< Insert weak wordplay or bad pun about apps here >

I just recently downloaded a bunch of new apps for my iPod. As many of you know, I have been trying to lose weight. 22.3% of my weight to be exact. And as luck may have it, there are lots of apps out there that are designed to help.

C25k (Couch to 5k in 9 weeks)

This program is designed to take a completely sedentary couch potato and have them running a 5k in 9 weeks. Perfect for a beginner like me. I have long wanted to start running again, but I continually run into over-use injuries like shin splints and bad knees because I start too aggressively. This program only calls for 3 runs a week, and they start out very, very low. One minute of jogging at a time for some of the early runs. You can create a playlist of your own music to play while you're running, and a voice will intermittently let you know if you should be warming up, walking, jogging, or cooling down. I'm counting on this app to help me warm up to jogging without creating any knee problems.



BODY FATE

This app is like having a personal trainer with a great sense of humor. First of all, it's fully customizable. You can enter how long you want to work out, the equipment you have access to, and your overall fitness level. Once you have done that, you click "Begin your Fate" and different exercises are thrown at you. You'll either be given a number of reps to complete or a time limit, and cheating is tough. It can sense if you're wimping out and are not allowing enough time to complete the full set. There are options to spin the Wheel of Torture or make a deal with the devil that make your workout feel more like a game you're trying to beat than just another boring workout. Also, each exercise you are expected to complete comes with pictures illustrating how it should be done and a back-up text description if the picture is unclear. More than anything else, this app stresses the benefits derived from interval training. You will definitely keep your muscles guessing with this app, and you might even look forward to working out. A must-have if you are losing interest in working out or are hitting a plateau, although I think it would be beneficial for anyone.


TargetWeight

This app is very simple, but helps to keep you on track. All you do is enter your height, weight, pounds to lose, and timeline for losing that weight, and this app will track your progress. It also tells you your BMI, although I don't find a BMI score all that helpful. It's always nice to have a graph to show you that you are attaining some downward progress even if you do have a bad day once in a while.


That's all I'm going to review for now. I did download a few habit-checking apps, but I'm still trying them out to see which one(s) I like the best.