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phys ed


THREE FITNESS APPS TO HELP WITH MANAGING STRESS AND CHANGING BEHAVIOUR

Paul Landini
Special to The Globe and Mail
Published October 18, 2020

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I’m a simple man. I like my coffee black, my whisky neat and my workouts free of
superfluous distractions. I’ve never cared much for the marriage of app-based
technology and strength training. I don’t even like listening to music while
exercising. I prefer to focus on the task at hand rather than trick my brain
into thinking it’s having a good time.

But resistance to technology’s pull is futile. Even old-school gym culture has
been seduced. Check out the Google Play store and you’ll find apps to analyze
lifting form, apps to measure bar speed, even apps that count your reps. In
certain situations, I can see some value: If you’re into Olympic lifting, where
speed and explosiveness take a back seat only to form and technique, then
knowing how fast that barbell flies off the floor is important. For everyone
else? Not so much.

This is not to say I have no room in my heart for health and fitness apps. A few
have become essential to either my own well-being or that of my clients. These
are ones that help with stress management, behaviour change and nutrition – each
an important aspect of health that enhance the results promised by a steady diet
of strength training.


WAKING UP

It’s good sense to ensure your mental muscles get the TLC they deserve. Plenty
of science-backed evidence supports the many benefits of simply sitting still
with the unquiet mind, and over the years I’ve dabbled with all sorts of
meditation programs. My favourite is Waking Up, a subscription-based app created
by neuroscientist, author and podcast star Sam Harris.

I love it for many reasons. Number one is, the default length of the daily
meditation is 10 minutes. Everyone has 10 minutes to spare - I don’t care how
busy your schedule is. Next, the program begins with a 28-day introductory
course to help newbies. And, finally, the paid version offers a much deeper and
more beneficial experience, but if you’re not ready to drop $100 for an annual
subscription, free memberships are offered on a request basis, with 100 per cent
being honoured.


CARROT REWARDS

The myth of motivation (or, what we mistakenly understand motivation to be) is
responsible for more failed attempts at getting fit than anything else. After
the initial enthusiasm of taking charge of your health fades – and believe me,
it will fade – all you’re left with is yourself. This is why it’s so important
to cultivate genuine behaviour change: Once you rewire your brain to actually
value a process, you no longer have to channel artificial means to psych
yourself up.

Enter Carrot Rewards. The premise couldn’t be more basic: Give people a
financial incentive to make healthy decisions and that behaviour will eventually
become automatic. Hit your daily step goal? You get a reward!

At its peak popularity, this Canadian-made app had more than one million users
who traded their reward points for things such as frequent flyer miles and movie
passes. However, in the spring of 2019 funding ran dry and the developers closed
shop. Fortunately, Carrot Rewards has been given new life after being purchased
by health tech company Optimity. A revamped program with new rewards and
challenges is now live. So far, nearly 1,500,000 people have signed up.


PROCOACH

Created by Precision Nutrition (PN), one of the world’s leading nutrition
coaching organizations, ProCoach is a comprehensive platform for personal
trainers and other health professionals who want to help their clients create
good habits. Working with a PN-certified coach, users learn the basics of eating
and living well through daily lessons and challenges. The content is rooted in
the latest behaviour change theory, although the lessons themselves are free
from psychobabble jargon.



To date, PN claims to have helped more than 100,000 people lose a total of
965,000 pounds. Unfortunately the app alone doesn’t do anything; you need to
work with either a PN-certified coach or PN directly in order to access this
resource. But no matter where you live, chances are good there’s a coach in your
area.

Paul Landini is a personal trainer and health educator in Toronto.


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