As a technophile, I’m always interested in how technology can be used to complement something I’m interested in. Fitness and Football is no exception.
Here’s a list of things I’m using and things I want to use on my weight loss journey with Man v Fat (Referrer link, using my code JOHNS9617).
Mobile Apps (I’m using Android, but I expect these exist on iOS as well)
MyFitnessPal – Using this to track calories I’m eating. Has a handy barcode scan, to ensure you’re using the correct data. Don’t always assume someone else has added the correct nutritional info into their food DB.
Samsung Health – I’m using this to track my steps. It’s not hugely accurate, I’d need something like a Fitbit to get a better reading, but it does a reasonable job and syncs well with MyFitnessPal to add additional calories burnt through exercise.
Couch to 5K – Part of improving my fitness is being able to run further and longer. I’m hoping this will help. It provides incrementally tougher sessions, presented by one of a handful of coaches. I’m going for Sarah Millican. Her voice seems to work in any situation.
Strava – I like being able to record my bike rides, and this is a great way to do it.
Physical devices
Inspired by the professional game and Football Manager, I’m really keen to use data and technology to see my improvements on the pitch. Some of the things I’d like to monitor are:
- How long it takes for me to tire
- Recovery time
- Distance run
- Heat map showing where I spend the most time on the pitch
- Kicking power
- Amount of touches/passes/shots
- Use of left/right foot
While googling I came across this article where someone used a fitbit to create a heatmap, which I thought was cool. Some of the purpose-built devices I’ve seen cover some of this, and vary widely in cost, but I hope I’ll be able to try them one day.
Zepp Play Football
Requires one sensor per leg if you want to track left vs right leg use, but the cheapest option if you don’t want to. No GPS though, so it won’t do heatmaps.
C CATAPULT PLAYR Smart Football Tracker – GPS Vest with App to Track and Improve Your Game – for iPhone and Android (M)
More like what the pros use, and the price reflects that…
And away from football, and more about general fitness, there’s this:
RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale,Digital Body Weight Bathroom Scales Weighing Scale with Smart BMI Scale, Body Composition Monitors with Smartphone App
Recommended to me by a fellow Man v Fat player.
