How a sports app got me back on track again

MY regression from sporting prowess to slob came quickly but, thanks to smartphone sport-savvy apps, I am back on track.

I had always been athletic. In school and college, I played everything; GAA, soccer, squash, basketball, frisbee; whatever it was, I would try it and I would be good at it.

After college, everything changed. I got sick and suddenly my life revolved around getting better. Between medication and constant hospital visits, I had no energy for athletic pursuits.

Everything was a struggle and unlike before, I no longer had an outlet to unwind.

It was like I was living in black and white. Everything was boring and dull.

I was always tired, and feeling happy was just a memory I would regurgitate to get through the day.

After the illness, I tried to rekindle my passion for sports; but I was not able to do what my mind expected.

I became frustrated with my slow reactions and easy exhaustion. I was embarrassed by my athletic inabilities. After decades of constant training, I was back to devastating basics.

But technological advancements, interactive smartphone apps, guided me back to sport and fitness.

I set myself a goal, in March, by signing up for the Cork City half-marathon.

Through a running website, I built a tailored programme for the next three months. This programme was also stored on my phone with a corresponding app. This app tracked my training and kept me focused on my schedule in a convenient and accessible way.

My training apps included runkeeper, mapmyfitness, endomondo and Asics. Nike and Adidas also have exercise apps, and these encompass toning, strengthening and slimming programmes.

Most smartphones are compatible with these apps. Once it is downloaded, press the start button when you are exercising. Based on your movements, and using GPS technology, the apps measure your exertion. They track distance, time, speed, share activity on social networks, and store workouts for comparison.

My return to fitness was not effortless. For the first two weeks, my 7am alarm was rudely ignored and training was late in the evening, in a weary trudge. After two weeks, I felt perkier, my muscles no longer ached after each exertion, and mornings were no longer the bane of my life.

Week three was the start of my early mornings.

The alarm went off and I no longer had the fuzzy, cloud-like feeling in my brain. I was alert and ready to go.

The fitness apps on my smartphone played a huge part in my athletic revival.

The support I received online through Facebook was surprising. Jovial banter became motivation to work harder and train better, and the constant feedback of speed, distance, and time reawakened my competitive spirit.

I wanted to run faster and further. I started cross-training, cycling and swimming.

I wasn’t as fit as I once was, but I had regained my love for exercise.

I wanted to train, not just to get stronger, but because I loved to train.

Another factor that helped increase my activity was my Nike+ Fuelband. This is a digital watch that monitors movements in calories, steps, and a fabricated form of energy: Nike Fuel. The watch has a corresponding smartphone app, which stores your daily levels and compares them with other Nike+ Fuelband users.

This piece of technology made me aware of where, and when, I am most active. For example, a morning in the gym burned up to 5,000 Nike fuel units, but a day in the office burned just 600. The device is not overly helpful in training sessions, but it encouraged me to achieve a more active lifestyle, instead of just scheduled exercise sessions a few times a week.

In the past, I was told how lucky I was to enjoy sport. People would tell me how great it was for me, but it was only when I lost it, and experienced life without it, I realised just how much I needed it.

There are days when I over-exert myself and need an early night, but it is never the heavy, sedated exhaustion I once experienced.

The only way to explain it is that tingly tiredness you have after Christmas day, or after a weekend away with your friends.

Feeling tired is no longer a hindrance to what I want to achieve, it is a result of what I have accomplished.

* The Cork City half marathon takes place as part of the Cork City Marathon weekend, on June 3; www.corkcitymarathon.ie.