Fitness Software Review

Why Use Fitness Software?

Did you ever long to have your own personal trainer like all those celebrities who have washboard abs, great legs and toned arms? Have you ever checked the steep costs for trainers and then heaved a sigh at the expense? Fear not, because many of the key benefits of a personal trainer can be yours with the help of fitness software.

True, you won’t have someone encouraging you along the way, pushing you to do just a little more or counting the reps as you work out. However, with top-quality fitness software, you can track your nutrition and exercise regimen as carefully as any professional can. The fitness software products in our line up can provide strong feedback, so you can see terrific results as you adopt healthier eating habits and an effective exercise routine. You also can see where you may have slipped and need to get back on track.

If you are committed to getting fit, you can save plenty of money and lose plenty of fat and flab using the expert directions for exercise and nutrition provided by fitness software. We recommend you take a look at our top three products, VidaOne Diet & Fitness, ProTrack and Weightmania. On this site, you also will find articles related to fitness software and comprehensive reviews of fitness software to help you make an informed decision.

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Fitness Software: What to Look For

Your approach to getting strong and healthy will come into focus the moment you decide to use personal training software. These tools will help you create and maintain a clear, accurate record of your success. Here are the criteria we used to rank the applications in this category:

Features
The best fitness software applications include a personal profile that should be easy to complete, an exercise module divided into strength training and cardio exercises, a calendar to see schedules and total calories, and a diet module that can be customized to suit your eating patterns. The logs should be adaptable for a range of fitness levels, beginner to advanced. The application should progress along with you. Fitness software can benefit the entire family. Some allow multiple users without additional licenses or fees. Each user can choose a password for privacy.

Some fitness software tracks medical conditions or supplement use that can affect performance. The best consider other physical and mental factors like sleep, mood and recovery period after a workout. These features provide valuable feedback that can give you a more complete picture of your health and indicate where you could make positive changes.

You should be able to transform all the information you enter into reports and graphs. The best reporting functions are easy to use, accurate and informative.

Exercise
Fitness software applications include a strength training module. Some are simple, some complex. The best will have complete workouts that include instructions for every exercise and even photographs. You may be able to select a specific area of the body to target and get a list of effective exercises. You will be able to track reps and weight and see how your progress matches your goals. The top programs have a separate listing for cardio activities. You can track duration, distance, intensity and pace, and the software will calculate the number of calories you burned. If you’re a runner or cyclist, there is software designed for you specifically. You can track weather, location, routes and surface conditions for training and competitions.

Nutrition
It is always helpful if you can design meals and snacks to reflect your healthy habits. Look for a food database that includes both restaurant foods and name brand foods. Some fitness applications have a recipe function where you can enter new recipes and get a nutrient read-out. Your fitness software should let you view total nutrients for a specific food, an individual meal or a specific day. You should be able to compare your food intake to the national Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) or to the goals you have set.

Ease of Use
The summary view should let you easily see all of your critical fitness stats and your calendar. From there, it also should be easy to use the exercise and diet modules. Working out is hard, so managing your fitness software records should be simple.

It might seem to be a stretch, but it's a very real possibility that your life could change with the right fitness software. With just a little bit of electronic prodding, you can be inspired to get rid of junk food, embrace more nutritious foods and plunge into workouts that get you fit, flexible and strong.

 
 
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Software » Reference / Lifestyles » Fitness Software Review
Rank #1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8
   Excellent
   Very Good
   Good
   Fair
   Poor
VidaOne Diet & Fitness Weightmania ProTrack Private Coach BodyTrans Fitness Assistant Open Fitness Weight-By-Date
VidaOne Diet & Fitness Weightmania ProTrack Private Coach BodyTrans Fitness Assistant Open Fitness Weight-By-Date
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Lowest Price
Visit VidaOne Diet & Fitness 3.5.3
$39.95
Visit Weightmania Pro 3.0
$69.99
Visit ProTrack 2008
$29.95
Visit Private Coach Personal Edition
$9.99
Visit BodyTrans 2.1
$9.99
Visit Fitness Assistant 3.3
$49.95
Visit Open Fitness 2
$39.95
Visit Weight-By-Date Pro
$37.99
Overall Rating
Ratings
Features
Fitness & Nutrition
Ease of Use
Help & Support
 
Features
Personal Use
Commercial Use
 
 
Tracks Major Fitness Indicators
Tracks Medical Details
 
  
Journal
Calendar
Aerobics/Sports Module
 
 
Strength Training Module
 
Summary View
 
 
Export/Import to Handheld Device
 
 
Reports
Graphs
Fitness
Fitness Routine
Add a Routine
Goal Setting & Tracking
Add/Delete Exercises
Workout Planner
Training Analysis
Share a Routine  
 
Nutrition
Day's Nutrition Facts
RDA Calcultor
  
Food Library Filter
      
Create Shopping List  
     
Share Meal Plans  
 
 
 
Customizable Meals/Snacks  
 
 
Help & Support
Email
FAQs
 
Phone Support  
 
   
User Forum    
 
 
Supported Configurations
Vista
7
 
XP
Mac