Progress 2022 -- Fit for Free: Using the world wide web to get in shape

Apr. 2—Health and fitness can be an expensive endeavor. There are options that come at no cost.

Health and fitness influencers and apps are in excess these days, but not all are created equal, especially the free ones. It is important to look at the qualifications of advisors and the science behind their claims.

There are many apps in the Apple and Google Play stores surrounding the topic of health and fitness. Many are free downloads, but the amount of content accessible at no cost can vary. Some apps give a small portion of offerings for free. Some offer a free trial of a paid subscription or both.

However, there are some that give a wealth of content at no cost that could make the data usage to download the app worthwhile.

PUMATRAC Run, Train, Fitness from Puma is a one-stop shop for a varied training regimen. While its athletic brand counterparts Nike and Adidas have apps themselves, they aren't all a free, one-stop app.

Nike's Training Club and Running Club apps are free with a large amount of content. Even though the two apps talk to each other and share data, they are still two different applications to download and run. Adidas has the same setup, and most of the content is behind a paywall. There is a free trial.

PUMATRAC houses all of the app's fitness content under one roof with plans labeled beginner, intermediate and advanced.

For those who need a larger screen to follow a workout, the PUMATRAC content is accessible on tablets, desktops and some smart TVs. The web-based platform is pumatrac.puma.com.

Each month comes with challenges a user can opt to complete in the workouts or running categories. The app offers runs for indoor and outdoor. Runs are built for fresh air or a treadmill. A user can search by trainer, type of workout or area of focus.

Long and short workouts are available in strength basics, running foundations, endurance, coordination, dance power, high intensity interval training (HIIT), boxing, yoga, pilates, ballet and strength training.

PUMATRAC allows a user to set a schedule, track workouts and achievements.

Like PUMATRAC, FitOn is available on a laptop or desktop as well as in the app store. FitOn provides a number of categories for users to get started or continue on their fitness journey. They include self-defense, meditation, yoga, stretch, HIIT, cardio, no equipment, kickboxing, pilates, low impact, small space, at work, pre- and postnatal, circuits and with children.

The app gives the option to choose a workout based on a target area of the body or a total body workout. Workouts range from five minutes to more than 40 minutes. Low, medium and high-intensity options are available.

Users can work out with Bob Harper, Gabrielle Union, Julianne Hough, Jonathan Van Ness (JVN), and Olympian Lindsay Vonn. Users can also join challenges.

A paywall will appear with FitOn. However, a user can continue with the free option and access the workout plans. They will just not have access to the "extras," which include nutrition advice, meal plans, playlists, the ability to cast to a TV and other add-ons that can enhance the free workout.

Another athletic brand with a fitness app is Gymshark. The Gymshark Training: Fitness App allows a user to not only exercise with workouts and plans in the app, but to create their own. Known exercises in the app can be placed together to make a unique workout which can then be placed into a personal plan created by the user.

The app features a workout of the day, as well as a list of the top 10 workouts. The Gymshark Training app also features a list of "Workouts by Women, For Everyone."

The workouts are neatly organized into several categories. Users can select workouts by their time commitment from 15 minutes to 90 minutes. There are various levels of equipment options, from a full gym to dumbbells to resistance bands to no equipment needed. The app curates workouts by body part as well. Core, glutes, full-body, arms, shoulders and more are options.

The Gymshark creators are also featured on the app. Users can complete workouts alongside Nikki Blacknetter, Ryan Terry, Whitney Simmons and Mr. & Mrs. Muscle. All of these creators are also influencers.

When it comes to influencers and the content they supply, it's important to take advice from someone who knows their stuff. Those who are qualified and can back up their claims with science can seem hard to find. It isn't an easy task to wade through the junk claims to find those who have a clue.

Mr. & Mrs. Muscle are certified trainers with a plethora of workouts on YouTube. They are a married couple based in Dubai. Vivianne and Michael Addo, or Viv and Mike, are both personal trainers. Mike has an AIQ Level3 Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training. Viv holds a Bachelor's in Science Honors Degree in Sports Science, an AIQ Level 3 Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training and Level 5 Advanced Sports and Exercise Nutritional Advisor, according to their website, mrandmrsmuscle.com.

On their YouTube channel, they share a wide variety of workouts that can be done mostly alone or with a partner. The YouTube channel shows HIIT workouts that can be done at home with no equipment. They use dumbbells from time to time to enhance the workouts.

Other videos feature journaling, goal setting, common mistakes and muscle recovery. In addition to YouTube, their content can be found on Instagram @mrandmrsmuscle.

Natacha Océana is a London-based health influencer who also features workouts and lifestyle content on YouTube and Instagram. Unlike Mr. & Mrs. Muscle, Océane has a wider variety of content. She put out a larger portion of follow-along workouts on her YouTube channel at the start of the pandemic. However, her content is more than workouts.

Oeéane shares her fitness and health journey with humor and science. She takes viewers along the scientific discovery journey in her "Science Explained" videos. Océane gives her sources right on the screen for all to see, but explains them in a way less scientifically fluent people can understand.

She doesn't just share the science, but puts it to the test. She has halved her sleep, eaten twice her normal calories, changed the content of a diet, tried legal performance-enhancing drugs and more just to share her personal experience and explain it with science. She also challenges herself to train for an IronMan again (she completed one in Barcelona, Spain in 2015), take the Navy Seals fitness test or be like an Olympic champion.

Océane was pursuing a Ph.D in Biophysics from University College London when she decided to take a different route, graduate with a research Master's and commit herself to YouTube and Instagram. Her Instagram bio (@natacha.oceane) says she is "translating science on YouTube."

BioLayne also backs his claims with science. BioLayne is Dr. Layne Norton, who gained a Bachelors in Science in Biochemistry with honors from Ecker College and then received a Ph.D with honors in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois, according to his website, biolayne.com.

Norton is a powerlifter, bodybuilder and coach who brings science to the forefront of his videos. He debunks myths and clarifies common claims with the scientific evidence that he shows on screen. He largely cites his sources as he shares his findings.

While Norton said he doesn't adhere to a vegetarian or vegan diet, he shares advice and tips for those who do as he understands the ethical decisions behind the choices. Norton's videos include addressing what muscles are made of, addressing diet culture, diets for polycystic ovarian syndrome, myths and facts about metabolism, carbs, fats, proteins and more.

Norton doesn't shy away from calling other people's claims out. In his video titled "How Much Protein Can Your Body Absorb," he corrects a MyFitnessPal dietician. Largely, he expands on her claims or clarifies where oversimplification can end up being wrong.

Norton's website contains his research papers and fitness accolades, as well as blog posts, articles, podcasts and more. His Instagram @biolayne is full of memes and science-based explanations.

There is a plethora of information out on the internet to help guide people along their health and fitness journey. Everyone is unique and should consult a doctor on their specific concerns. However, the apps offer plans to help shape one's journey as well as the influencers. Nutrition is largely individual, but the explanations by these influencers may help stir the right questions to ask a health care provider for further guidance or explanation.

(606) 326-2654 — eporter@dailyindependent.com