Workout for Women: Home Fit 4+

I love the layout and approach of this app. I’m just starting with the beginner level since I’m out of shape and coming back postpartum. There are multiple workout options to choose from (prenatal, postpartum, senior, beginner, yoga, etc.) looks like you can select a different type of workout any time or select a “program” for it to plan a daily workout for you. At the beginner level it gives me 4 mini workouts each day to choose from and includes a little motivational quote. They are typically between 8-20 min each. (You can do as little or as much as you’d like). Pairs the workout with music or gives options to link to other music apps or silence it so you can play your own. Shows a little animation of each exercise so I can see what I’m supposed to be doing if it’s one I’m less familiar with. Gives countdown warnings before rest interval and switching to the next exercise. In the settings you can adjust the audio on/off to customize. Been just what I need to get going to push myself to start and so far the workouts have been great for toning but haven’t felt too hard to make me feel overwhelmed in starting (beginner level). And since they’re broken down to small pieces I feel much more encouraged to start as a busy working mom because I can sneak in 8 minutes of quick workout time even with the baby crawling around. So affordable also! I got a “discount” price of $30 for the year subscription. Totally worth it. Highly recommend.

Before the shelter-in-pace, I was going to gentle exercise classes for seniors at the Y. Most of the exercise apps I looked at seemed geared towards people without any of my limitations, or offered very few routines geared only towards seniors. This one is a revelation. I LOVE the wake up stretches workout: who knew you could exercise ON YOUR BED? That allows me to do much more than I could do at the Y, and I can feel how good each stretch is for keeping my muscles in shape. The app has a wide range of workouts (all FREE, with very brief ads) to work on different muscle groups, both stretches and cardio. Clean and useful layout, easy to search. Each workout shows a list of exercises, with clean sketches and links to short videos. When you start, a voice guides you through the timing for each exercise, counting down to start and stop and announcing when you’re halfway through. You can customize the sound to turn off any of these voice features and/or background music. I love that I can choose workouts for my current ability, and see the details of what else I may be able to do as I get stronger. I love that I can follow a good pace, without watching a video that might get boring. I love that the illustrations use simple female figures, so that I don’t focus on body type. I would encourage anyone to give this a chance. If you want an exercise app that doesn’t focus on women, look at the other apps from the same developer.

For the longest time, I had trouble getting a consistent workout in. I work 60 to 80 hours in any given week, so working out became on the back burner of my priorities. This app has honestly changed all of that for me. I can’t reason my way out of not having seven minutes to dedicate to myself every day. You don’t get bored because the workouts change every 30 seconds. You can go at your own pace; but I find this system gives you the incentive to push harder. Most times, after the daily 7, I get pumped and do more workouts. Once you get the 8 minutes apart of your routine, it’s much easier to turn it into 15 or 30! The music helps pump you up, except for the yoga ones which help you zone in more. And the boot camps give you a short term goal to meet. I’m not a bot I swear; I just have told everyone I know to download it since I’ve started with it. Try this app, even to add to your routine! You won’t regret it!

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I wish there was a way to connect with friends, like on Facebook, and challenge them. I know some people who like the app, but need even a little more encouragement. If we could see each see when our friends do workouts, send encouragement, maybe even challenge each other to streaks, or do boot camps together for badges, that would be really cool. I’m sure more people I know would get into it if that were the case.