By Annie Daly, Prevention editor
The expert gods are really on our side this month. First, they tell us that we actually can eat Aunt Suzie's uber fatty pecan pie on Thanksgiving-as long as we eat it slowly. Um, score. And now, the experts at ACE Fitness released their Fitness Trend Report for 2012, where they told us that using technology to help us exercise is one of the biggest trends for the year ahead. As in, our my-phone-is-attached-to-me habits will actually help us lose weight. Here are five cool ways to get tech-y during your workouts.
1. Speed up your beats.
There's an awesome new music service called "U-Mixit" that allows you to download popular workout songs into your iTunes for $1.50 and then literally speed them up so they're actually up to eight beats faster than normal. Then, you can transfer them to your iPod or phone. This is cool for a couple of reasons: 1) Experts say upbeat tempos help push you to exercise longer, and 2) Who doesn't want to rock out on the treadmill to some Alvin & The Chipmunk-style jams?
2. Hit up Skype and/or FaceTime.
You don't need to go to the actual gym anymore to work with a personal trainer-more and more trainers are starting to offer virtual services through FaceTime (on MacBooks and iPhone 4s) and Skype for the same price. That means you can go on vacation and still do your workout from the privacy of your hotel room, or just bum it in your living room if you're not in the mood to hit the gym-but since they're watching you, you're still held accountable for your moves. (Translation: No slacking.) Ask your gym to see if their personal trainers offer virtual sessions.
3. Personalize Your Workout. Virtually.
But if you're one of those people who can't stand the thought of a personal trainer watching you sweat balls (yeah, it's really not for everyone), then you can still get the personal effect through a fitness app called Fitnad, which will be released sometime in January or February. Developed by the credible experts at ACE Fitness (read: you know it's legit), it's an app that lets you enter in your info (age, what exercises you like to do, and what you want to get out of your workout), and the trained experts at ACE actually develop a routine for you. Just for you. Then, you can stream the routine directly to your Smartphone, so you can bring it with you when you hit the mats, or you can even print out the instructions if you want to go all oldschool. ACE is still developing a price, but it will probably be around $10 per month.
4. Or bust out your iPad.
Fitness DVDs are a thing of the past-it's all about using your iPad now. A fitness company called PumpOne offers a program called Fitness Class, which allows you to choose from over 230 popular fitness classes you can take on your iPad (like Bollywood Booty, for instance). To help you choose which class you want to buy (you can download each one individually or buy a few in a group bundle), each class has a description that lists the instructor's brief bio, the equipment you'll need, and the calories you'll burn. There's even a video preview of each class, so you can see if that "ballet kickboxing" class is worth trying.or if it's just a faceplant waiting to happen.
5. Twitter To Be Fitter.
As more and more companies and big gyms are joining the social media world, it's super easy to use Twitter and Facebook to achieve your fitness goals. Follow your gym's Facebook and Twitter feeds to scope new classes you may want to check out, and consider tweeting and/or Facebooking about your fitness goals so your friends hold you more accountable. Or so the dude you're dating thinks you're a fitness goddess and wants to, um, see the results up close and personal. Either way.
Source: Cosmopolitan
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