It's almost impossible to keep up with all the fitness apps and gear out there (although searching and trying apps is a decent way to procrastinate actually working out, if that's how you roll), so I'm always grateful to get a head's up on any new and interesting apps out there. Some of the latest include:
Meal Snap - Calorie Counting Magic by Daily Burn - Wouldn't it be amazing if you could take a picture of your food and instantly find out the calorie count? That's what Daily Burn's latest app, Meal Snap, claims to do and after testing a few meals, I can say that it does a fairly decent job. It's a snap (literally) to use - You simply take a picture of your meal with your iPhone or iTouch, enter a caption (which helps with accuracy) and wait for the little Daily Burn elves to calculate your calories. It doesn't give you an exact number, but a range of calories. For example, for my bowl of cereal, it estimated I was getting about 235-353, which was about right. For my turkey burger, it estimated 164-246 calories (probably a little low), although it overestimated my small bowl of fruit at 184-276 calories (it was probably around 70-100 calories). While it's not perfect and you wouldn't want to rely on it alone if you're counting calories, it's a great way to get an idea of what you're eating - something that might be helpful if you eat out and want to record your meal. At $2.99, it's a reasonable price and worth trying if you're counting calories.
Jeff Galloway's Ultimate 5K ($3.99) - I haven't tried this app, but it looks interesting, not just because it's a Jeff Galloway special (an amazing running guru), but also because it's put out by lolo, who is behind some of my favorite apps (like lolo burn). You get a 7 week program that takes you from a run/walk to running and the lolo's beat-sync technology matches the tempo of your music to your running pace, which is cool. This is a great way to train for a 5K with music paced at just the right tempo. If you've tried this one, leave a comment and tell us what you think about it.
BodyMedia Fit Mobile - This is a body monitoring system that uses an armband (they offer a wireless bluetooth version) to send information to your computer or phone about calories burned, calories eaten, steps taken, physical activity and sleep. This one is a little pricey - the arm band can cost from $199 to more than $250, depending on the kind you get, and you also have to pay a subscription fee ($12.95 a month) to access the online Activity Manager. I haven't tried this one either, but it looks interesting if you want to really dig deep into your daily activity levels and sleep patterns.
What about you? Have you tried any of these or do you know of any new and interesting fitness apps? Leave a comment or, better yet, post the details here for all of our readers to enjoy.
I’ve been using Bodymedia Fit for well over a year now and I love it. It’s like having a trainer sitting on your shoulder at all times reminding you to get your workouts in and watch what you eat. Also, if you sign up for a year subscription the cost goes down to 6.95 a month.
Bodymedia fit really cool tool! Had since Feb – Initially purchased to shed some weight.. I lost 15 pounds and now just wear to track workout consistancy.
What about FitBit. Great little device and not as obvious as Body Bugg or Body Media. No monthly fee required (can purchase but really no need) Really helps me get on my steps and calorie burn
As someone who has used almost EVERY single weight loss and diet iPhone app in the Health and Fitness Category. I can say that I was LESS THAN IMPRESSED with meal snap. Novel concept of course, but pathetic accuracy. In my opinion **THE BEST** iPhone diet app is hands down intelli-Diet! It just takes the thinking out of the equation and I just eat what it says. Down 12 pounds in a few weeks! I believe it’s 60% off now too so you should check it out before meal snap! http://bit.ly/intelli-Diet is their link.
I have been wearing my BodyMedia since January and have lost 15lbs on it using it and the Jenny Craig Weight loss plan. I had lost over 20 couldn’t get past it and than started with the Armband now I don’t know how I measured things with out it.
My doctor stated that most people miscalculated the amount of calories intake by more than 50% less than what they actually eat, and believe they exercise 60% more than they really do, he likes it because i give him a 7 – 28 day summary report on my information and he loves it and wants his other Diabetic patients to try it if they can afford it… It works for me and was worth every penny.
So far, Bodymedia and FitBit require Flash to be installed to run and use their websites. I don’t install Flash on my computers for performance, battery life, and security reasons.
Also, requiring Flash prevents using an iPad to review progress information.
If anybody knows of a good equivalent product that uses native Mac and iOS apps, and a stock web browser, and no Flash, I’m really interested.