Exercise can be a tough task to handle on its own. Add schoolwork on top of that, and getting in a workout can seem nearly impossible. Thankfully, there is technology out there to assist with managing your fitness routine.

From staying motivated to keeping track of progress, technology can help with anything related to your workout. For the most part, there are three key things needed for a successful workout regime: motivation to get to the gym, motivation to complete your workout and the ability to track your progress.

Getting to the gym can be hard and one common excuse is a lack of time. This just leaves finding motivation to actually get out to the gym.

Any successful day starts in the morning and, barring any substantial event that happens in your day, it will likely be your make or break point for the entire day. This includes your workout.

Waking up late will leave you behind on your to-dos, and working out is generally the first thing to be cut in order to spend time on things higher on the priority list.

Available on both Android and iPhone, there are apps that can monitor your sleep cycle by using your phone’s accelerometer to track your sleep. This allows the app to wake you up when you’re at the lightest part of your sleep cycle. The creators of these apps, which are plentiful on both major smartphone platforms, state this makes for an easier wake up since you’re not coming straight out of deep sleep.

Finding motivation to actually complete your workout once you get to the gym can be another challenge. Fortunately, there are several forms of technology to keep you motivated throughout your workout.

Some people find that listening to something while working out helps keep them motivated. One option is to play music using a program like Apple Music or Spotify. Setting up playlists specifically for working out can help to keep you in the right mindset. A great feature that can be found on these apps is premade playlists for all different kinds of exercise, from running to weightlifting.

These playlists are especially interesting because users are allowed to customize the playlist to match the pace they want to workout at. This might apply more to runners, but having a playlist that never slows down can help to keep up your tempo, regardless of your type of workout.

Getting motivated for workouts is great to ensure you are sticking with your regime, but there is still the matter of ensuring you’re on the right track. This can be done through exercise tracking technology.

There are many apps that can help with this. Manually inputting all the values about how long your workout was and what it consisted of is far from ideal, but knowing where you’re at as far as workouts go can help to avoid plateauing.

This is where workout accessories like the FitBit and smartwatches like the Apple Watch come in handy. While it may not be financially feasible for some students to invest in one, they do make it easier to track your progress, utilizing components like step counters and heart rate monitors. This also ensures that the information you’re using is accurate.

While these are only some of the ways you can aid your workouts with technology, they are a great start. By using technology to your advantage, you can get fit and have fun all at the same time.

—

Jack Thompson / Staff Writer

Graphic: Sarah Foley