Gadgets that ease the fitness journey

Add music to your workout to make it enjoyable.

While you may enjoy the beats and get yourself dancing or humming away, Brian Kasasa, a sports scientist, says you can use your music player to make exercising fun. “All it takes is picking the right songs so that you can add groove to whatever moves you are making. “Play this music on your television or computer if you choose to work out from home. If you decide to take the workout outdoors, then your phone or iPod will be great companions.

Portable speaker
While earphones will work for one person as they work out, Kasasa says a portable speaker will work well for a family or group of people working out together. “It will deliver the needed sound without being so loud. That way, a group of people can have their workout without compromising on the fun.”

Fitness apps
Almost everyone has a smartphone today and with that, Google Play can surely come in handy in case you are searching for an app to make exercising more interesting. “With more than a million fitness apps available, you cannot fail to get one that suits your needs. That way, if one is not good enough, delete it and try another. All in all, you cannot make an excuse of not being certain of what to do or how to do a particular workout,” Elly Muhereza, a fitness coach, shares.

Fitness tracker
In need of some motivation to keep going, then a fitness tracker will help. We have seen many make new year’s resolutions to work out more only to leave it on paper or fall back after a few months. However, with this gadget, you are constantly encouraged to work on your ambition by setting measurable goals. ”For example, you can set a goal of 500 jumps a day. Apart from that, you will continually track your progress. You can get these from several online stores. Work with your fitness coach to advise you on the best type as some can be set to vibrate after a certain period so that at its vibration, you get up and walk around. That way, you will not sit for long hours, something that affects many,” Muhereza adds.

Egg timer
Yes, you heard right, an egg timer. As the old adage goes, necessity is the mother of all invention, necessity calls for us tweak the use of this gadget a bit. “While this device is used to time an egg boiling, you can set it to remind you to get up and move. That way, you will beat sedentary living and give your body the needed activity,” Kasasa explains.

Heart rate monitor
An adult needs as much activity as possible to ensure their body is active. Kasasa says to put it in numbers, 150 minutes of heart-pumping activity will do on a weekly basis. “To measure the adequacy of this activity, a heart rate monitor will come in handy. While previously these were not used as much owing to their inaccuracies, a lot of improvement has been done to correct that. Wearing it on your wrist, you will easily monitor how well your activity is causing your heart to pump,” he points out.