Cell Phone Fitness: Tips for the 21st Century

Some of you reading this might be new to the fitness scene and are ready to make this year THE year you make it happen but you can use any and all tips you can get. There have been tips that have been shared for numerous years to help you achieve personal fitness success and they were valid. But let’s face facts. It’s a new era and the world is a much different place than it was 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. So we should be looking at what is available to us to find new ways to reach new peaks of success.

By Roger Lockridge

One major tool that comes in quite handy is the cell phone. The mobile hasn’t just become a game changer. It’s become a society changer. With cell phones, social media, fitness apps and new advances coming out by the day, let’s keep up with the times and try new strategies to set ourselves up to achieve our goals.

Film Yourself Training

Most if not all smartphones now have cameras that allow you to record video. Set up your phone so it’s somewhere close to where you’re working and film yourself training or have a partner film you if you don’t need a spot. This benefits you for two reasons. First, you can analyze your form and see what you can do differently to make the next set more beneficial than the last. Was your form off? Which rep does it look like you started to struggle? Second, you can motivate yourself to work harder. There’s something about watching yourself lift that can trigger your brain to do more. Whether it’s watching the muscles work or see yourself from a different perspective conquer a challenge that you’ve been focusing on.

Let Social Media Motivate You

Your favorite form of social media might be Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. You might use all three. Great. You can make that media work for you by following people or accounts that inspire you or have a way of psyching you up. While you’re sipping on your Juggernaut and waiting for go time, scroll through your timelines and check out what your favorite fitness people are doing. Seeing them in action can help you learn good information and become instantly motivated. (Blatant plug: you can follow both Infinite Labs and me on all of those platforms. Just sayin’.)

Apply Yourself

It doesn’t matter what type of phone you have, there are numerous apps available that can go a long way in helping you on numerous fronts. Do you need to look up the macros of a certain food? Do you want a service to track your runs or workouts? There’s an app for all of that and more. Want to listen to some awesome music or a podcast while you’re pushing through cardio? You can do that too. Prioritize your fitness needs and get the apps you feel would best serve you. Place them on the home screen so you don’t have to search for them. As to what apps to get, that’s up to you and your individual needs.

Remind Yourself

Are you afraid you might miss a meal? Concerned you might be late for that workout? Cell phones have alarm apps with them that allow you to set multiple reminders daily. So you can set it to sound when it’s time for that mid-afternoon meal or as a 30-minute notice that it’s almost time to train. You can even set multiple alarms to help you get up if you’re one that might have trouble waking up. Whatever you need to be reminded of, it will be there for you when you need it. This accountability can greatly increase your chances of success.