I’ve been reading Steven Pressfield’s the War of Art book lately, and it dives into what he calls Resistance. At its core, resistance is anything that’ll prevent you from doing your best work, lead to procrastination and never getting anything done. One of the best examples is the runner who never runs because they haven’t bought the perfect pair of running shoes yet.
Many times the hardest part is not the act of doing the thing you were trying to do, but to get past the resistance to even start at all. Getting exercise is one of the biggest places where resistance can creep up. There are tons of exercise apps out there that gamify your experience to keep you coming back for more. But what about getting past the initial hurdle of getting started?
While we’ve written about great health apps in the past on App Factor, today I’m going to talk about 3 apps that don’t come off as traditional workout/exercise apps, but can help you get exercise without even going to the gym. These apps are sure to make getting fit, fun!
Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go has been sweeping the world with its popularity ever since it launched. While at its core it might be about catching Pokemon and battling them against each other, what it really is doing is getting you outside on a walk, informing you of interesting places around your town, and potentially helping you meet others playing the game.
Just the other day some family members were talking about how they were going to take a walk to go catch some of these little creatures after dinner. The exercise element is built right into the game mechanics, but having you walk to different places to catch more Pokemon. Exercise doesn’t have to be one long run or workout, and this app allows you to break down exercise into mini walks throughout the day.
- Free – Download
Geocaching
Geocaching has long been one of my favorite outdoor games. The premise behind it is that there are tons of hidden treasures throughout the world that geocachers have hidden. You use the Geocaching app to track them with your phone’s GPS to find and log them.
The app lets you know how difficult the terrain you’ll be on is, and how difficult it is to find the cache. Once you find your first one, you’ll be amazed that there’s a whole world of stuff hiding in plain sight. This app helps you get out of the house, and will surely have you traveling to all sorts of interesting places, all the while getting some steps in!
- Free w/ IAP for Premium features – Download
Forest
Forest is fast becoming a favorite timer app of mine. Forest can help you get away from your phone and go exercise for a set amount of time. What the app does is let you set a timer and plant a tree. If you ever leave the app within that time, your poor tree dies.
The more you digitally disconnect and get through the timer you set, the more digital trees you can plant and coins you get. The other fantastic feel-good element of this app is that if you accumulate enough coins, you can plant a real tree in a forest. The app is close to hitting 20 thousand trees so far by all users of the app!
- $1.99 – Download
What apps do you use to help beat resistance?
Resistance is a real thing in many aspects of our life. By using apps that make getting exercise fun, we can help ourselves lead healthier lives. What apps do you use to get fit?
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