You don't have to be sporty, but you do have to move!

You only need to do 30 minutes moderate exercise every day. Anything that gets your heart beating faster is good. The best activity is one that you enjoy and will continue to do. Some fitness apps that might help are suggested below.

What Fitness App Should I Use?

Some apps Trinity staff members like are described below

7 Minute Workout

Karita Saar Cullen, College Health Physiotherapist: There are really no excuses with the 7 minute workout app and it's proven to be an effective way to boost fitness. You can time the workouts for when suits you. I do it every so often for a bit of fun, especially on days when I can't fit in anything longer. I get bored of it, then go back to it. It's good and I am always glad I did it afterwards.

 

How to Make Yourself Run!

Martina Mullin, Health Promotion Officer: I have spent years trying to develop a love of running. I've even read about it instead of just doing it (brilliant book!). I have found nothing better than music but some of the apps I've used include Runkeeper, Map My Run and Zombies, Run!

I like Runkeeper because there's a training programme on it that's easy to follow. It tells me how far I've run and reminds me a day in advance that I'm due a run. It's a grand little app.

Zombies, Run! is a bit of fun. It's a game where you're supposed to be trying to escape Zombies. It got me up a hill once at the end of a run but after that I found it to be a bit annoying. It comes in over my music and tells me Zombies are chasing me. If you like gaming you might love it but to me it was a bit of a nuisance.

Review of the Active Couch to 5K App

Rebecca Kelly: A staff member who took part in our social walking/jogging/running group 2015 reviews Active Couch to 5K App:

The Active Couch to 5K is for beginners to complete a 9 week training plan, taking just 30 minutes three days a week. Pick from one of five different "virtual coaches" to guide you through each workout with an encouraging voice that speaks over your music. I used the girl with the pony tail as the coach. The app tracks your distance, pace, and routes, and it even shares your progress on Facebook (if that’s your thing). I found it motivating and used it for a few months to track my progress. You can also keep a log and share workouts and sync with playlists which was great because I like listening to my own music.  Download from Google play or iTunes App Store

Fitness and Weight Loss Apps

The Irish Nutrition and Dietetics Institute have put together a review of fitness and weight loss apps. They go through the virtues of MyFitnessPal, Lose it!, My Meal Mate, Walk with Map My Walk and Calorie Count.

 

 

 

Questions/Comments/Suggestions?

If you've any questions, comments or suggestions or would like to review and app for us, please email Martina on health.promotion@tcd.ie.