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The 5 Best Tools to Track Fitness and Weight-Loss Goals

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The 5 Best Tools to Track Fitness and Weight-Loss Goals

Lifestyle changes to improve fitness and/or lose weight can be challenging, regardless of where you are when you begin. We have an incredible advantage with today’s technology and  with a simple click or touch, online resources can help you achieve success.

“Creating change on any level is always a challenge, so we may as well use every tool in the tool box available to us,” says Cooper Fitness Center Dallas registered dietitian Meridan Zerner. We can create a healthy environment, but the knowledge about how many calories we take in and how many we burn is essential to achieving fitness and weight loss goals.

These weight loss and fitness tools can motivate and inspire change, help you take a realistic look at the foods you’re eating and know how many calories you burn during a workout. These tools allow you to see this information in number and graph form and to set smarter goals to make more meaningful change and to make that change faster.

Top 5 Tools to Track and Manage Fitness and Weight Loss

  1. MyFitnessPal - An online tool or smartphone app available for iPhone and Android. When users log into MyFitnessPal for the first time, they will be asked to enter current weight and goal weight. Users will then be able to track what they eat and how much they exercise. This tool even has a barcode scanner allowing users to get nutrition information on food they eat.
  2. Lose It! - Lose It! helps users set a daily calorie budget, track food and exercise and stay motivated to make healthy lifestyle choices. Lose It! will create a customized weight loss plan that fits the user’s life allowing them to set goals and achieve them on his or her terms. Lose It! is available on Android, iOS, Nook, Kindle, and the Web.
  3. Spark People - Rated highly by a group of dietitians, Spark People is an online tool offering free nutrition, health and fitness tools, support and resources to help people reach their lifestyle and fitness goals and lead healthier lives.
  4. Heart rate monitor - Investing as little as $30 in a heart rate monitor will give you more than the scale ever would. Try the Nike+ FuelBand or FitBit. Both allow users to log progress and food and give encouraging feedback. If you don’t have someone helping you to assess your progress, these tools allow you to see your success in multiple ways.
  5. CalorieKing.com – This online tool allows users to look up nutrition information for nearly any food. You can also log what you eat and track your calorie intake. CalorieKing wants users to gain control of their eating habits and walks them step-by-step through nutrition and fitness basics, helping them meet their goals along the way.

Zerner explains that most people easily underestimate the calories they take in on a daily basis by at least 500 calories. Tools such as MyFitnessPal and CalorieKing make it easy to look back, see exactly what you ate on any given day and find a solution to encourage change.

If your goal isn’t weight loss or calorie oriented, Zerner suggests try other apps and tools such as Pocket Yoga, which allows users to log in and get a 10-minute yoga routine right on their smartphones. There are other specific fitness apps to use to track your exercise, such as running.

No matter your fitness or lifestyle goal, there are a ton of tools available to you. In this case, let your fingers do the walking and help you reach your health goals.

For more information about Cooper Fitness Center, click here or call 972.233.4832.

Article provided by Cooper Aerobics Marketing and Communications.