Anyone who is into fitness and likes to sweat it out at the gym is satisfied with the adrenaline rush after a good workout. Those endorphin highs are unbeatable! But there comes a point when the fondness for luxury fitness becomes unaffordable. Gym memberships, fitness programmes by various institutions and hiring personal trainers are sure to create a hole in the pocket with sky-rocketing prices. The fit way of life has become an extravagant way of life, it appears!
Many city fitness enthusiasts are taking to fitness apps for their dose of health, and in a scenario of peaking prices, these have come to the rescue!
Apps such as SWORKIT and Better Me that are available on android as well as iOS are the order of the day for many. Most fitness apps are either free or charge significantly lesser than the sum that goes into luxury fitness monthly. Many youngsters use these apps to work out within the comfort of their homes and manage to cut costs and save time! Moksha Shah, a medical student from Ramaiah University says, “I hardly get time off to focus on working out. I used to use SWORKIT and it was free for me on iOS. It has 15 minute workouts that are very effective. Such apps design routines according to requirements, so it is pretty much the same as having a personal trainer!”
Gauri Mullerpattan, an Odissi dancer uses the Google fitness app as it helps her manage time between dance classes and college. “As a dancer, there is this constant struggle to keep my body fit and healthy. This app provides me some kind of extrinsic motivation because I can track and collect data on it. Besides, it’s free!” she says.
Many individuals, especially students, are using these apps because they are cost-effective and personalised. “Getting a gym membership or hiring a personal trainer is a huge commitment. Very few places are accommodating enough to let us discontinue, or pay only for the sessions we take. A lot of times, due to unforeseen circumstances like injuries, we aren’t able to make it to the gym. With these apps, it becomes much easier to control our routine,” says Ankita Panda, a student of MS Ramaiah, who uses My Fitness Pal, a free app on iOS.
Fitness apps cover varying areas of a healthy lifestyle. While some focus on muscle development, others focus on weight loss. Some apps are also useful with gym equipments, for those unsure how to use them. “Muscle Matics is a perfect replacement for a gym trainer when you have the equipments. It gives you planned workout sessions for a week. It’s free for a beginner’s workout but for premium ones, it’s '320 per month,” says Jeevan Shekar, a student of Christ University.
Fitness experts and trainers also feel that these apps are beneficial if used regularly. Nidhi Srivatsa, International Yoga Champion and fitness trainer says, “There are a lot of Yoga centres that have trainers with ‘bought’ degrees running them. Apps like Yoga Daily Fitness clearly mentions who is managing it, and what kind of techniques are included. There are diet charts as well. There is a rise in the number of downloads!”
Carolyn Theresa Simon, a Yoga expert opines, “Getting the postures of Yoga right in the beginning requires expert training but after that, one can use apps. I think they are very helpful to a lot of people as they give them the right kind of exposure.” For Shwetambari Shetty, Zumba fitness master trainer, the trend of going out of home to work out is changing, “One app that I use and create Zumba workout sessions for is CureFit. There are specific workouts for all levels and different durations which they can follow as per their exercise routine!”
With technology taking over every sphere of life, fitness is not far behind!
