RunKeeper Unveils The Healthy Button and Bookmarklet

RunKeeper unveils “the healthy button” to share fitness content online

Who knew the Internet could help us be healthier? With a plethora of knowledge at our fingertips, and a range of health and fitness related apps that make keeping track of our health relatively easy, improved health and wellness is a welcomed by product of the digital age.

Since its launch 3 years ago, RunKeeper has attracted a massive userbase, helping 6 million+ fitness enthusiasts keep track of their miles, time and calories burned on iOS, Android and Windows devices. With its new “Health Graph” platform, RunKeeper integrates with modern fitness devices Fitbit and Zeo, Withings‘ Wi-Fi body scale, as well as heart rate transmitters from Polar and Wahoo Fitness and Garmin watches.

Today, RunKeeper introduces the Healthy button and the Healthy button bookmarklet, which allow people to share health and fitness content from across the web selectively, with friends who care about the same types of articles, rather that with everyone in their network. If the Healthy button looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s already been popping up on RunKeeper’s platform and acts much like the “Like” button does on Facebook.

For its launch, RunKeeper has partnered with a number of companies and sites including Greatist, a blog we highlighted in our piece “How to: Take Control of Your Health in 2012.” In addition, RunKeeper has partnered with GE’s Healthymagination; Spry Living, a healthy lifestyle blog; MeYouHealth, a social well-being company; and two brands, PowerBar and Stonyfield.

To use the button, look for the Healthy button on your favorite health and fitness sites, click on it, and a summary of the healthy item will appear in your RunKeeper FitnessFeed.

If you don’t see the Healthy button yet on a website you love, you can still share your favorite articles using the Healthy Bookmarklet. Then, when you find a healthy item online, click the Healthy button bookmarklet and the article will post to your FitnessFeed.

RunKeeper is bringing up an interesting question with its insular, fitness-focused social network. Should we keep our health and fitness separate from the Orwellian Facebook Timeline? Personally, I keep track of all my fitness on RunKeeper, including my daily weight measurements, which is one thing I’d like to keep separate from my Facebook friends’ newsfeeds.

What do you think? Do you want a separate social network to share your health and fitness related activities?

Aaron Amat via shutterstock

Story by Courtney Boyd Myers

Courtney Boyd Myers is the founder of audience.io, a transatlantic company designed to help New York and London based technology startups gr (show all) Courtney Boyd Myers is the founder of audience.io, a transatlantic company designed to help New York and London based technology startups grow internationally. Previously, she was the Features Editor and East Coast Editor of TNW covering New York City startups and digital innovation. She loves magnets + reading on a Kindle. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter @CBM and Google +.