by Travel, be it personal or for work, can throw a wrench into your fitness program if you are not mindful of the challenges of being on the road. Using your smartphone and a mobile fitness app can give you the support and motivation to keep moving while you are away from home. You can also look at it as an opportunity to try something new. The next time you travel, check out one of these mobile fitness apps and, rather than waiting at the gate for your flight, take a walk around the terminal instead.
One of the best ways to explore a new city and reach your daily step goal is to get out and take a walk. MapMyWalk is one the first mobile fitness apps to be acquired by UnderArmour and now makes up part of their connected fitness platform. MapMyWalk offers more than 70 million walking routes to choose from. You can also track your physical activity from their other mobile fitness apps, track meals, import data from wearable devices and share your results with your social networks.
While on your outdoor walk taking in the city and Vitamin D, try out the Spring app. Similar to the RockMyRun app we’ve discussed in previous posts, the Spring app claims to be the first music service for exercisers to use while they walk, run, bike or dance—all to the rhythm of music they love. The syncing of movement to music has been proven to improve performance and, for me, makes time fly by. With more than 35,000 songs from a variety of genres including heavy metal and Top 40, you are sure to find a beat to move to.
From the makers of Gain Fitness, Gain Yoga is a yoga class in your pocket. The app tailors your yoga practice “to any fitness level and zenfully guides you through progressive pose sequences with HD images and real human voice commands.” Gain Yoga also integrates with Apple’s HealthKit, syncing calories and workouts across a variety of other compatible devices and apps. Bring along your Apple TV, connect it to your hotel television and you have your own personal yoga studio on the road. Also check out their Road Warrior app, which uses your own body weight and efficient circuit-style training for a complete total-body workout.
Being away from home not only can cause challenges with your physical health, it can also take a toll on your mental health. If you’re feeling tense after a long day of travel or having trouble falling asleep in a uncomfortable hotel bed, a session of meditation and mental-training exercises to help you find focus, reduce stress and improve well-being might be just what you need. Pocket Clarity is an app that provides guided exercises, tracking tools and real-time brain feedback to help you reach your goals and develop new habits needed to get your desired results. I’ve used it while onboard a cross-country flight to meditate and felt less stressed, less agitated and more awake when we landed.
If you are a road warrior and travel to different cities every week, download the Classpass app and, depending on your destination, you may have access to the largest network of fitness studios, from cycling and hot yoga to personal training and circuit training. Their recent purchase of FitMob increases their presence to more than 40 cities across the United States. Classpass requires a monthly membership, which can be combined with your home city, if available.
by