A couple of years ago I stumbled upon one of the most helpful, fun, and totally free fitness resources I’ve ever found, and I’ve been using it ever since. Just in case you haven’t already discovered it (or something similar) for yourself, I thought I’d share a few details about MyFitnessPal.
MyFitnessPal enables you track anything and everything related to your fitness – weight, measurements, food and water intake, exercise, etc. – all in one place, and keep a historical record for future reference. Based on your current profile (height, weight, activity level, etc.) and goals, it works with you to determine the nutritional and fitness targets that will help you reach or maintain those goals, and adjusts the targets accordingly as your stats change.
MyFitnessPal is provided via web site and as an excellent app for all the most popular platforms. Everything you do is integrated through one login, so if you enter something on the app you’ll see it next time you log on to the web site, and vice versa.
In addition to fitness tracking, community support is a fantastic and extensive feature of MyFitnessPal and is available through friends, message boards, niche-specific groups, and individual blogs. It’s unbelievable to me just how much support and encouragement I’ve received from people who were once total strangers, and also how much information and perspective I’ve gained from certain posts and blogs!
The settings on MyFitnessPal allow you to make the resource as private or as public as you wish it to be. Whether you prefer to keep all of your information (weight, food diary, etc.) totally personal and private, or share some (or all) of your information and take advantage of the community support available, it’s all up to you.
MyFitnessPal isn’t just for people who wish to lose weight. I have several friends on the site who are already a healthy weight and are using the resources to stay that way. Others are bodybuilders or working towards fitness goals such as running a marathon. Really, it’s for anyone who wishes to be aware and intentional about their fitness.
I like MyFitnessPal so much that I actually switched over to it from Weight Watchers Online (which I’d been following previously with great success). I find that MyFitnessPal offers me a similar (if not actually better) experience… and did I mention that it’s free?! I only wish I’d found it sooner!
If you haven’t already discovered MyFitnessPal I encourage you to check it out and give it a try! (And if you decide to join up and wish to add me as a friend, my username is alphabetsalad.)
You are worth it!
Do you track your fitness with MyFitnessPal (or something else)?
Please share!
