Getting fit with tech
The traditional geek wouldn’t be seen dead exercising or wearing tight-fitting cycling or running togs. Not only would it involve pain and sweat but they may be spotted and have their uber-cool online personas damaged forever. But perhaps a new generation of Web 2.0 exercise tools can lure computer-bound nerds to part with their precious laptops – at least for a half hour – and put in a bit of exercise.
The number of online tools available for tracking sports exercise that have appeared over the past year is quite amazing. Ranging from sites that simply help users plan their exercise routine to those that use GPS-enabled devices to track and share exercise information, the choice is endless. Here we look at a selection of the best sites and services for tracking exercises such as walking, hiking, cycling or running. You could use many of these services for tracking other forms of exercise – such as gym work – but we’ll concentrate on running and cycling for now.
Gmaps Pedometer is one of the simplest tools available for planning and tracking running or cycling workouts. Gmaps Pedometer is based, as the name suggests, on Google Maps and is simply an online tool for planning workouts. To use it, find your starting position on the map, click “start recording” and toggle the automatic/manual buttons.
Double clicking a point on the map creates a route marker and as more points are added the distance is calculated. Gmaps Pedometer doesn’t actually store any information but you can create a link to a particular route and save it or send it to fellow exercisers.
Gmaps Pedometer is best used to plan a workout for running, walking or cycling and includes a calorie estimate (based on weight) to help you plan routes that will burn off the most weight. It also includes an elevation indicator so routes that include all of the major hills are easily avoided.
A similar but more feature-rich site is MapMyRun.com which allows users to plan exercise routes and share them with fellow exercise fans. Although registration is free for all users and removes the annoying hovering advertisements, it is still possible to plan exercise routes without registering.
MapMyRun is a little easier to use than Gmaps Pedometer but its cluttered interface is offputting. Interestingly, even if you’re not logged in MyMyRun tries to locate you on the map based on your IP address, which is only partially successful. A better choice is to create an account and save your preferences. Where MapMyRun exceeds Gmaps Pedometer is in the ability to save your favourite routes and share them with the MapMyRun community. This feature is particularly useful if you’re in a new town and are looking for a good running route to fit in an early morning run. MapMyRun also integrates with popular exercise equipment such as the Garmin Forerunner series or Nike+. A premium account on MapMyRun is available and includes benefits such as high-quality PDF route maps and ad-free mapping tools.
Garmin Forerunner
Garmin is best known for its GPS equipment so no surprise that the company also has a line of GPS-enabled sports equipment. Packed into a watch, the Forerunner series of equipment does everything from recording distance and heart rate to wireless sharing of data on higher-end models. Data collected using the Forerunner can be uploaded to a PC to be analysed in the Garmin Training Centre software which runs on Windows and Mac systems. There is also a Linux-based tool available that will extract most of the data from the watch although it is not supported by Garmin. The other alternative is to use a service such as MapMyRun to record workouts over time. The one drawback of the Garmin is its price. The 305 and 405 series watches start at around R3 000 and increase rapidly in price, so you have to be serious about exercise to pursue this route. If you do, however, the Garmin Forerunner is the Rolls Royce of sports tracking.
A relatively new entrant to the sports tracking scene is Nokia. It’s beta SportsTracker software and service works on most Nokia smartphones and records routes, speeds, heart rate and even calories burned. While the SportsTracker software runs on most Nokia smartphones Nokia has specifically released the N79 mobile phone to be used for this purpose. The N79 includes the SportsTracker software, GPS as well as a Polar heart rate monitor. Using Bluetooth the heart rate monitor tracks exercise while the GPS record routes on the phone.
Set up right the N79 estimates calories used during exercise as well as elevation changes, speed and footsteps taken. Using the N79 is a little cumbersome as the phone needs to be relatively close to the heart rate monitor to function correctly which means carrying it in your hand or in a pouch strapped to your arm. The phone also chews its way through battery life when in full service. Once a workout is complete it can be uploaded and shared with friends online through the SportsTracker.nokia.com site. On phones other than the N79 the SportsTracker software functions as normal but doesn’t include features such as the pedometer and heart rate features.
Nike is a name long associated with exercise so no surprise that it has a sports tracking service as well. Nike+ can be used with a custom sports band or with an iPod Nano. In both cases the system uses a custom sensor, either placed in the shoe or connected to an iPod. All of these details can then be uploaded to the Nike+ website and then shared with training partners and the community. Although the standard sensor is relatively straight forward to use, the iPod edition offers additional benefits for runners that enjoy listening to music along the way. The iPod not only serves as an exercise monitor but it can also be programmed to play specific music en route.
The in-shoe version of the Nike+ sensor can be attached to most running shoes but it is specifically designed to fit Nike+ shoes which have a cavity in the heel to house it. Online, users can track their workouts, share them with friends, discuss them in forums or even set up challenges with other friends on the service.
Irrespective of whether you’re hitting the road for the first time or you’re an experienced long-distance runner, the new range of exercise tracking tools not only makes recording workouts easier but actually makes them more fun.
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