Your PT teacher, now in your pocket
9 fitness gadgets and apps that will act like your personal trainers to get you over that slump
Do you hear that sound? That wild rattle of your heart every time your lift is out and you have to climb four flights of stairs, or when you sprint to the second bathroom because your bladder’s about to burst and your partner has chosen this very instant to hog the loo. You’re not alone. Being the chronically lazy person that I am, my internal organs alarm me whenever I so much as get up too quickly. And as much as all of us hate to accept it, the rattle is our own tailormade lie-detector test reminding us of the exercise “resolutions” we made in January, now forgotten and ignored in the crevices of our minds.
But before you raise the white flag, let us remind you it is only March and better late than never, right? Because we know how easy it is to fall off the fitness bandwagon as the deadly combination of Netflix and your comfy bed call to your soul, we bring you the best of fitness gadgets and apps to help you salvage your resolutions. From apps that place you in the middle of a zombie apocalypse to test your running skills, to protein shakers that can also charge your phone mid-workout, rest assured that this is the year you’ll be taking aim at Bani J’s guns.
9 fitness gadgets and apps to amp up your workout game
For the ones who hate running
Zombies, Run!
If you have a special hate for running running through your veins, you need to check out Zombies, Run!. With its captivating narrative that combines storytelling and exercise, it’ll have you racing for your life.
With a highly-engaging interface that includes zombie chase sequences, the app will christen you as Runner 5, a survivor of the zombie apocalypse that has overrun the world as you complete missions to pick up supplies for your survivor camp. As you are tasked with acquiring intel, supplies, and uncovering truths surrounding the zombie infestation, your mission goals are explained to you through audio recordings interwoven with music from your pre-compiled playlist.
I mean, what better way to stay motivated than having the murderous undead hot on your tail?
Download free (with in-app purchases).
For your sore thighs after you’ve escaped the zombies
Vibrating foam roller
After the intense workout that the Zombie, Run! app is sure to give you, an all-over foam roller may sound like a dream come true. But what if we could one-up you with the smartest fitness gadgets of them all: a vibrating foam roller?
That soreness you feel in your muscles after a workout will be as good as gone, all thanks to the vibrating foam roller from Decathlon that is built to deliver a deeper massage, both before and after your workout.
No pain, no gain may be the life philosophy many live by, but who wants to do that when you could instead have a smart foam roller in your arsenal that features three different vibration levels for improved efficacy? Your chilled-out muscles can thank us later.
For periods, pregnancies, and all the other reasons to bunk a workout
Flo
For those of you (OK, me) who conveniently bunk their workout every time their period or even their PMS hits, Flo is for you.
Unlike other fitness gadgets and apps, this one is essentially a period tracker that monitors your menstrual cycle before recommending a variety of nutritional selections and customised fitness programmes to suit your needs. Flo effectively removes the headache of finding a workout you can actually do when you just want to curl up in a ball.
It also offers prenatal and post-pregnancy modes to help you keep track of your baby’s growth as well as your own health. Expert advice in the form of posts and the chance to partake in conversations on numerous topics are among the other features.
Download free (with in-app purchases).
For those who think their water bottle cleans itself
Self-cleaning water bottle
For every mother who refills their children’s water bottles for school, there’s a full-grown adult who thinks their water bottles miraculously clean and fill themselves. Yes, we know you’re out there, and we have just the fitness gadget for you: a self-cleaning water bottle.
This UVBrite self-cleaning water bottle is a game-changer, being one of those fitness gadgets that’s just as handy for everyday life as it is for the gym. The bottle actively self-cleans and purifies water using UV-C LED light, eradicating 99.9% of E. coli, as well as germs, viruses, and pollutants. Being made of the lightest stainless steel also makes it easy to carry around, whether you’re headed to the gym or on a trip to the wild.
For the ones who need to be brought back into the fold every few months
Pact
For those of us who are forever falling off the bandwagon and face-planting into a pile of choco-chip cookies, Pact is the app that will bring you back into the fold and keep you on the straight and narrow.
As its name suggests, it allows users to establish pacts with other users for working out and eating healthy, with actual money wagers as an incentive. You get rewarded if you stick to your goals, although if you don’t, you pay out to the users who have managed to remain committed.
And if you’re a self-respecting kid of desi parents, you know you’ll never live to tell the tale of how your diet misadventures lost you money to an app. An app!
Download free (with in-app purchases).
For keeping your music and motivation going
Chargeable protein shaker
The pain hits different when you’re in the middle of a particularly heavy workout and your phone decides to die on you like Romeo did Juliet. And like Juliet, you might be inclined to follow his example, or at least lie down on the floor and move no more. No fear. You may not have your charger on you but who needs it when you have a protein shaker bottle that will let you charge your phone and go back to your carefully curated gym playlist?
The Promixx Mixer contains a built-in device-charging battery that can power up your phone or tablet, making it a practical solution for charging your electronics while at the gym. It also makes excellent protein shakes, thanks to its integrated motor and X-Blade technology, which produce smooth, lump-free shakes.
For the ones who need a higher cause to get moving
Charity Miles
If you’re someone who is always looking to get out of your workout routine, Charity Miles will give you an excuse to work out, which, believe us, is a hundred times heavier than all your excuses not to exercise put together. It’ll match the miles you run in charity donations.
When you use the Charity Miles app to log the distance you’ve run, walked, or cycled, the app contributes money to a non-profit cause of your choice. It can also be used to organise pledge drives.
A calculator included in the package shows you how much money you may generate if you reach various objectives, such as obtaining 50 sponsors at $0.30 per mile (that’s ₹23 per 1.6 kilometres). There’s no better motivator to get off the bed and in your running shoes than knowing the miles you run are being used for someone’s good.
Download free.
For tired, sore, and sweaty feet
Compression socks
If every time you workout, your socks resemble an ocean more than they do a piece of cloth, you’ll come to fall in love with Vive Wear’s Exum crew socks.
They enhance circulation and stimulate muscle regeneration by using silver and copper nanoparticles that activate when you sweat. When you sweat, a little electric current is generated to aid your body’s natural recovery process. That extra energy aids in stress alleviation and inflammation relief. Sweaty feet have never sounded so good.
For the equipment-phobes
Home workout
This “equipment-free” offering on our list of fitness gadgets and apps helps if the thought of weight training and dealing with workout equipment makes you run faster than a hamster on its wheel.
Begin with their warm-up and stretching exercises before moving on to their expertly crafted abs, chest, legs, arms, and butt workouts, as well as full-body workouts.
It also keeps track of your training progress — or lack thereof — so you’re constantly up-to-date.
Download free (with in-app purchases).
