The simple answer is you are going to want whatever will help you exercise better! This means you should keep an eye out for what you are struggling with, and see how you could maybe find solutions to those problems.
Now, of course, it is more complicated than just that. What is considered a problem? What is considered a proper way to aid that problem? The last thing we want is someone to find a solution to something that isn’t a problem and it makes their exercise less effective!
To give an extreme example, if you can’t run for a long distance if you went out and got a car, then you are going to end up with more problems than you started!
It’s like if you are upset you aren’t good at poker and can’t get your Thunderbolt Casino bonuses. So, you go out and make a computer that can play for you. But you missed the entire point! It’s about having fun while you play!
Just like that, it is about improving yourself and moving forward in your exercise. Tech should be an aid that just helps you get rid of all the side distractions. The things that are only nuscances and aren’t part of the exercise itself.
So, what are some of the problems someone might face when trying to exercise, and how can tech help them with these issues?
Reminder
One problem someone might have when exercising is remembering when they are going to exercise, what they are going to do for that workout, and exactly how long they should be doing it for.
So, this is where an app for your phone could come in really handy. You could create reminders or alerts for when it is time for you to work out. Then, you will always be on top of your workout and not have to worry about missing it because you were distracted.
Another thing someone might have trouble with is remembering what days they should do what. This is more so an issue for someone just starting out, but something tells me if you have been exercising for a long time, you won’t need to worry about most of these issues.
The simple solution to this is to just name each of your workout reminders according to what exercises you are going to be doing that day. So, for instance, a basic schedule would look something like this:
“Sunday Workout! Leg day!” and then “Monday Workout! Chest Day” and then “Tuesday Workout! Arm Day!” and then “ Wednesday Workout! Core Day!” And then “Thursday Workout! Cardio!” and then finally, “Friday Workout! Back Day!”
And you could either also work out on Saturday or make it a rest day so you’ll be ready for the workout again on Sunday. Remember, this isn’t to be taken as scripture. You can adjust your schedule to what works for you. My point is how you can use tech to your advantage.
Tracking
Another thing tech can really help with is being able to track your workouts. This could be many different things, but all of them are important when it comes to making sure your workout is actually effective and helping you improve.
First of all, it is really important that you have a stopwatch with you when you exercise. Many people think just doing reps is good enough, but you should aim to do a certain amount of reps within a certain amount of time.
For instance, I’ve seen many workouts that have you doing sets of 10-15 reps within 30 seconds before moving on. This means you have to try and push yourself and cannot take as much time as you need for each set.
This is what will get you to improve. It’s about constantly chasing the best you can be. If you let yourself take things slow and aren’t pushing yourself, you are going to improve very slowly as well. Or perhaps, not at all.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to push yourself until you are dead. Exercising is about pacing yourself to your level, while still pushing yourself. You shouldn’t do anything that could lead to injury because you aren’t ready for it.
That being said, putting yourself on a timer is a great way to motivate yourself to push yourself just that little bit harder. Especially as you get better, and the exercise becomes easier to the point where you do your reps too fast, it makes you have to slow down.
Besides working out, being able to track running, cycling, scootering, or whatever other form of cardio you enjoy is really important as well. If you aren’t tracking yourself, again, you probably won’t improve.
There are pros and cons to running with distance versus running with time. But at the end of the day, it is best to take the best of both worlds and choose both. The more data you have on yourself, the better you can gauge your improvement, or what you need to work on.
All of this is to say you should get a tracking app for your phone corresponding to the kind of cardio you like to do best. I mentioned running specifically because it is most common, but cycling and swimming are good options as well.
Headphones
This final piece of tech is a little bit different from the others I mentioned as headphones are hardware and not software (of course you could have a physical stopwatch, but I think you know what I mean).
The truth is, music is an incredibly powerful tool to have when exercising. It is motivating, it can keep your mind focused on pushing and not on giving up. And so it makes sense you should think about the headphones you buy for working out.
Ultimately, you are going to have to do your own research based on your own preferences and circumstances. I do have a couple things to look for though based on my own personal experience.
One is, obviously, to get headphones that are waterproof. You are going to sweat, you might have to wear them in the rain, and you want them to be rugged enough to withstand whatever stuff you have to put them through.
Another thing is I would seriously suggest bluetooth. It is so much more convenient than having to worry about a cable and your phone getting pulled out of your pocket or whatever.
It may not seem like such a big deal, but you won’t realize how much a cable can get in the way until you’ve exercised with one hanging off you. It gets caught on things, it gets in the way, it bounces around, and so on and so forth.
But, other than that, you are going to have to find what suits your needs best. So, get on out there and start pounding the pavement to the beat of your feet!
