The expert gods are really on our side this month. First, they tell
us that we actually can eat Aunt Suzie's uber fatty pecan pie on
Thanksgiving-as long as we eat it slowly.
Um, score. And now, the experts at ACE Fitness released their Fitness
Trend Report for 2012, where they told us that using technology to help
us exercise is one of the biggest trends for the year ahead. As in, our
my-phone-is-attached-to-me habits will actually help us lose weight.
Here are five cool ways to get tech-y during your workouts.
1. Speed up your beats. There's an awesome new music service called "U-Mixit"
that allows you to download popular workout songs into your iTunes for
$1.50 and then literally speed them up so they're actually up to eight
beats faster than normal. Then, you can transfer them to your iPod or
phone. This is cool for a couple of reasons: 1) Experts say upbeat
tempos help push you to exercise longer, and 2) Who doesn't want to rock
out on the treadmill to some Alvin & The Chipmunk-style jams?
2. Hit up Skype and/or FaceTime. You don't need to go to
the actual gym anymore to work with a personal trainer-more and more
trainers are starting to offer virtual services through FaceTime (on
MacBooks and iPhone 4s) and Skype for the same price. That means you
can go on vacation and still do your workout from the privacy of your
hotel room, or just bum it in your living room if you're not in the mood
to hit the gym-but since they're watching you, you're still held
accountable for your moves. (Translation: No slacking.) Ask your gym to
see if their personal trainers offer virtual sessions.
3. Personalize Your Workout. Virtually. But if you're one
of those people who can't stand the thought of a personal trainer
watching you sweat balls (yeah, it's really not for everyone), then you
can still get the personal effect through a fitness app called Fitnad,
which will be released sometime in January or February. Developed by the
credible experts at ACE Fitness (read: you know it's legit), it's an
app that lets you enter in your info (age, what exercises you like to
do, and what you want to get out of your workout), and the trained
experts at ACE actually develop a routine for you. Just for you. Then,
you can stream the routine directly to your Smartphone, so you can bring
it with you when you hit the mats, or you can even print out the
instructions if you want to go all oldschool. ACE is still developing a
price, but it will probably be around $10 per month.
4. Or bust out your iPad. Fitness DVDs are a thing of the
past-it's all about using your iPad now. A fitness company called
PumpOne offers a program called Fitness Class,
which allows you to choose from over 230 popular fitness classes you
can take on your iPad (like Bollywood Booty, for instance). To help you
choose which class you want to buy (you can download each one
individually or buy a few in a group bundle), each class has a
description that lists the instructor's brief bio, the equipment you'll
need, and the calories you'll burn. There's even a video preview of each
class, so you can see if that "ballet kickboxing" class is worth
trying.or if it's just a faceplant waiting to happen.
5. Twitter To Be Fitter. As more and more companies and big
gyms are joining the social media world, it's super easy to use Twitter
and Facebook to achieve your fitness goals. Follow your gym's Facebook
and Twitter feeds to scope new classes you may want to check out, and
consider tweeting and/or Facebooking about your fitness goals so your
friends hold you more accountable. Or so the dude you're dating thinks
you're a fitness goddess and wants to, um, see the results up close and
personal. Either way.
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