“… 54% of the overall US population and 82% of persons aged 18-49 years owned an app-enabled mobile phone(Krebs & Duncan, 2015).”

Growing up as a fairly fit child partaking in a number of fitness programs, such as, dancing from age 3-25 and running from age 11 till present (20 years) and a lifetime Weight Watcher member. A lifetime of fitness has allowed me to grow very familiar with almost all of the top 20 trends in Fitness distributed by ACSM this year.  However there is one trend, I have not grown accustomed too, whether it’s because I am not used to this technology being that I waited as long as I could to get a smartphone, or whether it is because I believe phones should be left out of the workouts. This trend that I am referring too is #17– Smartphone exercise apps (WORLDWIDE SURVEY OF FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2017).

There are a number of reasons why I chose this trend. The first being unfamiliar with some/almost all of the Smartphone trends that are out there, my phone is mainly used for phone calls, texting, and checking my personal emails throughout the day.  The second reason is limited time available?  

The third reason, I have had a number of bad experiences in the past of trainers or fitness instructors pushing me to the point of injury and that is a risk I cannot take at this time, as I have fitness goals and future training aspirations. In theory with the fitness applications, it would give me the ability to work at my own intensity depending on what I felt that day and knew what I could do. 

Therefore, exploring the trend of Smartphone exercise applications seemed to have been a plausible trend to research and validate or even invalidate the effectiveness, and how it works into one schedule. This also gave me the opportunity to  familiarize myself into the combined world of fitness and technology.

Types of Mobile Fitness Applications

When looking at Mobile Fitness Applications, there are a number of types to chose from when browsing through Google Play or AppleStore. There ar the Exercise Mobile Applications, this would be ones workout applications, such as FitStar, or 7 minute workout, and etc. Next there are the Tracking Applications, such as Weight Watchers, Fitbit, GoogleFit and Body Measurements. And finally there is the Gym Applications, Gyms such as Gold’s and Crunch have their own mobile application.

To begin with the Exercise Mobile Applications, this applications for the phone generally, play the role as a trainer/instructor. FitStar provided instructional video on your phone of the workout you chose from their list. This instructional videos have the ability to be casted on the television depending on your television settings. Then there are the no instructional video applications, such as 30 day fitness challenges, they show you how to properly perform the exercise and gradually increase your workouts.

Next there is the Tracking Applications, Fitbit and Weight Watchers being a example of these. They offer both tracking in exercise but with food and water intake as well, they don’t just focus on the exercise, but the nutritional side as well.  Overall, these focus more on the healthy lifestyle over just exercise (Ahtinen). 

Then, there are the Gym Applications, these are more focused on what the gym has to offer. The Gym’s will put their schedules on the applications to allow the consumer to be able to schedule classes. Some will also involve tracking the login and logout of the gym, therefore tracking one’s work out progress. Gold’s Gym has taken the lead on the Mobile Fitness Applications in the gym (Goldman).  Their applications focus on the data and engaging customers in the gym with the applications in order to keep bringing them back in (Goldman).

Finally, there are the Social Incentive Applications, these applications allow groups of friends to join a pact to exercise and be healthier together with incentives.  These applications include DietBet and Pact among others. Although the competition motivational factor is there, one would have to have a group of friends willing to partake in these applications (Chen & Pu, 2014).

Research

In the recent years, mobile applications have gained increasing attention within the health and wellness industry (Ahtinen). 

What some personal trainers thought of these applications, was also explored, in finding if they were beneficial or not and; even if gyms like people using these apps over their trainers. Seven Pittsburgh area gyms were contacted to obtain information and only two responded.  Fred Como at the Body Bar Fitness and Spa being one that responded, the Body Bar does not have a policy against their customers to use these applications over their trainers (Como, 2017).  Como as a trainer uses mobile fitness applications himself but more for the tracking (Como, 2017). And he has recommended some applications such as Trainerize for those who have less money to invest  in the personal training option. However Como advises that using these applications there is a risk, one being injury and another is lack of motivation. (Como, 2017)

Benefits of Mobile Fitness Applications

In researching the benefits of mobile fitness applications as a fitness, a couple of things were looked at. Can this fit into my daily schedule? What are some of the costs?  The answers to these questions varies, with a 40 hour work week,  class work, and training fitting it into my schedule wasn’t necessarily hard, as running during lunch freed up time in the evening to do these other workouts. It was more of energy, a 40 hour work week, classes, and training left me exhausted by the evening, but I still managed to push through to complete these workouts for 30 days.  

Next was the costs, how would the cost of this compare to going any other thing in the fitness industry, such as running (race fees, shoes, closes, and so on), gym memberships, pool fees, and so on. The costs of these applications can be free if one choses to go the cheaper route.

Personal Experience

Within the last 30 days, a number of mobile fitness applications were tested, FitStar, 30 Day Ab Challenge, 30 Day Butt Challenge, 30 Day Cardio Challenge, 30 Day Arm Challenge, 7 Min Workout, Body Measurements and GoogleFit. These application varied between tracking applications and exercise applications.

To begin with the tracking applications, GoogleFit and Body Measurements. Body Measurement applications allowed one to take measurements of one’s body and weight in order to determine lose. The application also charted out the information when inputted. 

Next GoogleFit, this tracked the workouts, pending personal input, this application did not allow one to connect their FitBit or Garmin or other wearable device to connect to it. But one as able to connect to another application such as Walgreen in which a wearable could be connected too. The accuracy on this application seemed very poor.

Then there were the excise applications, which was the basis of exploring this trend. FitStar, 30 Day Ab Challenge , 30 Day Butt Challenge, 30 Day Cardio Challenge, 30 Day Arm Challenge, 7 Min Workout, were all utilized in the last 30 days.  The 30 Day Ab Challenge , 30 Day Butt Challenge, 30 Day Cardio Challenge, 30 Day Arm Challenge were utilized to help with “problem” areas,  by being areas a runner needs to work on when they are not out on their feet. The overall results null as they were good exercises, I did not see really any difference, nor did anything really change in my body measurements.  This could have been due to a number of things, the exercises weren’t done correctly, those areas didn’t need much work, or there was a force outside of the workout that worked against me. 

Then there was the 7 minute workout and Fitstar that were strictly used as a cross training method on my “off” days of running, Again like the prior mobile applications, as much as I enjoyed the new method of working out it just did not provide results that I was hoping for.

Overall, I found a number of pros and cons using the mobile fitness applications for 30 days.  Starting with the pros, it gave me the ability to do the workouts when I had availability, I liked the Body Measurement application, as it provided the results charted out. Other pros, were the costs, being that a majority of my money goes towards races, the minimal cost was a plus. Finally, there are few apps that do provide motivation and group support, Yes.Fit is one I highly recommend that hits on both as they provide challenges, coaches (via pre-recorded video), and group support. I have been apart of this community since the start of the pandemic and it has kept me going, where I could have easily given up.

The cons of this applications found were, the motivation, the provided no motivation for me to complete these, even when exhausted, it had to be my own will power and I have a background in fitness, but I am motivated through others and there are more applications that do not have support than there is ones that do.. Another con I can see is without the exercise knowledge already, one could get very injured using these applications on their own. Therefore I recommend seeking a fitness and wellness professional to meet any fitness and wellness goals.

References

WORLDWIDE SURVEY OF FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2017 : ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2016/11000/WORLDWIDE_SURVEY_OF_FITNESS_TRENDS_FOR_2017.6.aspx

Ahtinen, A. (n.d.). User Perceptions on Interacting with Mobile Fitness Devices [Study- Niokia Research Center]. Finland

Fitness Mobile Apps [E-mail to the author]. (2017, February 15). 

[E-mail to the author]. (2017, February 10). 

Chen, Y., & Pu, P. (2014). HealthyTogether. Proceedings of the Second International Symposium of Chinese CHI on – Chinese CHI ’14. doi:10.1145/2592235.2592240

Goldman, S. (n.d.). 3 technologies disrupting the fitness industry

Krebs, P., & Duncan, D. T. (2015). Health App Use Among US Mobile Phone Owners: A National Survey. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 3(4). doi:10.2196/mhealth.4924