In the age of the smartphone, working out has gone high-tech. Every minute of exertion and every calorie burned can now be counted. This can make the exercise we do more efficient and our fitness goals more achievable.
The current fitness craze is for High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT. A study at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting showed two weeks of HIIT training improves aerobic capacity as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training. Other research shows you can achieve more progress in a mere 15 minutes of HIIT than you can on a treadmill for an hour.
One of the newest available in New Orleans is Orange Theory. This national chain claims its “theory” enables you to work out for one hour and burn calories for another 36. The claim is based on Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (or EPOC) whereby exercisers work to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. They wear a heart rate monitor and track their progress in real time. The exercisers try to push themselves from the green- to orange- to red-effort zones.
In our age of technology, some people believe the best weight-loss tool is sitting in the palm of your hand on your smartphone. Using the right apps, your phone can provide all the workouts, music and measurements you need without any gym, personal trainer or class fees.
Here’s a selection of a few of our favorites:
Endomondo Sports Tracker
Particularly good for people who like running, walking or biking, the phone’s GPS tracks your routes and can pull heart-rate monitor data to show length and duration of exercise as well as calorie count.
Daytum
This is a composite app that monitors and combines all the data you need to track progress from different workouts and calorie counts and provides you with easy-to-read graphic updates.
Nike Training Club
You can find dozens of workouts form Nike’s professionals, pro athletes, celebrity trainers and more for free.
Daily Burn
This popular app has it all, offering informative articles, it measures weight goals and workouts and can even scan food labels and link you to a fitness consultant.
GymGoal
This responsive system will teach you exercises and build a balanced workout routine, continually tweaking the sets and reps to match your abilities. Rest time, vibration alerts and iTunes control keeps your motivating music streaming.
Body by Simone TV
One of many online streaming services that allows you to workout anywhere in the world and access your favorite celebrity classes from your nearest screen. A monthly subscription gives you access to online videos.
