How to get fit for summer (and stay that way)

Summer is finally here. Okay, so it doesn’t officially start for two more weeks, but outside it sure looks like summer to me!

Time for barbecues, days at the beach/lake/park, and festivals. Or, you know, sitting in your office wondering when the $%*# somebody is finally going to invent a laptop screen that you can actually see something on outdoors, so you can enjoy the damn weather.

The sun gets people going after a long cold winter. Statistically, we tend to exercise more in the warm seasons. Anecdotal evidence certainly supports that claim. When the sun’s out I like to go on long bike rides and feel more motivated (or maybe winter is just better at killing motivation) to keep up my running schedule.

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Good weather also means tank tops, shorts and swimwear – you’ll obviously want to look your best. In case the exercise portion of our fantastic guide on how to crush your new year’s resolutions didn’t do its job and you’ve started to slip since January, there’s no time like the present to get working on that beach bod!

Check out these startups that are all about minimizing your sit and increasing your fit:

Yogaia

Yoga is supposed to be about focus and relaxation, but finding an affordable class at a convenient time can quickly turn your tantra into a tantrum. Keeping up with the current trend of having everything at our fingertips, Yogaia brings you yoga lessons in your pocket. The perfect solution to practicing your craziest, pretzel-y-est yoga moves at any time.

Mobile yoga means you can squeeze in a quick teacher-led practice anywhere. Live the classes simulate the studio experience, allowing an instructor to give you real-time feedback and instructions. The days of awkwardly craning your neck in downward dog to look at your device are over.

Lifesum

No two dieters are the same. One diet might work for one person and be a total disaster for another. Not to mention our health goals at vary over the year (and let’s face it, we only really care come summer and briefly in January). The right dieting regime for your goals can make or break a fitness plan.

Lifesum is an application that merges technology and applied psychology to give personalized nutrition plans and tips to each user. The app lets you track what you eat and how much you exercise while encouraging you the entire way towards your goal.

Fitnessant

Some people just don’t like to exercise solo. A lot of us are much more motivated to break a sweat with the threat of disappointing a coach hanging over our heads.

Fitnessant matches workout enthusiasts and fitness coaches through a community-based platform. Users can choose personal coaches for professional training advice and monitoring while personal coaches can practice their profession through their devices.

Moves

Apple Watch and Fitbit owners are quick to find out how addicting walking and cycling can be when you start tracking your every move. But there’s no need to shell out for a brand new wearable. Most of the technology those devices use are already in your phone anyways.

Moves will make you want to ditch commuting by car forever, just for that end-of-day satisfaction from seeing how active you’ve been. Walking or cycling to work can make surprising contributions to reaching your daily goals, with no need to plan extra time to hit the gym. Turns out getting places is the easiest workout there is!

Gyroscope

Arguably the most important part of getting fit is how all the parts (diet, exercise, and rest) fit together. One of these getting out of balance can be a detriment to getting the most out of your routines.

Gyroscope syncs the data from HealthKit and makes shareable cards with your most important stats every day, showing you which areas need focus. You can share your beautified data with your friends and track their progress, too. Basically, the app wants you to feel inspired, show off your efforts and live a balanced life. Anyone with a regular workout buddy knows that sometimes a little peer pressure is a good thing.

There are plenty more fitness-focused tech companies to check out over at Index.co!