TOP FOUR HEALTHY TRAVEL APPS

Some people think that vacation is for ditching the exercise routine and just letting loose. Call me crazy, but I don't agree...

The only problem is that I am slightly addicted to working out. Guilty as charged. I figured I could be addicted to a lot worse things though. Exercise isn't something I have hit on much in this blog because I, in no way, claim to be an expert on fitness or have some brilliant master plan on how to attain results at the gym. All I know is I LOVE it. OK, OK, I am obsessed with it. Working out isn't something I dread. It is something that makes me feel good, so why would I cut it out on vacation?!

If I were to give any advice to someone who has not, yet, hopped on the exercise band wagon it would be this: Join a class. Actually, join several classes. Switch it up. Get to know the people in your classes. Make it a priority. Make it part of your day. Just like you brush your teeth every day, work out every day.... well maybe not EVERY day. :)

For a long time I was in the routine that I feel so many people are in. I was either running on a treadmill or using an elliptical every day and hating my boring routine more and more every day. It was a chore. I dreaded it, but knew I had to get it done. blah! What a bad place to be.

One day at work, one of my co-workers asked me to join her in a fitness class at work. (I am extremely fortunate to work for a company with an amazing fitness facility and even more amazing instructors.) That class changed my outlook on working out completely. Six years later, I still attend that class and several others - spin, circuit training, body combat, and the list goes on. I still run, do not get me wrong, I LOVE to run, just not every day.

Over the years, I have gotten to know the other people in my classes and we are like a little family. Class is not just a work out, it is social hour and a much needed break from the work day. I leave class every day feeling fit, happy, and energized. I am more productive in the afternoon and I sleep like a baby. (When my own baby doesn't keep me up ;) We go out for happy hour, we celebrate our birthdays, and throw each other baby and wedding showers. Like I said, we are a little workout family. We push each other in class and send eachother healthy recipes and fitness articles every day. We, also, hassle each other, complain throughout our classes (how else you goin' to get through it some days), and laugh a lot!

Anyways, I could go on and on about my passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, but I will cut myself off here.

What I wanted to say is that I am "myself" when I get my workouts in - at home or on vacation. While Jodie and I were in Ohio we came up with a plan to get our workouts in and they all involved iPhone apps. It is sad to say, but half the time I do not know what I would do without my iPhone. It is my camera (most of the time), my GPS, my email, my phone (duh!), my music, and now my personal trainer! :) Technology can be bad, but it this case it is ohhhh so good! :) When they say "There's an app for that!" they ain't messin' around. ;)

Here are my top picks for 'healthy travel' apps: 

MAP MY RUN: It is the best way to track my miles that I have found. It uses GPS to show you where you are running and chimes in (pauses your music for a second) to tell you how many miles you have ran, your time, AND your split mile time. LOVE!

PANDORA: Yes, yes, we all know what Pandora is. It is the dance pop radio station that I am LOVING! I am telling you, they play my jams! Try it! Use Pandora AND Map My Run while running.

SWORK-IT: Yes, I really wanted to name this post 'swork-it' b/c let's all agree that that name rocks. "I was sworkin' it on my lunch hour!" "I got my swork on" I mean, c'mon! It's like twerking, but w/o the strange bear costume and all the inappropriateness. ;) Basically, it is like a little circuit trainer. You pick what intensity you want, what kind of workout you want, what area of the body you want to work (upper, lower, all over, abs), and it yells out different moves every minute. It shows a picture of the move and even has a little video if you are still unsure of how to do the move. Yes, I am a fan of sworkit! Jodie and I did this at a park right by Kate's house almost every day while we were in Ohio.

HEALTHY OUT: I am not a fan of fast food, but sometimes it is inescapable. Sometimes you are on the road and even though you think if you wait long enough, eventually one of those food road signs will read 'fit & fresh' or 'unprocessed real food' (let's pretend those are real restaurants), but they all just really says 'McDonalds' and 'KFC.' uggg. This app uses GPS to tell you what restaurants are near AND gives you the healthiest meal options on the menu. Hey, sometimes it's the best you can do. :)