1. Use An Activity Tracker

Even if Santa did not bring you a new fitness gadget this holiday season, you can find many great deals on items like Apple Watches and FitBits.

There is something extremely motivating to me as I see those rings close or step counts go up. You can also set target goals with your Apple Watch friends or FitBit friends for some healthy competition!

2. Workout at Home

Even before the global pandemic, I found that working out at home really helped me stick to my goals. On cold winter mornings, I had a hard time motivating myself to get in my freezing car to drive to the gym only to find that someone beat me to the equipment I wanted to use.

Thankfully, there are plenty of options available for working out at home. Services like Apple Fitness+, Daily Burn, FitOn, and Beachbody OnDemand make it easy to get a great workout with minimal equipment.

There are also free workouts available on YouTube! Here are some to get you started:

• HASfit
• POPSUGAR Fitness
• BeFIT

3. Find Some Great Workout Music

Don’t yet have a playlist of your favorite workout music? Or are you simply looking for new music to motivate you? Check out these free streaming stations to get some motivation for your workout sessions!

• Pandora: Pop Fitness
• Pandora: Workout Hits
• Pandora: Alternative Endurance Training
• iHeart Radio: Club Jam Hits
• iHeart Radio: 24 Hour Cardio Mix
• iHeart Radio: Rock Workout Radio

Looking for workout headphones?

Here are a few of my favorites:

9.3

SoundPEATS Air3 Wireless Earbuds Mini Bluetooth V5.2 Earphones with Qualcomm QCC3040 and aptX-Adaptive, 4-Mic and CVC 8.0 Noise Cancellation, TrueWireless Mirroring Tech, in-Ear Detection, Game Mode

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9.1

Plantronics – Backbeat FIT 3150 True Wireless Sport Headphones – Black

Design and Fit One of the things I like most about these headphones is the open design of the tips on the earbuds. …

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9.1

Soundcore by Anker, Soundcore Sport X10 True Wireless Bluetooth 5.2 Workout Headphones, Rotatable Ear Hooks, Deep Bass, IPX7 Waterproof, Sweatproof, 32H Play, Fast Charge, Sport Earbuds, Gym, Running

If you’ve tried working out with AirPods and had trouble with them staying in your ear, check out the Soundcore Sport …

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4. Burn Calories Watching Netflix

No one likes staring at a wall while doing cardio indoors in the winter. Bring your tablet, prop it up on the elliptical or treadmill, and start binging on some of Netflix’s hits like Stranger Things, The Queen’s Gambit, Black Mirror, Ozark, and many more.

These movies and shows will suck you in and before you know it, you will have burned a ton of calories watching TV. If your gym has new touchscreen-enabled equipment, you may be able to log in to your Netflix right on on the machine.

Of course, you’re not limited to Netflix. If you have Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, or even a cable package that allows streaming your DVR content remotely, you’re sure to be entertained while the calories burn away.

With the right tracker, games, music, and entertainment, you’re ready to tackle your new year’s fitness goals!

Sparkler photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

The post 4 Fitness Motivation Hacks for the New Year 2023 appeared first on Technically Well.

The Fitness app no longer requires an Apple Watch

The Fitness app previously did not appear unless you paired your iPhone with an Apple Watch. With iOS 16, you can now track your daily activity using the motion sensors built-in to your phone and use that data to close your move ring.

Medication tracking

The Health app can now remind you to take your daily medications, supplements, and vitamins.

Heart rate zones in watchOS 9

You can view your current heart rate zone while working out with your Apple Watch. The zones are automatically calculated by Apple Watch using your health data.

New workout summaries

You can now scrub through your run and see metrics like your heart rate and pace at any particular point on the map.

Apple Fitness+ no longer requires an Apple Watch

Previously, you needed an Apple Watch to stream workouts from Apple’s streaming workout service: Apple Fitness+. Now, you can subscribe and stream the workouts (minus the on-screen Apple Watch metrics) with just an iPhone.

The post Best New Health Features in iOS 16 and watchOS 9 appeared first on Technically Well.

Hatch Your Eggs

As you walk around spinning the PokeStops in your area, you’ll eventually obtain a nice collection of eggs.  Each egg is marked with the distance you need to walk in order to hatch it: 2km, 5km or 10km.  So start walking!

You don’t need to drain your phone’s battery to accumulate steps! Here are some alternatives:

• Turn on the Adventure Sync feature in the app’s settings. This will import your steps from your iPhone’s Health app or Android’s Google Fit app. Please note that only steps your phone (or Apple Watch) have recorded will count. Steps imported from 3rd party apps, manual entry, or FitBit “sync” apps will not count.
• If you have an old smartphone lying around, check with your carrier to see if they’ll unlock it (as long as it’s paid off, this should not be an issue).  Then slip in the SIM card for a free or low-cost carrier, like Ting or Tello.  Typically, Pokémon Go uses very little data (unless you’re exploring a new area and need to download the maps and artwork for new Pokémon), so you can usually get away with a 500MB per month data plan if you’re using it exclusively for Pokémon Go.
• If you have an Apple Watch, install the Pokémon Go app on it and start it up before you go on your walk.  While it still needs to use the GPS from your phone, the battery drain is definitely slower since you’re screen is off and 3D graphics are not being rendered. Update: Unfortunately, the Apple Watch app is no longer available for Pokemon Go.
• Pick up the Pokémon Go Plus remote to play the game while your phone screen is off.  I’ll discuss this handy little device in a little bit.
• If all else fails, pickup a power bank to charge your phone on the go.

Walk to your Local Raids

This summer, Pokémon Go added a new “raid” feature that encourages trainers to go out and explore their town.  Throughout the day, a gym will be randomly selected and a timer will appear above the tower.  Once the countdown finishes, a “boss” Pokemon will be available to battle.  You typically can’t take on the boss by yourself, so you will need to round up some of your fellow friends.  You can also check Facebook and Discord for local trainers in your area and coordinate a raid with them.

Multiple raids go on throughout the day, so you will need to walk from gym to gym at the appointed time to take on the boss.  GymHuntr can also help you find a local raid to battle.

Get a Pokémon Go Plus

Nintendo Pokemon GO Plus Bluetooth Bracelet

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as of October 5, 2023 4:15 pm

Features

• The Pokémon GO Plus is a small device that lets you enjoy Pokémon GO while you're on the move and not looking at your smartphone
• The device connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth low energy and notifies you about events in the game, such as the appearance of a Pokémon nearby using an LED and vibration
• The Pokémon GO Plus will begin to blink and vibrate whenever you're within range of a PokéStop; Press the Pokémon GO Plus button to search the PokéStop for items; If you find any items, they'll immediately be added to your inventory
• When a Pokémon is near, the light on the Pokémon GO Plus will flash; It will also flash and vibrate when you pass a PokéStop;Not compatible with Android devices that use Intel Atom processors
• Once a Pokémon is close, press the button on the Pokémon GO Plus to throw a Poké Ball ;The Pokémon GO Plus will flash and vibrate to let you know if you were successful in catching the Pokémon

I really like the Pokémon Go Plus remote that came out last fall, but I wasn’t able to find one until a few weeks ago.  For me, it makes the game much more enjoyable.  You can catch Pokémon and spin PokeStops but just tapping the button whenever it lights up.  This makes it so much easier to play the game while you’re walking or jogging around the neighborhood.

Now, I wouldn’t consider this little gadget a “cheat” device, because there are plenty of limitations:

• It can only throw red PokeBalls
• It cannot use a berry
• The speed limitations still apply, so it won’t work while in a car or if you’re running too fast

However, it does allow you to play the game with your phone’s screen off, so you can walk around and still enjoy the outdoors.  This makes it ideal for walking the dog or jogging without needing to stare at your phone screen the entire time.

Summary

Wow, who knew playing a video game could be so exhausting?  I’ve definitely seen my daily step counts increase since playing the game.  How about you?  Has Pokémon Go made a difference in your fitness?  Let me know in the comments!

The post Get Fit with Pokemon Go appeared first on Technically Well.

• 

  Fitbit has several different models to choose from

  Use an activity tracker: Whether it’s a FitBit, Jawbone Up, Garmin, Misfit, Apple Watch or some other type of activity tracker, you’ll find that quantifying your daily activity to be highly motivational.  You may want to select a fitness tracker that your friends are already using so that you can link up with each other and compare stats.  Or check the website of your device for groups and communities to participate in.  For example, FitBit has plenty of groups to choose from.

• Consider a heart rate monitor as well: For me, seeing that I only earned a couple hundred steps from an hour-long P90X sweat fest was very un-motivating.  While activity trackers are good at recording walking and running, they’re not always good at recording weight training exercises.  Heart rate monitors such as those built-in to the FitBit Charge HR or the Apple Watch can give you a better idea of your calorie burn, but they’re not perfect as wrist-based heart rate monitors can give low readings during weight-bearing activities.  Strap on a chest bluetooth heart rate monitor (for iPhone and some Androids phones) while you pump iron to get a better estimate of your calorie burn.
• Stream music stations designed to motivate you:  Regardless if you prefer Pandora, iHeartRadio or Apple Music, there are plenty of upbeat stations to help power you through your workouts.  Grab a Bluetooth speaker or headphones and you are all set! Here are some stations to get you started:
  • Club Jams on iHeartRadio
  • Pop Fitness on Pandora
• Harness the power of social networks: Follow your favorite athletes on Twitter or join an exercise-focused photo stream on Instagram.  There are also plenty of fitness-focused pinners on Pinterest.  Receiving regular updates from other exercisers in your social streams  can do wonders for your motivation.  Like running?  Be sure to check out the #RunChat conversation on Twitter.  Or if you need a little extra motivation to start your week, check out MoveItMonday.

With these hacks in your arsenal, get ready to place a huge check by this year’s fitness goals come December!

The post 4 Fitness Motivational Hacks for 2017 appeared first on Technically Well.

Please note that this article will be updated as new apps and services become available.

Moves for iPhone and Android: Your iPhone has some fancy gyroscopes inside of it already, so why not put them to good use?  Moves is one of the first activity trackers to hit the App Store.  It can record your daily walking, cycling and running and can calculate the number of calories burned for each activity.  However, it uses your phone’s GPS to help calculate distances and activities, which may lead to decreased battery life.

Nike+ Move for iPhone 5S only: Announced alongside the iPhone 5S, this app uses the phone’s new M7 processor to track your daily activity level without significantly impacting battery life.  However, it tracks your activity in “Nike Fuel” which isn’t an exact science: it’s hard too know how many calories you burned. It does provide nice graphs of your activity throughout the day and allows you to compete against your Game Center friends in iOS to see who is the most active (with their phone).

The post Free Fitness Trackers appeared first on Technically Well.

Let’s start with the Balance Board.  While it’s a good concept, I’m not sure it’s the best medium for working out.  You can’t run on it.  You can jump on it.  Therefore, aerobics are out.  It’s not that heavy, so you can’t really use it for building muscle, either.  Sometimes, I wonder if Nintendo would have been better off reviving the Power Pad!

The Balance Board does come in handy for Yoga workouts.  It can tell you if you’re shifting your weight in the right direction during the Warrior pose, for example.  It also provides eye-opening statistics during the body test, where you can tell where you tend to shift your weight while at rest.  And, of course, everybody’s favorite feature of Wii Fit is the Balance games, which rely on the Balance Board heavily.  So while it does have it’s applications, working up a real sweat isn’t one of them.

Thankfully, Wii Fit U recognizes that you want to work out — really work out — outside of the Wii Fit U game, and gives you the option of the Fit Meter.  Like the Fit Bit, the Wii Fit Meter records your steps throughout your day, as well as acceleration (intensity) and atmospheric pressure (altitude) changes.  The Wii Fit Meter lets your track your progress against real world courses, such as a running trail in New York City or a climb up Mount Everest.  It also adds credits to that little fitness piggy bank you’ll recognize from previous versions of Wii Fit.

The gameplay of Wii Fit U is more of the same: there are the same games everyone loves, such as skiing and butting soccer balls with your head (although, what happened to my favorite game – snowboarding – from the original Wii Fit?!), as well as some new ones, such as my new favorite: the Core Luge.  There’s also a whole new dance mode that helps you get in some more cardio, and provides another good application of the Balance Board (as a side note: you also need to hold two Wii Remote controllers that have the Motion Plus enhancements).

Navigation is still frustrating.  When you start an activity, you’ll sometimes see the message to put down the GamePad, immediately followed by a message to press “A”, requiring you to pick up the GamePad.  Some games allow you to watch a video feed of yourself doing the exercise, which is actually really helpful, but requires you to quickly place the GamePad on the stand and point it at yourself at the right angle, which can be a hassle when you’re trying to get through your workout.  There are still the leaderboard and piggy bank screens you have to click through after each workout, although, if you create a “routine”, the transition is a little more streamlined, but still requires some button presses between activities.  This disrupts your workout and sometimes creates too long of a cool down period between workouts.

The second screen of the GamePad really comes in handy during the Strength Training workouts.  You can set the GamePad on the floor so you don’t need to bend your neck trying to figure out where you are during the Pushup and Side Plank workout.

I was looking forward to the new social integrations, but I’m still trying to figure them out.  There are multiple gym “communities” you can join, such as Casual, Wellness, and Active. However, if you check out the communities on MiiVerse, it seems to just automatically post whatever activity you just did.  When I tried to create a new post in the community through MiiVerse, it wouldn’t let me.

Despite some shortcomings, the Wii Fit U is still a great game, especially at $20 (if you already have a Balance Board and a Wii U, you only need to purchase the Fit Meter to “buy” the whole game).  UPDATE: This promotion is now over.  You’ll now need to purchase the full game.  The new activities are definitely fun, even though you still need to deal with the annoying button presses between workouts.  Because of this, it can take a significant amount of time to burn the same amount calories you would get from other activities.  And since you can’t run or jump on the Balance Board, this can prevent you from really getting your heart pumping enough to break a sweat.  So while the Wii Fit U may not be a P90X-style workout, it’s still great for beginners or those who want to get in a second workout and have fun doing so.

Check out Wii Fit U on Amazon

The post Wii Fit U Review: Is it the Workout We’ve Been Waiting For? appeared first on Technically Well.