APP: Endomondo

Alright, so it's time to get back on track by sharing one of my favorite free exercise related apps, Endomondo. Being the stubborn cheap bastard I am, I haven't upgraded to the Pro version though I will admit to having been tempted on more then one occasion.

Warning!
You need a GPS enabled smart device if you're tracking real time activities like cycling or running on the out and about

So what do you get with Endomondo basic? It actually does quite a bit!

Make sure to fill out your personal details (then remember to update them) as the app takes into consideration your weight while doing activities when calculating your calorie burn, water loss and all other things that the upgraded version hints towards.

You can log sessions from a number of activities. The activities list isn't simply running, walking, cycling either. It includes everything to time at the gym on weights, squash, horse riding, quite possibly everything you can legally admit to doing for fun! So for anything where you don't move like running on a treadmill or lifting weights, you just need to input the time and distance (where applicable) and it calculates all your sweaty stats for you then stores it in your history.

If you're GPS enabled the app will log where you went using Google maps! Not only is this useful to let Endomondo know there's lots of people that may be using a certain location but I also use this as a safety feature.

Only your friends can see where exactly you've been, so don't be all willy-nilly with you add as a friend. Through this, if something did happen to you - say you broke your leg and were stuck out in the chilly wild surrounded by ravenous feral animals moving in to finish you off - one of your friends can check your last log of activities to know where to point the search team when they send them out after you!

As mentioned briefly, Endomondo keeps a running tally on popular exercise spots which you can access through their main website. It's also a great way for figuring out what areas are the safest and where you won't be out entirely alone in your drive for physical fitness.

Through the website you can also find invitations to exercise groups that may be in your area and when they get out and do things so you can join them. There's safety in numbers after all!

The app does have a voice coach but for free all they will inform you of is when you hit your distance markers. Personally I usually have my MP3 player going anyway though the app is fully capable of supporting a play list if you wish instead.

When you add friends you'll be able to check them through the app and on the website and see if they're keeping with their exercising or getting out if they've been using the app. You are free to leave encouraging comments about their activities or just leave messages for the helluvit if you're trying to stay under the social radar for a bit. ;)

Overall I really do enjoy this app. It works with Earnedit as well so you can rack up points for exercising that you can trade in for discounts and vouchers along the way for greater and more epic sports related gear and 7004.

Best of all with Endomondo and this is where the farmer in me gets twitterpated, you can win free shiz!

Endomondo has a collection of challenges every month. They won't all be ones you're interested in. Participants look to win something for their participation and the company isn't idiots. The person who decided to attempt to report they ran by logging into the app on a plane for two seconds won't be making the cut when they go to give out the prizes.

Not all of them need you to be in the top three or ten and not all of them require you to even log X amount of miles/kilometers before you qualify. When it comes down to it, you're doing it first for your health anyway, so come rain or shine, a slow week or a great week, you've already won.

The goods on offer vary from Endomondo free advertising (but still great quality) jackets, shorts etc. to gift certificates to their or others stores and so on. Free is free though, free is great!

So hop on board and get yourself active if you aren't already. This is a brilliant free app for the fitness enthusiast looking to try a product before investing. It offers so much more then other apps of its kind and it doesn't nudge or notify you that it's being ignored or points out when you've been sick all week and haven't had the chance to get outside.

It's not a calorie counting app that wants to know what you ate, when, the last time you went to the toilet and how many ounces of water you're putting into your body a day. It will tell you how much water you just lost at the end of a session but it trusts you're smart enough to have a drink of water before and after you sweat. I love the fact that it doesn't hold my hand, treat me like an idiot or require me to turn it into big brother before it will trust me.

Endomondo is a helpful friend, not a babysitter, nanny or nagging mother.

Thank-you Endomondo!