Are mobile phones hazardous to your health? The jury's still out on the radiation question, but certainly sitting and staring at a screen all day -- even a tiny one -- can't be very good for you.
It's not that tough to turn your iPhone into your own personal gym and fitness instructor, however, and get your health and fitness back on track.
iPedometer & iPedometer Pro
Walking's a key exercise; anyone can do it, it's free and it's also very good for strengthening your core muscle groups to combat back pain. iPedometer Lite (Free) and iPedometer Pro ($1.19) use your iPhone's accelerometer to give you a walk count for each trip you make. Like most pedometers the accuracy will vary depending on where you place it and thus the number of "shakes" it gets per step.
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| iPedometer: Right. That's enough exercise for now. |
Not that into walking and more into working out? You're spoilt for choice, although not quite so spoilt as to have an App that'll actually do the exercise for you. The best part though is that most fitness apps have a free "Lite" version so you can work out if their workouts work out well for you.
THI Personal Trainer Lite|
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| THI Personal Trainer: We're tired just reading this. Phew. That counts -- right? |
THI Personal Trainer Lite (Free) and THI Personal Trainer $1.19 don't feature screaming sports instructors, but instead detailed instructions on how to perform set exercises along with video demonstrations.
iWorkoutLite
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| iWorkout: Doesn't look much like Superman to us. |
iWorkoutLite (Free) and iWorkout ($3.99) provides workout videos, an inbuilt pedometer and even a metronome so you can time your exercises to the beat.
OnTheGo Pilates Lite
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| OnTheGo Pilates Lite: Crunching yourself up while holding your iPhone might be something of a challenge |
If you're more into Germanic postural exercises, OnTheGo Pilates Lite (Free) and OnTheGo: Pilates Level 1 ($2.49) should amply meet your core strengthening needs with a variety of
WiScale App
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| WiScale: Weight, BMI and Fat Mass are yours for free -- but the associated scale certainly isn't... |
And finally, ever wanted to weigh yourself with your iPhone? Well, you can't. Stand on your iPhone's screen and all you'll end up with is an expensive repair bill and shards of glass in your heels. What you can do if you've already spent a rather exorbitant $249 on Withing's WiFi Weight scale is use the WiScale App Free to chart your daily weight progress.
Also in this series, Amazing apps for your phone:
Part 12: Christmas Apps
Part 11: Religious Texts
Part 10: Let the music play!
Part 9: 6 of the best augmented reality apps
Part 8: Tick Tock, Tick Tock - Ten Time Telling Apps
Part 7: Score a shopping bargain
Part 6: Photography apps
Part 5: Get from A to B on public transport
Part 4: What's the weather like out there?
Part 3: Top 3 twitter clients for iPhone
Part 2: Here's how to get cheap iPhone apps
Part 1: How to make the most out of your iPhone's GPS
Buying an iPhone? Compare up to date plans from all major carriers with our mobile phone plan finder, and if you're after an iPhone, then check out the iPhone buyers guide.