Christmas tech: apps to help kickstart your fitness

Christmas Day is done, and with it (hopefully) the worst of the excesses. Need to blow away the cobwebs? These apps may help.

Carrot Fit

iOS

Carrot Fit is not the gentle type. Nor is it there to flatter you and your fitness ambitions. It greets you as “meatbag” and depending on your current body composition, its depiction of you may be less than flattering (current post-Christmas status: round). Exercises range from “Can’t get ups” to “Ostrich escapes”. Still, it’s a change from the usual seven minute workouts. Fitness with a side of snark.

Virtual Walk

iOS, Android

Walking is good for you. Plenty of experts tell us that. The problem is that if you are doing the same walks all the time, it can get a bit dull. But there is an app that may give you new motivation. Virtual Walk gives you new goals. You can walk the Boston Marathon or New York City, the Grand Canyon or the Mall in Washington DC. There are extras you can download from the shop at around €1 a-piece, and you get medals for completing each route. It’s not just for outdoor walkers; there is a setting for treadmills too.

Sworkit

iOS, Android

Sworkit - Simply Work It - is a workout app that offers a range of workouts targeting strength, cardio, stretching and yoga for all experience levels. There are plenty of free options to choose from, with some paid workouts to add to the mix. But the real power of Sworkit is that you can build your own custom workouts from the library of exercises on the app, with free users getting three custom workout slots. It’s a bit like your music playlists but with a healthy twist. You can set workout length, and if you shell out for the subscription (€81 for the year, or €30 for a quarter) you can also set custom intervals for training.

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Go Jauntly

iOS

Need inspiration for your daily walks? Go Jauntly will find walks near you based on your location, so you can discover some new routes. You can also search for walks based on suitability - wheel friendly ones or festive strolls. You can also create your own walks or sign up for a premium subscription to access more routes.

Zombies, Run!

iOS, Android

Nothing says Christmas like a zombie attack.It makes sense that people run faster when chased. So what better motivation for a running app than a little undead pursuit? This is where Zombies, Run! gets its core motivation from. As you run, you unfold the story of Runner Five, casting you in the main role and putting you at the heart of the action. As you run, you get broadcasts from a nearby base in between your music tracks, keeping you on target as you collect supplies, and alerting you to marauding hordes of the undead, who occasionally give chase. It’s tense, but it certainly provides the motivation to move.