Do you have fitness goals you can’t seem to reach? Are you feeling overwhelmed by all the steps it takes to become healthier and more active? Well, if you can’t seem to make it to the gym or have difficulty allotting time to work out at home, we’ve got the solution for you. A walking app! It’s perfect for those who lead hectic lifestyles and need a way to track their progress while walking.
Motivation and Goals
When it comes to staying motivated when trying to reach fitness goals, an app can be a great tool. Apps are often used to set goals and track progress such as setting a goal of walking for x amount of minutes per day.
Having the ability to track progress provides users with a sense of accomplishment when the goal is met and encourages continued efforts by breaking down large tasks into smaller achievable steps which makes the entire task less daunting.
The clearest evidence that using an app can help one’s motivation comes from renowned mental health and performance coach, Bryan O’Rourke, who found that “83% of people who use step tracking apps show an improvement in overall Nike Fuel Score.”
3 Reasons to Use a Walking App (and How They Help)
Walking is a great way to exercise while enjoying the outdoors, but tracking your progress can be tricky. Using a walking app can help keep you motivated and on track to reaching your fitness goals. Here are five reasons to use a walking app and how they help with motivation and goal setting:
1. Convenience: With a walking app, you have all your progress right at your fingertips. You don’t need to worry about logging information manually or keeping physical records of your results. Plan your route with an applike the one from Visorando on both IOS and Android..
2. Gamification: Many walking apps come with a variety of games and challenges that make staying active fun and engaging. These virtual rewards give users the incentive to keep going and reach their goals faster.
3. Goal Setting: With a walking app, you can customise goals, such as daily step count or miles per day, and view your progress towards them over time. This feature makes it easier to stay on top of staying active without having to constantly monitor yourself or set reminders.
Tracking Data and Incentives
Tracking data and incentives are two additional features of walking apps that can help motivate users to reach their fitness goals. Having access to data on a person’s progress can be extremely useful in understanding if they are on track to success. Furthermore, using a walking app to set have personalised goals not only encourages accountability, but also helps keep a user motivated. Seeing small or large incremental changes in one’s progress can give the user an added incentive to push forward.
Moreover, by tracking and saving data in the same place, users are able to see the overall big picture of their progress. This visual representation of improvement helps users stay motivated as they can observe the results of their hard work over time. Companies understand this feeling and constantly strive to incentivize their customers through promotions, special rewards, or unlocking levels in order for them to continue reaching their fitness goals.
While tracking your data and earning incentives has its advantages, some find it counter-productive as it adds another element of stress when trying to reach goals. Others may simply not be interested in constantly monitoring their statistics and find their own inspiration elsewhere. The important thing is that each person find what works best for them when setting and achieving objectives.
Benefits of Tracking Your Walking Activity Using an App
Tracking your walking activity using an app can have a number of benefits. For one, it can help increase accountability, especially when combined with an incentive system, as was discussed in the previous section. It’s easy to push aside your fitness goals when you aren’t actively tracking your workout sessions and progress. Having that data at your fingertips allows you to make more realistic and attainable goals for yourself—and to actually achieve them too!
Moreover, having a way to track your walking activity can allow you to stay motivated and engaged in your fitness journey. This is especially useful if you’re new to working out or if you struggle with feeling discouraged after long periods of time spent doing tedious exercises. With this data viewable on an app, you can easily see the results that your hard work has been yielding which can be great for keeping with the momentum of your fitness programme.
Safety Issues for Walking Apps and Apps in General
Just as tracking their walking activity through an app can be extremely beneficial to someone trying to reach their fitness goals, there are a number of safety issues that one should consider before utilising an app for this purpose.
Privacy is an important factor when it comes to mobile applications, whether it is used to track progress in reaching fitness goals or anytime personal data may be collected. Many walking apps offer third-party sharing capabilities, such as linking users’ accounts to social media sites which could potentially pose a security breach if the service’s security protocols are not followed properly. Users should always read the terms and conditions of any services being provided, including what type of data is being accessed and how it is protected.
Another consideration when using a walking app is the use of GPS if offered. The accuracy of GPS tracking and mapping can vary greatly depending on the phone or device being used and accessing one’s location at all times can also lead to safety risks if information falls into wrong hands.
Popular Walking Apps
When it comes to selecting a walking app, there are a variety of popular options available. The most widely used apps today include Strava, Map My Walk, RoadID, and others. Each app has its own unique features and benefits to offer users.
For instance, Strava is great for tracking your mileage, route, and duration while having an excellent social component that allows users to compete with friends or join clubs. Map My Walk allows you to plan routes and track your progress with calories burned and steps taken while RoadID focuses on alerting contacts in the event that you are injured or have an emergency while walking alone.
The debate of which app is best for beginning walkers will continue indefinitely; however, each of the popular apps offers great features that can help meet personal goals. It’s important to do research on each app to determine which has the features most aligned with one’s fitness objectives.
With all that said, now that you have a deeper understanding of how walking apps can help keep track of personal fitness goals and ensure safety on walks for yourself and others, it’s time to learn more about how to maximise the benefits from your chosen app.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Walking App
In the previous section, we discussed popular walking apps that can help you reach your fitness goals. In this section, we explore ways to make sure you make the most of these apps. Below are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of your walking app:
Make Use of Customised Goals: Many walking apps give users the ability to create personalised goals for themselves. This is a great way to stay motivated and keep yourself on track as you work towards your fitness goals. For example, many apps allow users to set daily step counts or distances they want to hit each day. This sets a bar for yourself and gives a sense of accomplishment when you complete a goal.
Utilise Social Media: With the ubiquity of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, there has never been an easier way to share progress with friends or join an online community dedicated to fitness and health.
A lot of popular walking apps have built-in sharing options where updates can be sent out directly from the app, allowing everyone in your life to join in on your journey towards achieving fitness goals.
Ultimately, using a walking app provides a great platform to monitor and maximise progress when trying to reach one’s fitness goals. By making use of customised goals, monitoring progress, utilising social media platforms, joining challenges and customising one’s experience within the app – users can get the most out of their walking app experience!