A cool fitness tool

Hello workout friends! This week we're telling you about a cool fitness tool that can help you with all aspects of your routine.

It’s called ActivTrax and it's like having a personal trainer in your computer. You plug in your workout preferences, fitness history and goals and it tells you what you need to do to achieve success.

Danielle Ricke is a Wellness Coach at the Healthy Living Center in Clive and she knows her way around a gym. Even so, she starts her workout at the computer – the ActivTrax computer.

“I don’t have to sit and think about what I want to do,” says Danielle. “It just prints it off. It’s a change and I don’t have to come up with my own workout.” ActivTrax does it for her. It prints out a workout, tracks her results and stores information on things like workout preferences, and even injuries.

“For those who work out often, it’s going to mix it up a little bit - give them some variety and new things to think about,” says Meg Kayko, a Healthy Living Specialist.

For those who don’t know their way around a gym, Kayko says ActivTrax provides clear instructions on how to perform each move. “There’s exercise instruction, so if you don’t know what a dead lift is, you can go to the exercise instruction and watch a video.”

The system will also maximize the amount of time you spend at the gym. “If I only have 15 or 25 minutes, it’s going to tell me what to work for my desired results, whether it be endurance, weight loss or strength,” says Kayko.

Your fitness program wouldn’t be complete without nutritional information. ActivTrax will keep track of that for you too. Its database includes about 20,000 foods. It tracks how many calories you’re taking in and how many you’re burning. “The food journal is nice,” says Ricke. “It’s amazing what you eat.” It’s up to you how much time you invest in this part of the plan. “Really, about five minutes,” says Kayko. “You can go as detailed as you want or you can be really diligent and track things like sodium or carbs in addition to calories.”

The real-time dashboard also shows you the strides you’ve made and where you’re heading before you see it in the mirror. Essentially, it takes the weight of planning a workout off your shoulders and leaves it up to your computerized personal trainer.

If you want to see how the ActivTrax system works just visit the YMCAs in Windsor Heights, Waukee and Clive.

Here's to a healthy week!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com