Gym membership has been the staple of a regular fitness routine for a long time now, but as wellness takes on a more holistic and integrated approach in our lifestyles, the options for greater fitness flexibility grow.
Key to that is the rise of the fitness app. From Kayla Itsines to the Nike + Training Club app, this is body confidence boosting fitness that you can do any place, any time…
Sweat with Kayla
Price: £14.11 per month
Kayla Itsines has taken the world of fitness by storm. The 26 year old Australian personal trainer is best known for her 28-minute workouts in her signature BBG (Bikini Body Guide) workout programme app. Designed to work the whole body, she offers fitness and nutrition support, and backs it all up with motivating posts on her social media channels as well.
What’s clear with Kayla is that it’s all about feeling good, and she is quoted as saying she later regretted the BBG name, saying: “I wish I’d made it more clear that anybody can wear a bikini and that a “bikini body” isn’t my body, it’s feeling comfortable and strong and fit and great about yourself.”
Pocket Yoga
Price: One-off payment of £2.99
You can never really go wrong by introducing yoga into your life, but making it to a class isn’t always feasible. The Pocket Yoga app is simple to use and you choose from 27 different yoga sessions of varying duration and difficulty. It contains over 200 yoga poses with voice and visual guides for how to do them.
While guidance from a pro is always a good idea to help you get your positioning right, the app allows you to bring a little meditative practice to your life whether you’re at home, on holiday, or on a work trip.
NTC Nike + Training Club app
Price: Free
Personal trainers often seem like the holy grail of fitness goals – the celebrity accessory guaranteed to result in the body beautiful.
While not all of us can afford to go down the PT route, Nike’s app tailors a workout for you, so all you need to do is plug in your goals and the amount of time you have to workout and the app does the rest.
Couch to 5k
Price: Free
One of the things that can be really off-putting about fitness is that the goal can seem a million miles away from where you are today, which is where the Couch to 5k app differs. Made by Public Health England in association with BBC Get Inspired, the app features a choice of celebrity trainers to take you through the programme.
Its remit is to get you off the couch and running in just nine weeks with tips and advice for new runners, as well real-life success stories. It’s manageable and recommended by the NHS with a clear directive.
Fitbit
Price: Free
One of the oligarchs of modern fitness, Fitbit app is an all round health and fitness support system. Designed to work with the wearable activity trackers of the same name, counting your steps and calories burned while tracking your pace and distance traveled, the app can be also used on its own to track basic activity through your phone.
You can set and manage goals for workouts, sleep, and eating habits. When you pair the app with a wearable device, it can collect data on everything from your heart rate to how much restful sleep you get each night.
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