Working Out Made Fun...at least for nerds

First I would like to briefly apologize as this post is much longer than my typical blog post, however I hope you enjoy it just the same.

I used to be a three sport athlete in high school and was therefore naturally in shape from being active all year round. When I was sixteen my family moved to Colorado and I stopped playing competitive sports and took up the amazing hobby of snowboarding. The remaining two years of my high school career were spent working and snowboarding. No running. No lifting. Nothing other than an occasional hike for a sweet drop in on the mountain. Then off to college with more work and less snowboarding mixed in with very poor eating habits for a very unhealthy lifestyle. As I'm sure you can imagine I started to gain weight and lose muscle over that time period of about six years as I'm now twenty three.

Before I moved to Colorado I was a very healthy and lean 150 lbs at 5'10". I gain a bit of weight in high school, but never enough that made me feel the need to weigh myself. I lost most of that in my college unhealthy days, but I also lost almost all my muscle mass. Sure, I may have got back to my earlier high school weight, but I looked and felt awful. Shortly after being on my own and making my fair share of poor choices I met my wife.

We tried to be together as much as possible and she made a point of fattening me up...at least she made sure I was eating a decent amount of healthier food on a regular basis. I am, of course, eternally thankful for everything she did for me during that time and I don't think I'll ever be able to truly repay her for it.

Anyway, I gained weight and did nothing to combat it and keep myself in shape. The heaviest I ever weighed myself I was 190 lbs at 5'11". I didn't exactly start working out right away either. I would go every once in a while, but never enough to really make any difference. It was tough for me to get motivated even though my wife works out daily, I was much happier sitting on my butt playing video games.

I decided I was going to try and channel my nerdiness for good and I started browsing the Android Marketplace for work out specific apps. I would download different ones and play around in them, but still never really got into the gym on a regular basis. About a month or two ago I found a game changer.

The first app I found was Jefit. It's mainly an app for weight lifting and tracking, but it can do so much I still have not seen its full potential. You can customize your work out down to which exercises you do each day as well as record all your sets and reps. Plus, Jefit Technology has a webpage which the app will synchronize all of your stats, routines, and records. For me, this has made lifting extremely fun because everything is housed in technology, something I am extremely fond of. Along with Jefit I use the app Cardio Trainer to keep track of an estimated calorie burn and more. However, I quickly discovered that this app was also great at recording the tracks you run or ride and keeps track of distance and time. Cardio Trainer also has a website where you can view all of your progress online at home. Using both of these apps at the same time I am able to constantly keep track of my progress and constantly challenge myself while using technology all at once.

Now I feel much healthier and in shape. I now weight about 180 lbs and I'm losing weight all while gaining muscle. I have these apps to thank since they helped me start a routine and keep my routine going. Thank you Cardio Trainer by Worksmart Labs and Jefit Technologies, you are both awesome.

(I use an Android based phone and do not know if either are available on other operating systems)