A new year and the Christmas and New Year celebrations are now over. Chances are you've been in holiday mode and been a bit more relaxed on the food, drinks and money front and now you're facing the issue of how to get back into shape without breaking the bank.
We've made it easy for you and come up with our top 5 ways to help loose the bulge quickly and get you back into shape for the new year without having to be locked into a gym membership all with a little help from your smartphone.
1. Take a hike
Hiking is a great way to get your heart pumping while enjoying some fresh air in the great outdoors and best of all it's free. Find your nearest walk by searching on Google maps, grab some friends, walking shoes, and get your hike on! The scenery and feeling after a day out hiking is so much better than spending an afternoon at the gym! For easy access to your smartphone for when you need to check your maps or take a quick snap, grab yourself a Quad Lock Belt/Utility Clip and attach your smartphone securely to your pack.
What you need: Walking Shoes, Smartphone Budget: Free
2. Home Gym
If you have a home gym or already own a few bits of gym equipment then this next option is a great budget friendly way to workout without having to join an expensive gym or be locked into a contract. All you need is to download the app Gymster. Gymster is a fitness app which creates random workouts depending on what equipment you have access to as well as providing healthy recipes and a workout log. To get started, input your available equipment, how many exercises you want to do, and the muscles you want to work on and the app does the rest.
What you need: Smartphone and any Gym Equipment you have access to. Budget: $
3. Start Running
Grab yourself a Quad Lock Armband, have your smartphone handy and download one of the free running apps such as Runkeeper, MapMyRun, or Strava and start running. These apps are the perfect way to get motivated with awesome features including GPS Tracking so you can monitor your runs, personal audio instructions to coach you through your workout. You also get access to real-time updates on your time, distance and pace and some apps even include calorie counters and nutritional advice.
What you need: Quad Lock Run Kit, Smartphone Budget: $$
4. Go for a Ride
Cycling has so many benefits for both your health and fitness. Not only is it a great method of transportation, but it also has less impact on your joints than other exercises such as running. Best of all, you won't even know you're burning off the Christmas calories as cycling is so easy! To start getting rid of the holiday bulge, get yourself sorted with a Quad Lock bike kit, and download a cycling app to get started. We recommend Strava (you can also grab yourself a free premium trial when you purchase a Quad Lock kit!), Cyclemeter or Endomondo.
What you need: Quad Lock Bike Kit, Bike, Smartphone Budget: $$$
5. Indoor Training
This option is a little more costly, however once you are set-up, Zwift is one of the best ways to get fit without leaving the house and a great tool for indoor cycling training. If you haven't heard of Zwift, it is an online virtual platform which allows you to ride through real cycling routes that have been digitalized to make you feel you are actually there. This app can be used as a training tool, a gaming tool, and social network allowing you to ride in a virtual environment amongst other cyclists no matter where they are based in the world. To set up Zwift, you will need a decent bicycle trainer or rollers and an ANT+ or BLE power meter/speed and cadence sensor.
What you need: Quad Lock Bike Kit, Bike, Cycle Trainer and some basic Bluetooth sensors (speed/cadence as a minimum) Budget: $$$$$
