Level Up! +20 to motivation.

Those of you who know me, know I’m a little bit nerdy. In the past I was a bit of a gamer. Those who know me will also agree that I am a little competitive. Ok, maybe a lot competitive. With all of that, though, it took me quite a while to find a way to motivate me to go to the gym day in, day out.  

Until I found Fitocracy.

Fitocracy is a smartphone app that lets you record what you do in the gym, on the field and pretty much anywhere you do some kind of exercise. So, what? I have an awesome notebook to write down everything I do.

What attracted me to in the first place were two things. Firstly, Fitocracy gives you points for each thing you do. The harder you work, the more points you get per workout. As you are awarded points and complete workouts, you level up. Perfect for the nerd at heart or the gym-goer who wants to compete against themselves. Secondly, it records the weights, times, reps, etc for all your exercise, so you don't have to remember what you were up to last week. You can also pre-program a work out with weights, sets and reps before hand and then you have it all planned in your phone at the gym. 

Once you are onto it, you can then add friends who can see what you do, ‘prop’ each other for a good work out, comment on their awesome set and congratulate them on that new PR they just hit. There are also all kinds of challenges and awards you can attempt. I recommend not starting with the advanced widowmaker, 

This app was one of the turning points for me in getting fit. All of a sudden I didn’t have to compete against the massive guys in the gym lifting more than me or the runners who streaked past me. I could challenge myself to get a certain number of points per week, compete with friends and interact with a whole community of ‘fitos.’ They say you join Fitocracy for the level up, but stay for the community. And it’s not just for the gym. I love my rowing contacts there as well!

I know this post just sounds like one big ad, but I can’t emphasise how much this app helped me on my journey to getting fit and I like to share what works for me, in case it might work for someone else. If you already have a foolproof way to stay motivated and record all your workouts, keep at it! If not, click below and check it out. Sign up on the website, then download the app and sign in. Let me know when you do and I can put you in contact with some cool people on there I know. 

You can find Fitocracy here

Right now you're level one. What level will you be next week?