Keeping Fit on Assignment

Karen DiDonato ⋅ January 29, 2020

Now that we have almost completed one full month into the new year, it’s time to check in on how you’re doing with your New Year’s resolutions. Are you sticking to whatever you proposed? Was it one of these commonly broken New Year’s resolutions?

• Lose weight and get fit
• Quit smoking
• Learn something new
• Eat healthier and diet
• Get out of debt and save money
• Spend more time with family
• Travel to new places
• Be less stressed
• Volunteer
• Drink less

A public opinion survey of 2,011 Americans shows that 38% of Americans planned to make New Year’s resolutions for 2020. If you didn’t quite stick to your resolutions, you are not alone. According to Forbes, “Studies have shown that less than 25% of people actually stay committed to their resolutions after just 30 days, and only 8% accomplish them.”

For the purpose of this blog, I will focus solely on the first commonly broken resolution, getting fit, but you can apply these ideas to any other undertaking. After all, any of the above resolutions can be accomplished by creating the habits needed to accomplish the micro-tasks that step up to the actual goal.

An article posted to Forbes.com outlined what habits are and how to get them to stick. One interesting point was to reward yourself for whatever it is you want to continue. Behavioral psychology expert Charles Duhigg, mentioned in the article, surmises that addictive and destructive habits have an immediate reward system built in. It’s the same for positive and healthy habits. So if you want to work out, reward yourself afterward by eating a small bit of dark chocolate or drinking your favorite coffee. By permitting yourself a “guilty pleasure”, you will effectively stimulate the release of neurotransmitters and pleasure chemicals that will eventually come, in time, after you complete your workout.

The article also mentions not attempting to do too much too soon thereby setting yourself up for failure.

As an example, if you are very out of shape because you haven’t worked out at all in 10 years and you decide you will run a marathon in three months, you will likely fail. Instead choose smaller goals, and celebrate them when you accomplish them! Keeping with the idea of a marathon, you would start slowly by taking walks, then work yourself up to speed walks, then interval training, etc. The key is to keep your training manageable. Just like the moral in Aesop’s The Hare and the Tortoise, “Slow and steady wins the race”–don’t rush it; you will be less likely to be injured.

Most importantly is to understand you will not be perfect in your pursuit to better yourself. If you slip up one day, get back on track the next and don’t look back. You are already doing better than before you started your quest.

So now that we better understand creating exercise habits with longevity, what if you go on vacation? What if you take a travel assignment and you can’t go to your gym or walk the hills by your home? There is no need to toss your exercise regime out the window because you can now take your routine with you!

Fitness apps are all the rage right now and they certainly are plentiful. Some are free while some require a subscription to use the service. But since you likely carry your phone everywhere you go, you can also carry your trainer and your gym as well.

There are no more excuses not to workout while you are away from your routine.

Listed below are some (but not all) apps for both Android and iOS. Take a peek to see what interests you (strength training, running, yoga, bootcamps) and get on it.

Aaptiv

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aaptiv-1-audio-fitness-app/id869058995
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aaptiv.android&hl=en_US

adidas Training by Runtastic

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/adidas-training-by-runtastic/id1035263816
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.runtastic.android.results.lite&hl=en_US

All / Out Studio

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/all-out-studio/id1464002763
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apphearstus&hl=en_US

Asana Rebel

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/asana-rebel-yoga-and-fitness/id1067860796
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.asanayoga.asanarebel

Daily Yoga

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/daily-yoga-workout-fitness/id545849922
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dailyyoga.inc&hl=en_US

Fitbit Coach

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fitbit-coach/id535640259
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitstar.pt&hl=en_US

FitOn

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fiton-fitness-workout-plans/id1442473191
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fiton.android&hl=en_US

Freeletics

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/freeletics-workout-fitness/id654810212
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freeletics.lite&hl=en_US

Glo – Yoga and Meditation

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/glo-yoga-and-meditation/id1023475268
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glo.mobile&hl=en_US

Home Workouts — No Equipment

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/home-workout-no-equipments/id1313192037
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=homeworkout.homeworkouts.noequipment&hl=en_US

Jefit

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id449810000
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=je.fit&hl=en_US

NEOU

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/neo-u/id1436991935
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.neou.fitness

Nike Training Club

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nike-training-club/id301521403
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nike.ntc

PEAR

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pear-personal-fitness-coach/id563723189
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pearsports.android.samsung&hl=en_US

Peloton

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/peloton-guided-workouts/id792750948
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onepeloton.callisto&hl=en_US

Sworkit

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sworkit-workouts-plans/id527219710
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sworkitapp.sworkit.com

If you haven’t yet started working on your resolutions, today is the best day to start being your best self. If one of your resolutions is to find a new job in the clinical or anatomic laboratory, HCI is your best source. Take a look at our open jobs at www.labcareer.com/jobs or call us at (954) 346-4475.