Workout Smarter, Not Harder: How Tech Changes the Game for Fitness
The future is here, so why not utilize it to become your best self physically?
Introduction: The Golden Age of Fitness Tracking
Technology in the past few years has completely revolutionized fitness in ways that were inconceivable in the past. Back in the day, you used to have to provide these strange calculations, write down every repetition, try and understand what your perceived exertion was, etc., etc. Now you can wear a little “google box”—i.e., any fitness wearable or tracking capability: Apple Watches, WHOOP, iPhone, etc.—on your wrist or hold it in your pocket, and all of a sudden you will have a “rough” estimation of those metrics.
Now, for a fitness nerd like myself, this is one of the coolest things in the world. But for others, this shouldn’t be taken with a grain of salt at all. This allows regular, everyday people to completely maximize their fitness goals. We have never had more insight into the adaptations and movements of our bodies than right this moment.
I know what you are thinking, "Well, I don’t have one of those fancy Apple Watches or WHOOPs." Well, do you have some sort of smartphone? Of course you do, everyone does in this day and age. Just having a smartphone allows you to unlock and achieve fitness goals much more efficiently. Now I will say, these are all assumed/rough estimate metrics. So do you actually burn 500 calories lifting weights when you hit your Apple Watch? Probably not, but the consistent ability to see your exertion allows you to test and manipulate what you are actually doing!
What the fuck does that mean? This basically means that if you are wanting to lose weight, you can set a calorie intake count, workout, and set a calorie burn rate, and then roughly see if that loses weight for you. If it doesn’t, you can just lower the number. DO YOU SEE HOW THIS IS AMAZING!! There is no more guesswork with these things or hard-to-understand calorie counts. The tech gives you the ability to set standards and baselines to then be used in conjunction with actual progress. This is super important.
Use the Tools Today, Get Progress Tomorrow
Setting SMART Goals with Apps Use applications on your smartphone to outsource fitness professionals.
Not trying to make anyone lose a job here, but this just makes health more attainable for the individual. Plus, there are tons of opportunities for fitness professionals in the space to support more specific needs.
Apps like Google Fit and Apple Health make setting and tracking SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—simple and effective. For instance, you can use these tools to set a weekly step count or monitor daily calorie intake. By aligning these targets with your long-term fitness objectives, these apps help keep you accountable and focused. It is super easy to plug in different goals and objectives, as well as challenge your buddies, to ensure you begin to generally follow a consistent plan. I have been tracking my steps for damn years now, and it literally helps you feel more accomplished for just walking around and cleaning your house.
Nutrition Tracking with MyFitnessPal We are back again with nutrition tracking (sorry lol, but when things change your life you tend to want to talk about them). MyFitnessPal is a powerful app for logging meals and tracking macros. Both its free and premium versions simplify the process of ensuring your daily diet supports your fitness goals. For example, you can use the app to track protein, carbs, and fats, ensuring your nutrition aligns with your weight loss or muscle-building plans. It’s simple, easy, and undeniably effective. It helped me lose over 40 pounds and keep it off.
Wearables for Advanced Tracking Devices like WHOOP bands and Apple Watches elevate fitness tracking to the next level. They monitor metrics such as heart rate, sleep quality, and recovery, providing valuable insights for optimizing performance. WHOOP’s detailed recovery data can help you decide when to push hard or rest, while the Apple Watch integrates with apps and offers guided workouts, keeping you consistent and motivated. Again, all of these things are rough metrics, and even I do not believe they are perfect examples of what exactly your body is doing. But that isn’t the point; we have a rough estimate of what it might be doing, which allows any human to look at it, compare it to the food intake, and adjust accordingly based on their goals. It’s a damn cheat code.
Free Workout Resources Platforms like YouTube and apps such as Nike Training Club offer a wide range of free guided sessions, including yoga, HIIT, and strength training. These resources provide access to professional-grade workouts without the need for expensive gym memberships, making fitness more accessible to everyone.
The Nike Run Club app is a great example as it maps out training sessions FOR YOU! So you can set the date, type of race, etc., and it will map out training sessions, durations, and recommended exertion for each session.
YouTube has solved a lot of different things when it comes to fitness. I encourage everyone to take their aching pains or problematic shoulder joints to some of the PTs (Physical Therapists) or recovery professionals online. They give a lot of good insight into how to treat these problems FROM HOME.
CAVEAT: These things will never replace an in-person professional, as they can more directly address your problems/training programs specifically. SO THIS IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR THEM—just a simple complement to the work they do.
Gamifying Fitness Fitness apps like Zombies, Run! and step challenges turn exercise into an engaging experience. By gamifying workouts, these tools make fitness fun and encourage adherence. For example, you can run from virtual zombies or compete with friends in step count challenges, transforming workouts into exciting activities. We used to have a family step count competition that had my brother walking around the yard at least 20 times in order to beat my aunt. It got the whole family involved and allowed everyone to stay connected in an online environment.
Online Communities and Social Media Platforms such as Reddit and Facebook offer fitness-focused communities where users can find support, share progress, and participate in challenges. Additionally, following credible fitness influencers on social media can provide inspiration and workout ideas. However, it’s essential to evaluate the credibility of the advice to avoid misinformation. There is a lot of noise online, so I would be more particular about this one. But then again, there is a reason why some of these people are so popular—or at least in my opinion, it is most likely due to them actually helping people. So there is a scenario and opportunity for all things. I.e., the KneesOverToes guy on Instagram is a great example. Very unconventional, but helped a ton of people. So maybe you just need to try it to see if it works for you.
Finding a good group of people to work out with is also amazing online. There are so many different niches of things you are interested in. Depending on where you live as well, there may be tons of run clubs, workout groups, walking groups (I’m not kidding, big one for the moms out there), amateur sports leagues, and the list goes on and on.
Leveraging AI with ChatGPT People do not realize how easy it is to start working out nowadays. There is a little app now that can get you off on the right footing pretty damn quickly. This is the completely overblown and super saturated topic of ChatGPT. ChatGPT serves as a virtual fitness assistant, helping users create personalized workout routines, plan schedules, and strategize recovery. For example, you can use it to generate a weekly exercise plan tailored to your goals or get quick tips on balancing nutrition and recovery. Its personalized approach makes fitness planning more efficient and adaptable. Is it perfect? Of course not, but perfection is not what we are looking for. That is what you get a real fitness professional for. In my opinion, this will most likely be the source of your fitness professional advice in the future. You may even be able to take videos of yourself and have it correct form or notice deficiencies, of which you can work towards fixing and relieving issues in the body. Just my opinion, so definitely take that with a grain of salt. But honestly, if you need a workout plan and are not sure where to go, flip open ChatGPT and ask it for a 3-day whole-body split routine for your body type. It will spit out a starting point, and you are good to go.
Conclusion: The Tech Edge in Fitness
The golden age of fitness tracking is here, and it’s never been easier to get started. Whether through wearables like WHOOP and Apple Watches, apps like MyFitnessPal, or AI tools like ChatGPT, the possibilities are endless. The metrics might not be perfect, but they provide a foundation to build upon.
So take the leap today. Use the tools at your disposal to set goals, track progress, and make adjustments. With consistent effort and the right tech, achieving your fitness aspirations is more attainable than ever.
