Readers like you keep news free for everyone.
More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.
For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.
Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie
Let's get physical
Want exercise to be more fun? These apps will help you out
Who would have thought the two could be combined?
WHETHER YOU LIKE it or not, it’s hard to deny the immediate impact Pokémon Go has on getting people out and about.
With the mechanic based around walking around your city and town, to find Pokémon, visit landmarks for items or just to hatch eggs, it has given hope for experiences that make walking (and maybe exercising) more fun.
But if the thought of catching monsters annoys you, there are other apps that combine games with physical activity.
To kick off things, you could try out Zombies, Run! (Free on iOS and Android) which uses your phone’s GPS and headphones to narrate a story about, well, you probably guessed.
Pick your distance, and follow the instructions as you collect (virtual) supplies and avoid a zombie hoard. It’s also a sim game as you use supplies to upgrade or repair your camp. The first batch of missions are free, but you will have to pay if you want additional missions.
If the thought of running isn’t for you, and you feel zombies is very 2007, then how about 7 Minute Superhero Workout (€2.99 on iOS, and €3.49 on Android). It’s from the same crowd who created Zombies, Run! but is based around exercised using weights and your own body.
The story involves you protecting Earth from invasion and to do that, you must complete exercises that activate weapons and other abilities. Better yet, it works on Chromecast and Apple TV so you can see everything on the big screen, and a camera-activated motion tracker to help count your reps.
And then there’s Fitocracy (Free on iOS and Android). For those of you who don’t need a fantasy situation to motivate themselves but would like a small push, Fitocracy works fitness routines around experience points.
Instead of a virtual character earning them, they go towards yourself as you improve your fitness. The more exercises you do, the more points you get to level up. It’s basically a fitness app (a detailed one too) with gaming element put on top of it but if you need an extra push, it can certainly help.
Read: Nintendo is bringing its classic console back for the modern generation >
Read: If you need to share a password, here are the right ways to do it >
