BACOM

The New Year has officially kicked in and the hangovers are (or should be) over! So the usual course of action at this time of year is to join a gym…and then never go. So why join a gym in the first place, right? There’s a whole world out there to make your gym! I know running isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re considering it, then this might be something for you to get a head start.

There are so many apps out there for those who run, to track your every stride and show you your results. But apps such as Map My Run offer a bit more encouragement to get yourself out the door. One of the hardest things about starting out, is where to run. Will this route be too long or too difficult? And if you’re unfamiliar with the location, you might even be worried about getting lost and not being able to find your way back.

Map My Run, as you’ve probably guessed by the name, maps out the route you’ve taken when you activate it. However, it goes that little bit further to avoid being pegged as just another exercise tracking app. It creates a database of everyone’s maps that they’ve created. All you have to do is type in your location and voila! Every route that has been created and is close to you will appear, and you’ll get that here’s one I made earlier feeling.

Once you’ve selected the route you want to take, it tells you the total distance, the ascent (if you’re not ready for those big hills just yet!) and shows the start and finish marks so you know exactly where you’re going to end up. Once you find your feet with the whole running situation, you may feel the need to change up your route. You can do just that, and then share it with the rest of Map My Run.

I have mentioned in one of my previous posts about the app called MyFitnessPal, that has its own fitness social media element to it. Well, Map My Run has the exact same concept. You get a whole profile, the ability to post status’ and like others’ posts. It even calculates the total of your entire progress. For example, on my account I have achieved a total of 137k calories burnt and 203 workouts done. My total kilometres of 14k isn’t as high as I would like overall. But hey it’s the new year, there’s time to improve!

One of my favourite features of this app is that you can connect your MyFitnessPal account to Map My Run and log your workouts as one. So, if you work out so much that you end up with a deficit in your calorie tracker on MyFitnessPal, it will be included in your overall calories burnt in Map My Run. Pretty handy if you don’t fancy doing a bit of mental maths at the end of the day to figure it out. The physical workout was more than enough! What’s better is that the same app is available under the same name, but for ‘ride’ and ‘walk’. This allows people to be grouped in the same cluster as those doing the same workout. Nothing would be worse than riding your bike to find out it was a walking route! Might be a little shorter than you planned!

So there you have it, just another one of the many ways that web and mobile communication has evolved to help us out in one of the simplest forms. We all need that little bit of extra encouragement to get out there in the open for some real, foot to gravel pounding. It just happens to be all there waiting for you on your phone…

Katy xo

If MapMyRun is something you’d be interested in, check it out here!!

Throughout the majority of social media platforms, the term fitspiration is very common. You may or may not have heard of this, and if not then let me care to explain; it is the two words fitness and inspiration put together to create a new term to easily determine what kind of inspiration something has given you. Pretty simple, right? Wrong.

The Urban Dictionary defines fitspiration as:

A healthier alternative to thinspiration, fitspiration is using examples of good fitness as inspiration to attain a fitness goal.

Now, this may all seem rather positive; a term constantly used online to promote good health and fitness. Surely there’s nothing wrong with that? Well, this is where technology has let the notion of health and fitness lose a bit of its great credibility. Looking back at Urban Dictionary’s definition, it describes it as a healthier version to ‘thinspiration’, a very dangerous tag that circulates the internet to promote unrealistic expectations of body image. This in turn has been a factor of causing anorexia and body dysmorphia through dedicated social media accounts promoting these unhealthy thinspiration messages and images.

So, you’re probably wondering what this now has to do with fitspiration. Similarly, accounts have been made specifically to support this term too. It may seem like it’s a step in the right direction, to promote a healthy lifestyle and body. But, it can also create the exact same effect that thinspiration causes. People may not always take the healthy route to achieve their dream body that they are seeing online. They may expect to see results in a matter of weeks, when the body they are seeing online took years to accomplish. Others may look in the mirror and suddenly feel not good enough because of how much attention these bodies receive online. People need to understand that these bodies are online. They do not define who people are and they do not define their progress.

However, it’s very hard to get this message across when the comments on these fitspiration accounts are filled with users oogling them and saying how amazing they are. Which is understandable if these are people that others aspire to. It’s just a shame how health and fitness, as a result of technology, has lost a part of its pure meaning. It has become a trend that people feel they need to conform to. When I say conform, I mean, look to be conforming to. How many people do you really know that have killer abs and do meal prep every week? Not that many I’m imagining.

Okay, so let’s be less cynical about this. Fitspiration is something that has come from healthy attitudes. People who create fitspiration accounts usually show their before and after pictures to tell people that it really is possible to change when you thought it was impossible. They can also show healthy recipes, their workout regimes and all sorts of motivational tips, tricks and morale boosts.

Even I have fallen victim to following these accounts to give myself a bit of motivation from time to time. And yes, it can make you feel a bit rubbish when you’ve eaten a million cookies and suddenly turned over to Instagram to see a bunch of people in their workout gear achieving goals, while you feel like a sack of potatoes. But hey, that’s life! You’re always going to have your off-days! Just let these accounts give you the drive to get up and go the next morning, rather than bring you down.

This is quite a debatable topic. In the idea that if technology and social media has brought a good or bad change to health and fitness. However, there are two sides to every argument so it would be unusual for this one to be any different. The downside to these accounts are undeniable, yet the advantage of giving people the drive to move and be healthy is extremely valuable in a generation that is constantly looking at their phones. So, how do you see the world of fitspiration?

Katy xo

As many of you may be aware, Fitbit wristbands have become one of the most popular wearable fitness technologies today. Some of you reading this may even have one strapped on your wrist right now. Maybe you were lucky enough to receive it as a recent Christmas gift? As much as this is an amazing present to get, let’s talk about how this small on-trend piece of tech, can create such a big impact on people who are looking to improve their lifestyle.

Fitbit have created a whole range of products for all their customers, from everyday trackers, to those who are a bit more get-up-and-go. They can keep tabs on your step count, heart rate, exercise and even your sleeping pattern. On the more recent models of the Fitbit, you are given reminders to keep moving, breathing exercises to calm your heart rate and alerted when you receive a text or phone call.

Having a step count itself if you were none the wiser before, is already a big step to finding out your day-to-day normality. From there, it is extremely simple to implement more activity to boost your fitness levels. Take the scenic route, use the stairs, do an extra five minutes on the treadmill, there are so many ways to reach the goals you set on your Fitbit! The ability to synchronise the data you’ve created to your phone is the perfect way to keep up to date with your progress (especially if your Fitbit doesn’t include a screen). It shows you your data in real time and creates trends from your lifestyle to let you make changes where they are necessary.

For example, maybe you have a restless sleep and your Fitbit shows that you were technically awake for half an hour during the night. Perhaps shutting the window to block out loud noises that may be disrupting your sleep could fix it? This is just one example of how the Fitbit could help you out. Sleep may not sound like a ground-breaking way to improve your lifestyle but a good sleep will help towards weight loss, stress relief and a better memory. And anyway, its sleep, of course you want to make sure you get more of it!

I have noticed a benefit that doesn’t come from the Fitbit itself. A bit of competition; we can’t deny ourselves a good bit of competitiveness! Noticing that your dear old Dad has almost reached his target for the day and you’re lagging behind, is enough to get you jogging around the house to get back on top of the game! Well, let’s be honest, you can’t have him win! You’re in your prime!!

Some may see this is as an easy way to help them get fit, although it is a great tool, you do have to put in all the work yourself. When it tells you to get moving you can’t just wave your arm around like a maniac to achieve more steps. It might impress your friends when they look at your stats, but it won’t make a difference to you. You can’t cheat yourself to a better lifestyle with this nifty thing.

So, if you want a Fitbit to keep track of your daily activity and improve your lifestyle, then go right ahead! They’re fab! But, if you’re looking for a quick fix or a way keep up with the latest trend, then it is certainly not for you.

Katy xo

P.S if you’re interested in a Fitbit, check out their website here!

Exercise is always that little bit easier when you’ve got a partner in crime going all the way with you. But how about having hundreds of them cheering you on all at the same time, checking your progress and always being there for support? Sounds pretty motivating, don’t you think?

Well that’s exactly what technology has brought us! Mobile apps and websites such as MyFitnessPal, were created for that very reason. Don’t have a fit buddy in real life? No problem, you can always find someone else who’s using these online communities to help you out. These apps allow you to track your progress, whether that be weight gain, loss or maintenance. There’s always the misconception that these apps are primarily for losing the pounds. But, with calorie, water and exercise trackers, it can simply be used for keeping a record of your day to day activity. Now there’s no need to keep buying one of those fitness diaries. Especially when your updates can be posted online to your fitness friends to gain a bunch of likes and comments! Don’t lie to yourself, you know you love the likes!

MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular health trackers out there at the moment with over 80 million users (Tech Crunch 2015). With the extreme variety of food and drink in its nutrition database, it is no wonder that people turn to this app to keep themselves in check. And if you’re unable to find data that is accurate to what you are eating, all you have to do is use their built in barcode scanner and voila! Not to mention you can create your own recipes and input the data yourself. Now you’ll know exactly how many carbs are in that homemade spaghetti bolognese you eat every week.

Fitness applications have changed the way we view workouts forever. Everyone knows that feeling of when you do something exciting, or even go on holiday; if you don’t post it, it didn’t happen. It’s the exact same concept for many people who use MyFitnessPal and other trackers; there is always that impulse feeling to post when you’ve achieved something. Even if it is eating those healthy rice cakes rather than a bag of Walkers!

Those of you reading this will probably know at least one person who loves to brag on Facebook about how many miles they have ran/cycled (I certainly do!). But, if you are that person, then scoot yourself over to one of these apps. This is exactly what they are for! It will be so much more rewarding to have people who actually care about your progress, see your posts, than to have people scroll past it thinking not another one. These trackers create such a feel of a community with their forums and friend requests. It is its own social media with a theme of healthy living.

If you consider yourself a fitness guru, then why wouldn’t you want to connect with like-minded people and motivate yourself further. But, if you’re a newbie and want to start making some healthier choices, why not check it out? What have you got to lose?

Katy xo