On all of the below apps that have social components you can decide exactly how much of your information others can see. I also picked the selection I have because of my cell phone being an iPhone and how the apps work together. (Zombies is a stand alone app... I mean... it has Zombies what more could you want from it??!)
iPhone or Android
Expanded Profile on Website
Cost: $4.99(Got it on sale, usual price is around $7.00)
https://www.zombiesrungame.com
Review:
The fitness portion is hands free and automated after you hit start. During this time you will enjoy quality voice overs as you are introduced to the inhabitants of Abel. Between story clips you get to enjoy your own selection of music during which you can have random 60 second zombie chases that can be toggled on and off. In addition you will pick up supplies during the music portion that can be used to upgrade the town of Abel.
Pro's: The zombie chases really do encourage you to run faster between their ominous groans and the sonar like beeping that gets faster when you're too slow. Once you have completed the mission and are on your way home you can continue to do chases as it goes into radio mode for some extra flavor and supply gathering. If your device is GPS enabled you can also look at your run on a map afterwards for some in depth data of chases, pickups, and speed. The first mission sets up a nice suspenseful intro.
Con's: The GPS portion will drain your phone like any other program that uses it heavily. If you are in an area with poor reception there can be some glitches during chases that cause you to be caught. The maps of the area you are running aren't always 100% accurate since location by GPS is not an exact science.
Additional Info: This app was designed for iPhones but has also been released on Android phones. They offer a 5k training add-on to get beginners into long distance running with some added coaching. Soon a Zombie's Run! 2 will be coming out as well. The best part of it all is it's persuaded me to run for longer periods. I've gone from an average of about 15 min. to 30-45 min!
iPhone/iPod 5 Only
App Cost: Free
https://www.striiv.com
Optional Equipment:
Striiv Play - $69.95: A pedometer that syncs with your iPhone/iPod Touch 5 so you don't count steps via GPS.
Smart Pedometer - $99.95 - Touch Screen device that has the Striiv program on it. (No phone required)
Review:
This app at it's core is a pedometer built to motivate. It keeps records of your daily steps, averages, and time spent walking, and then lets you compete against your friends while also succeeding as a team. If you enjoy the multitude of Facebook games you may also enjoy My Land which is a built in mini-game that benefits from your efforts. Energy earned while walking and completing challenges helps you build up My Land and attract animals.
Pros: My Land can be slightly addictive and make you bummed when you have a bad walk day.
Cons: Prior to it's most recent update the Smart Pedometer didn't communicate with the iPhone app. This may have been resolved with the latest update but I've been unable to test because we had already switched out equipment.
iPhone or Android
Expanded Profile on Website
App Cost: Free
http://www.myfitnesspal.com
Review:
My Fitness Pal is a calorie counter with one of the best food databases I've used. It's also a social app that lets you encourage your friends as they show progress in their weight loss goals and for logging in regularly. You can log and keep track of your measurements in a convenient graph. This app also syncs with Striiv by doing an automatic calorie adjustment based on the activity of your pedometer. No obvious pros or cons for me, it does what it's supposed to. The scanner on the iPhone is a bit easier to use than on the Galaxy-Android phone my fiancé has. If keeping track of calories isn't your style it is skippable.
iPhone or Android Apps
Expanded Profile on Website
Cost of Scale: $129.95
Cost of App: Free
http://www.fitbit.com/product/aria/features#wireless
Review:
I know no one needs a high tech scale but I'm a geek and wanted one. This scale can connect to your Wi-Fi network and automatically update your profile on Fitbit with your weight, BMI, and estimated % of body fat. The neat thing about the app that goes with the scale is that it has a calorie pedometer that will let you know if you are on track for your daily calorie intake based on your stats. You can use their calorie counter OR sync it to My Fitness Pal and they will automatically swap weight and calorie data. The scale can also log up to 7 additional people and know who's who without having to tell it after you set up your profile. If you have a profile, no one else in the household can know your weight without you allowing them to. If you're a guest it will be logged onto the online app under "guest". I needed the scale after stopping my gym workouts(where the scale was) to run around my neighborhood instead. It helps motivate me to stay on track particularly when my weight is trending towards my goal.
Maybe Coming Soon:
Gorilla Work Out App -Weight & Equipment Free
Paid and Free Versions
http://www.gorillaworkoutapp.com
Zombies, Run! - Git Fit. Escape Zombies. Become a hero.
iPhone or Android
Expanded Profile on Website
Cost: $4.99(Got it on sale, usual price is around $7.00)
https://www.zombiesrungame.com
Review:
The fitness portion is hands free and automated after you hit start. During this time you will enjoy quality voice overs as you are introduced to the inhabitants of Abel. Between story clips you get to enjoy your own selection of music during which you can have random 60 second zombie chases that can be toggled on and off. In addition you will pick up supplies during the music portion that can be used to upgrade the town of Abel.
Pro's: The zombie chases really do encourage you to run faster between their ominous groans and the sonar like beeping that gets faster when you're too slow. Once you have completed the mission and are on your way home you can continue to do chases as it goes into radio mode for some extra flavor and supply gathering. If your device is GPS enabled you can also look at your run on a map afterwards for some in depth data of chases, pickups, and speed. The first mission sets up a nice suspenseful intro.
Con's: The GPS portion will drain your phone like any other program that uses it heavily. If you are in an area with poor reception there can be some glitches during chases that cause you to be caught. The maps of the area you are running aren't always 100% accurate since location by GPS is not an exact science.
Additional Info: This app was designed for iPhones but has also been released on Android phones. They offer a 5k training add-on to get beginners into long distance running with some added coaching. Soon a Zombie's Run! 2 will be coming out as well. The best part of it all is it's persuaded me to run for longer periods. I've gone from an average of about 15 min. to 30-45 min!
Striiv:
iPhone/iPod 5 Only
App Cost: Free
https://www.striiv.com
Optional Equipment:
Striiv Play - $69.95: A pedometer that syncs with your iPhone/iPod Touch 5 so you don't count steps via GPS.
Smart Pedometer - $99.95 - Touch Screen device that has the Striiv program on it. (No phone required)
Review:
This app at it's core is a pedometer built to motivate. It keeps records of your daily steps, averages, and time spent walking, and then lets you compete against your friends while also succeeding as a team. If you enjoy the multitude of Facebook games you may also enjoy My Land which is a built in mini-game that benefits from your efforts. Energy earned while walking and completing challenges helps you build up My Land and attract animals.
Pros: My Land can be slightly addictive and make you bummed when you have a bad walk day.
Cons: Prior to it's most recent update the Smart Pedometer didn't communicate with the iPhone app. This may have been resolved with the latest update but I've been unable to test because we had already switched out equipment.
My Fitness Pal:
iPhone or Android
Expanded Profile on Website
App Cost: Free
http://www.myfitnesspal.com
Review:
My Fitness Pal is a calorie counter with one of the best food databases I've used. It's also a social app that lets you encourage your friends as they show progress in their weight loss goals and for logging in regularly. You can log and keep track of your measurements in a convenient graph. This app also syncs with Striiv by doing an automatic calorie adjustment based on the activity of your pedometer. No obvious pros or cons for me, it does what it's supposed to. The scanner on the iPhone is a bit easier to use than on the Galaxy-Android phone my fiancé has. If keeping track of calories isn't your style it is skippable.
Aria Wi-Fi Smart Fitbit Scale
iPhone or Android Apps
Expanded Profile on Website
Cost of Scale: $129.95
Cost of App: Free
http://www.fitbit.com/product/aria/features#wireless
Review:
I know no one needs a high tech scale but I'm a geek and wanted one. This scale can connect to your Wi-Fi network and automatically update your profile on Fitbit with your weight, BMI, and estimated % of body fat. The neat thing about the app that goes with the scale is that it has a calorie pedometer that will let you know if you are on track for your daily calorie intake based on your stats. You can use their calorie counter OR sync it to My Fitness Pal and they will automatically swap weight and calorie data. The scale can also log up to 7 additional people and know who's who without having to tell it after you set up your profile. If you have a profile, no one else in the household can know your weight without you allowing them to. If you're a guest it will be logged onto the online app under "guest". I needed the scale after stopping my gym workouts(where the scale was) to run around my neighborhood instead. It helps motivate me to stay on track particularly when my weight is trending towards my goal.
Maybe Coming Soon:
Gorilla Work Out App -Weight & Equipment Free
Paid and Free Versions
http://www.gorillaworkoutapp.com
I haven't used it, but I read previously about Zombies Run. I love the idea of gaming as incentive to get healthy! Plus, It makes you vary your speed and intensity... so really can improve your workout.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see where you made a final analysis, and explained which you like most and why, which you liked least and why. A nice bottom line with a personal touch;)
Question: have you tried fitocracy? they have mobile apps for it plus good web interface.
Tried to comment from my phone but it rebelled. I didn't really do so much of a final analysis because they each have their different functions for me. However in retrospect I will say that the food database for My Fitness Pal is much better than the Fitbit one. The little I've used the Fitbit Food Database I noticed the foods I normally scan are not in there but can be found via search. Having the two apps synced means using MFP is much easier for food and it gives me the same results I would need for the Fitbit portion.
ReplyDeleteBetween Zombies, Run! and Striiv I would say they simply compliment each other. For the days I have time/want to run Zombies, Run! is a great motivator. Where Striiv is more of an overall activity rating I can use everyday. I guess one could argue I should run everyday and maybe someday I'll get to that point.
I will be checking out fitocracy to see if it suits me! Thank you for the recommendation. I think I will compare it to the app Gorilla when I get a chance to try both of them out. Bottom line for all the apps, it's nice to have a way for a game driven mind to keep track of physical progress with a dash of fun. It's sorta what real life lacks some times: the small instant gratification of a badge or award for completing a simple task. Much in the same line of thought of Pavlov's Bell. Ah how to apply this to all of life's adventures.... I'm not sure if that's awesome or scary! lol