Getting fit is a popular goal throughout the year, but if you’re getting bored or losing motivation to stick to your workout routine, there’s an app for that.
Gamification, the use of game design and principles to solve problems and engage audiences in things that aren’t usually associated with games or technology, is becoming a popular trend in fitness. Is it working for you?
Wii fit and similar digital interactive programs are a great option for home exercise, but you may have exhausted that option and you can’t exactly toss a Wii in your gym bag and head out the door. Enter games like FitFreeway for iOS–cheap, mobile, fun, and functional.
Software developer, Bitgym, offers a new way to motivate and track your exercise. You can download the game from iTunes and “play” it on an iPad or iPhone. Start the app and place your device on an exercise machine. “BitGym knows how fast you are exercising by reading the vibrations produced by your movements and the cardio machines. The iPad or iPhone’s accelerometer picks up these vibrations and translates them into game actions.” FitFreeway features you as a car on a racetrack. Your physical exertion determines the speed of your car and the front-facing camera on your mobile device allows you to steer the car by tilting your head. You may still be running on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike, but there is a visual challenge and an immediate reward for working hard, which could make a difference.
If that doesn’t work for you, try an application like Fitocracy, which draws motivation from an online social network of other users to get you to the gym. Like FitFreeway, it’s a game, but this one is more mental than visual. “Fitocracy rewards you for your workouts, suggests what to do to improve, and lets you show off a little bit to your friends.” You can easily record your exercise routines, see what others are doing, and make your accomplishments public. Rather than relying on self-determination to get fit, you can sign up for a healthy dose of virtual peer pressure to keep you going the extra mile.
Nexercise is another fitness app and game. Its developers wanted to encourage long-term exercise habits, so they created a system of rewards that offers free and discounted merchandise to users depending on their workout habits. “We don’t focus on how many miles you ran or how many pounds you’ve lifted. You get points in the game for healthy behaviors.” Points are distributed based on the length and condition of workouts; rainy day runs and partner exercise are worthy of bonus points since they are thought to be indicators of healthy long-term practices. Points don’t directly lead to prizes, but within a lottery pool, they increase your chances of winning a prize.
For more ideas and other exercise apps, check out this list. How are you combining technology, games, and exercise to stay healthy? Let us know!
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My boyfriend and I use MapMyRide (he uses it WAY more than me, I must admit) on our phones and I think it’s a great tool. It’s always nice to finish a bike ride and see how far you really went, so that you can both celebrate your accomplishment and figure out what your next distance/speed goal should be. I also find it to be a good reality check whenever I think I’ve gone a lot farther than I have
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A friend of mine also gifted me with a Nike+ band, which includes a small pedometer that you slip into your shoe before a run or walk. I put this on now whenever I take my dog for a walk and when I get back, part of the band pops out to reveal a USB that you plug into your computer. I may have made that sound more complicated than it is, but the great thing is that it calculates your steps, distance, and speed (and even tells you at what point you reached your peak speed, and for how long!) and charts each trip with one another so that you can actually see the progress you’ve made.
I’ve signed up for Fitocracy before. I love adding a bit of competition to my work outs with friends. However, I don’t know how far I’d go to use applications in the long run though to help me stay fit. We’ll see!