Aristotle said that “virtues are formed in man by his doing the actions.” In other words, habits matter.
We know this from our personal lives. People who have the best routines are those who tend to thrive most in the marketplace and life in general. Putting the essentials of life on autopilot frees up the conscious mind to focus on conquering the next mountain.
That said, practically going about automating fitness and exercise was challenging in the past. You had to have a pretty good notebook, memory, trainer, or all three to make it happen.
Now, though, things are different. Technology is stepping in, reducing costs, and making it possible to finally make fitness like brushing your teeth or commuting to work. But how?
Let’s take a look.
Subscription Services
Subscription services are doing a considerable amount to automate fitness, exercise, and building a better physique. Enthusiasts and athletes no longer need to go shopping, plan their meals, or even cook them when they get home from work in the evening. Subscription services do it for them.
Some services provide a partial meal service. Companies deliver boxes of ingredients in the right proportions to front doors and get customers to do the final preparations, usually in under fifteen minutes. These options, like HelloFresh and Mindful Chef, enable individuals to consume whole foods with minimal processed ingredients.
Other options provide ready-made meals outright you put in the oven or microwave. These aren’t the same as the high-salt, high-fat, low-nutrition microwaveable meals of the 1990s. Instead, manufacturers are packing them with fresh ingredients and delivering them frozen to preserve nutritional value, helping people reach their fitness goals.
Planner Apps
We’re also seeing a rise in software designed to help people complete their fitness routines. The best daily planner apps use a combination of data sources to determine optimal workouts, based on changing circumstances and conditions.
For example, modern apps can now track sleep. The software can then determine whether the individual should go 100 percent in the gym or take it easy, based on their biological readings.
Planning apps can also help with calorie counting and nutrient intake. Some advanced solutions let owners take pictures of their meals and see the macronutrient ratios, salt, and micronutrients they are consuming. Tallying them shows how close they are getting to their daily goals.
Activity Trackers
Activity trackers are a related set of apps. These automatically log daily activity and let you know whether you are moving sufficiently throughout the day. This information can be helpful for keeping some people accountable and motivated to get moving.
Automated Playlists
Automated playlists are another tool people are using to streamline their exercise and physical activity. These regularly update with energizing music, helping to fuel workouts and keep people keen and engaged.
Services like Spotify and Apple Music already offer these kinds of services. Others will follow soon.
Social Accountability Apps
Social accountability apps are also playing a role in automating fitness pursuits and enabling more people to stick to their goals long-term. The software connects people to friends, trainers, and peers, encouraging them to keep showing up to the gym and doing their best.
But it’s not just about motivation. The social aspect of these apps can make exercise more rewarding. People can chat with each other, form communities, and build relationships that enable them to thrive.
Smart Gym Equipment
Smart gym equipment is also playing a role in the automation of fitness. Some products can hook up with fitness tracking apps, providing individuals with optimal workouts based on their goals and biofeedback. Carefully calibrating sessions supercharges progress and helps people feel like they are moving in the right direction faster.
Meal Planning Apps
Meal planning apps are also helping people automate their nutrition and calibrate it to their requirements based on science. Apps can help individuals create healthy meals, generate shopping lists for them, and track calorie intake.
Some meal-planning apps connect to online grocery stores and can place orders automatically, with the click of a button. These services can potentially save the average person several hours every week.
Conclusion
While automation technologies in the fitness space are exciting, they can’t replace hard work. Getting results still requires doing the exercise and committing to it long-term.
Full automation may arrive in the form of a cluster of pills in the coming years, but we are still some way from that outcome. In the meantime, our best bet is to simplify and streamline exercise using the technology at our disposal.
