t use these tools, you’re not going to benefit from them. It’s as simple as that. You need to choose and commit to a healthier lifestyle for any piece of equipment to be beneficial. It’s all centered around your mindset for healthy living. Find the right fitness apps for your situation and enhance your way of life.

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