App Review: Endomondo Sports Tracker

This week's app review is for a sweet little app that has become a staple in my everyday workout toolbox.  It is the Endomondo Sports Tracker.  If there is one app that I use every time I set out to walk, it is this app.  It's main feature is that it provides GPS tracking for your workout.  However, the app doesn't stop there.  I use it for it's built in metrics which allow me to see how well I am progressing over the course of time.  And if that isn't enough, there is a fantastic community of people using this app pretty much all the time, all over the world.  And for that reason, this is a two section review.  We will touch briefly on the app and then we will discuss the website as well.

The app is available for Android, iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phones.

The App:

The GPS tracking is pretty straight forward.  You turn on the GPS function on your phone and then open the Endomondo app.  When your GPS gets a lock, simple press the green "Start" button and the app will begin logging your location and tracing your route.  As you walk, in realtime the app will display what sport you have specified (in my case it is walking), the duration of your activity, the distance (in miles), Speed, and Calories burned.  You do have the option to let the app do a 10 second countdown before beginning or just starting to log right away.  

You also have the option for specify a workout, this includes (some of these features only available in Pro version):

-Setting a time of distance goal.

-Beat a friend's personal best.

-Follow a Route.

-Beat Yourself.

-Interval Training.

You will also notice the main interface has a music button and a speaker button (left and right respectively).  The Music button will give you access to your device's stored music to jam out to while working out.  The speaker button is a virtual training that gives you audible information pertaining to your workout as you use the app.

Swiping the screen to the left will slide the interface out of the way so you can see the map of your route thus far.  The path will be overlaid ontop of a Google Map tile of the area you were active in.  This allows you a birds eye perspective on your route.  Plus, I like to use the mapping features as sort of a GPS Map to plan my next couple of turns when walking in city areas.

As you use the app, you will find that you can do more than just tracking walks with it.  There is a huge listed of exercises you can log with the app.  And pretty much if it involves any moving at all, you can track it.  Whether is is walking, running, cycling, mountain biking, skating, kayaking or even kite surfing and scuba diving.  If you can take your phone with you, you can GPS track it.

But you can also track sports like golf, boxing, fencing, gymnastics, pilates, weight training, and even yoga (and so many more).  So as you can tell, the app is extremely versatile.  From within the app you can also see your friend's list, a New's Feed about what your friends are up to, and an Inbox for receiving and approving Friend's Requests.

The Website Integration:

If you visit the website and setup a profile there, your workout data will upload to their website under your profile for further analysis.  Their site also involved a pretty neat social integration as well.  You can send and receive friend requests, see what your friends are doing as far as their workouts are concerned, and you can take part in Challenges.

The workout data that is uploaded consists of your workout speed, duration, calories burned, time per lap, and the GPS data in map form.  From the site, you can set your workout maps to private so only you can see them if you are concerned about privacy.  If you forget your phone and go workout anyways, don't worry.  As long as you know what route you took, you can log into the website and click on Routes at the top of the screen and draw your route on the map to log it.  You won't have a complete collection of data from the workout, but at least you will get your distance, time, and estimated calories burned logged.

Challenges can be created by other users or Endomondo staff themselves.  It took me a couple of weeks before I gathered enough courage to jump into a Challenge.  But now it's almost become an addiction of mine.  It's fun to see where you stand within a group of other people.  I always have that feeling that I probably just walked the slowest mile anybody has every walked.  Then I look at the Challenge page and see my name halfway through a list of a couple hundred people.  And as you work through the month and partake in the Challenges you not only see your growth, but also you "competitors" growth as well.  I use the word "competitor" very loosely because we are working to be a leader in the Challenge board, but we are all working toward a common goal of getting healthy and exercising so it becomes fun instead of out for blood competition.

There is a lot of encouragement that goes on in the comments section of the Challenge pages for pretty much any challenge you see listed.  And as I wrote about a few weeks ago, encouragement is a huge factor in accomplishing you goals!

Speaking of encouragement, if you use the mobile app, it is possible for your friends to send you messages while you exercise.  For example, a couple weekends ago I decided I was going to complete my first 10 Mile walk.  This was a huge milestone for me to try to accomplish.  About mile 6 or a little better, the podcast I was listening to paused itself and a female voice came through my earbuds and said: "New Message from Dominic: Keeping pushing, way to go!".  The sender was a person in another country that was listed in a Challenge that I was active in and he sent me a friend's request.  So literally from halfway around the world someone sent me a "PepTalk" at the very moment I was out exercising.  Personally, that is an awesome feature!

I love the quick analytics listed on the main page of the user profile.  It gives several quick charts showing Distance, Calories Burned, and Duration.  If you mouse over each of the three pie charts a small tool tip will pop up with your data for the month up to the current day.  Below that you can log your weight and keep a running total of your weight loss.  And under the weight section is your Overall Summary.  

The Overall Summary shows your totals for which you can filter by All Sports or only by one particular sport if you choose.  It lists how many total workouts logged with the app, total duration (or time spend working out), and total distance.  There are also entries here to show your progress "around the world" and "trips to the moon".  Also listed is average speed, average pace, and calories burned.  They also guesstimate how many cheeseburgers you have worked off as well.  These starts are fun to look at and they give you a total view on your workouts since you started using Endomondo.  If you view full stats you can see really nice charts listing your progress as well.

The charts are filterable, meaning you can change the data displayed to view as needed.  If you want to see your progress from day to day, week to week, month to month, or even between years, you can.  You may be asking: "I haven't used a service like Endomondo.  But I have a device I am using that stores data like this, can I import that into Endomondo?"

If that is your concern, then fret not. You have complete control to be able to import that data into Endomondo's website as long as it is coming from a Garmin device or you have the .gpx, .tcx, or .fit filetypes exported from your device.

Overall Opinion:

Endomondo is a very valuable resource for anybody working out with a smartphone.  It is cross platform as well.  So both iOS and Android users can use it.  There are two flavors of the app available: a free version and a Pro version.  I use the Pro Version because back in December, Google offered a bunch of Android apps for 10 cents and I picked it up "just in case" I needed it later since it was so cheap.  But the free version has most of the features available that you would want to use anyways.  But if you like the app, I'd say spring the few dollars and support the team at Endomondo.

And if you really like the service, you may want to support the team even further by Subscribing to the Endomondo website by joining the "Athletes Lounge".  On top of everything you get for free, for $6 per month you get benchmark yourself against your friends and you get a badge on your profile that touts you as a paid member.  For $39 per year you get all the free stuff, plus the badge and benchmarking, and 15% off purchases from their online store.  The online store is full of Endomondo branded gear including cycling clothes, jackets, t-shirts, workout music, headphones, messenger bags, and accessories like FitBit and heart rate sensors that connect bluetooth to your phone.

Can you use the app without the web service?  Probably.  Can you use the web service without the app?  Sure you could.  But you're not going to get the full benefit of how Endomondo can help your workout unless you use them both in conjunction with each other.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars!

Pro's: 

-App is fantastic.

-Great integration with their website and online services.

-Realtime GPS tracking of your workout.

-Cross platform with most smartphones (Android, iOS, Blackberry, & Windows Phone).

Con's:

-It occasionally takes the app a few minutes to connect to the GPS signal.  But this may very well be my device and not the app.

Get the app:

Google Play Store:  http://bit.ly/IPABmQ

Apple's App Store: http://bit.ly/ctiLf3

Blackberry App World: http://bit.ly/I0t6qk

Swing by their website: http://www.endomondo.com

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Motivation:Why Is It Important?

One of the biggest problems I personally have when it comes to exercise and fitness is a complete and utter lack of motivation.  This has plagued every half-witted attempt I have taken at getting fit.  Usually I start off strong by working out regularly and trying to eat right then after a couple of weeks something will happen.  Almost as if I flipped a switch off in my mind that says "Okay, I'm done.".  From that point forward it becomes a lot easier to sit inside and play games or do other things on days we have nice weather or lay out of the gym.

So how do I combat that lack of motivation or drive?  For me, I have found that when I can't motivate myself; that's when I need to get other people involved.  The first person I started bugging was my wife.  Initially, when I told her what my personal goals were for things like walking and weight loss she was surprise, worried, concerned (whatever you want to call it, she though something was up).  But after she actually saw me get out and start working, it was almost like catching a cold.  She jumped right in and started contributing with me.  After a couple of days I started mentioning my efforts to others like my Mom.  My Mom is a nurse and understands the point of good health practices and likes to get out and about herself.  So she jumped on the wagon with us too.  Essentially, I surrounded myself with people who I knew would be proud of me if I succeed and will help encourage me when I don't quite feel like going that extra mile.  And so far, it is working.

With a form of what I will call "external motivation" from other people, that pushes me to be more inclined to get out and put forth an effort.  And so far with this motivation, I have walked since March 1st, 2012: 34.37 miles.  Which may not sound like a lot but a month ago I was spending almost all of my free time sitting around either infront of a television, computer, or video game.  Now I am walking at least 5 days a week (oftentimes 6 days) and am pushing myself farther every time I go out.  And I have already started to move my belt in one notch.  And for a guy whose belt hasn't moved in 7 years; that's a big deal!

So how can you find that extra motivation to help encourage you?  First, don't think of your workouts/eating better as a diet.  If you start out by saying "I can't go there or eat that because I'm on a diet"; you will find that you are limiting yourself within constraints that may make life a little more difficult on you.  And who needs that stress, as it will kill motivation for you.  Yes, you should be conscious about your diet, but not to the point you have put yourself in a doorless room with rice cakes.  If you happen to splurge (which it is healthy to do once in a while), just make a note and work a little harder on your next trip out.  NOTE: Please don't read that Techie said to go crazy with your moderation.  That's nuts.

Second, set goals that you know you can achieve.  Not something that is unattainable.  In my case, if I started out doing no exercise whatsoever (which was my case actually), and I decided to go out and run for 10 miles.  I would have flopped in my attempt that day.  Instead, I started out determined to walk no more than 2 miles.  When I hit the 2 miles mark, I was feeling pretty good and ended up walking 5 miles my first day out.  Yes, this killed me since I wasn't used to much activity.  But, I rebounded after a day or two of rest and haven't stopped since.  So, goal setting is very important.

Third, you have to find some form of "external motivation".  Whether be friends or family, or maybe there is a local walking group in your community.  If not, start one up instead of waiting on someone else too.  If you are scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding others to participate, look online.  There are communities online that are there to help.  Sites like Endomondo, LiveStrong, etc. are there for the purpose of helping you.  Sure, sites likes these have paid services.  But usually they offer some free services by way of forums and message boards or even online fitness trackers that you can share on Facebook or Twitter.  And believe me, I have used some of these (and still do use a couple) and they can be a big help.

I am by no means, a fitness expert or a doctor of any kind.  However, the above points are what continues to help me everyday.  If you have other factors for motivation, chime in below with a comment and share with all of us as we may need the help too!

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Credits: Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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