Apps We Love – October 2020: Personal Fitness and Health

The pandemic has resulted in lifestyle changes for many. In addition, the focus on health has all of us thinking more about how we take care of ourselves. We thought this would be a good time to survey our CPA Practice Advisor committee and find out what they are doing to stay in healthy and in good shape. If you’re looking for a way to get started with fitness tracking, an alternative to the gym, or just some good tips on staying healthy, these suggestions will give you just the advice you need.

Michael Barton, partner at Petrow Kane Leemhuis, told us, “I’ve been using my Fitbit app more than ever since the pandemic started. From food intake to water consumed. It’s also useful how it tracks my sleep. All of that info is useful during a stressful time!”

Stacy Kildal, owner, Kildal Services, uses MapMyRide, “to track my 100+ [bicycle] miles per week and now that the weather is getting too cold to ride my fav routes, I’ll be using my Cycleops Trainer and the Streaks Workout app.”

Melisa Galasso, CEO of Galasso Learning Solutions and director, audit professional practices group, at Cherry Bekaert, said, “I use the Beachbody on Demand app. It gives me options for various exercises that can be done anywhere. I can choose between cardio, weight training, running so I never get bored. I also can also choose based on what I have available where I’m at. It’s especially great for travel so I can keep my routine. It’s been great during COVID. Plus it tracks progress which is very encouraging!”

Scott Hoppe, principal at Why Blu, recommends Strava, and so does Kevin Bong, co-founder at AuditFile. “Strava is an app for tracking exercise which incorporates social networking features,” said Bong. “It is mostly used for tracking and sharing runs, bike rides, hikes, and walks using GPS data.” (Yours truly also uses Strava!)

Donny Shimamoto, managing director at IntrapriseTechKnowlogies, told us, “I like using Aptive. It has a good mix of meditation, cardio, and weights-based training. It also lets you schedule our when you want to do stuff and you can choose from a variety of instructors and music depending on your mood for the day.”

“I love multi-tasking hacks, so I looked for a workout app that accomplishes more than one thing very quickly,” said Jackie Meyer, CEO of Meyer Tax Consulting. “I came across Splits training (freemium version) that has a daily workout, geared towards doing the splits in 30 days (fit and flexible)!”

Kristin Ingram, clinical instructor of accounting and MSAT director at University of Hartford, told us, “I’m using an app called 99 Walks. It allows you to set your personal walking goal for the month and if you meet it, they send you a bracelet with that month’s theme. It’s really motivating and the community is fantastic.”

Your priorities can change when you’re surrounded by fires in the Napa Valley. Just ask Geni Whitehouse, countess of communication at Brotemarkle, Davis & Co., and instructor at the Sonama State University Wine Business Institute. “We are pretty attached to AIRVisual out here due to recent events. I rely on Insight Timer for my mental fitness – it has guided meditations, training and music plus a timer that starts and stops with music of your choice. Other than that I check the Iphone Health app for a record of steps and other info.”

Caleb Jenkins, leader of client accounting services at RLJ Financial Services, said, “I haven’t been one to keep track of my physical exercise in the past but I recently decided to track my bicycle rides ever since I moved out on my own last month. I’ve been using MapMyRide to keep track of my distance, average speed, & calories of my bicycle rides. I love the maps produced with the routes I rode which encourages me to share them with family/friends to keep me accountable to my exercise goals. There are a lot of great settings in the app to help maximize the outcomes of my rides.”

Jennifer Wilson, partner and co-founder of ConvergenceCoaching, is well known around the profession for running marathons and generally making us all feel like we’re coming up short in the fitness department. Here are the apps she suggests:

Garmin for tracking runs and hikes – integrates with my watch
Zoom for attending virtual yoga, boot camp and Pilates (which we’ve done with our clients)
Calm for meditation (mental health)
AllTrails hiking app
Facebook – I’m the administrator of the group Papillion Area Runners (PAR) and part of many, many other running groups (local, national and international) for motivation, sharing strategies, etc.

Garrett Wagner, CEO of C3 Evolution Group, told us, “In 2020, I try and always look for a silver lining, and the increase in remote work has left more time to get out and exercise. For me, my two main go to apps are my Nike Run Club app on my apple watch for getting out for a run and then my Garmin connect app when I want to get out for a couple hours on a relaxing bike ride to really unplug and relax.”

Sandi Leyva, president of Accountant’s Accelerator, provided three suggestions for us to try:

I use the 7 Minute Workout which does not need any equipment so it can easily be done in a hotel room. It’s super efficient too.
I have an app that goes with my Polar heart monitor so I can tell when I get to my optimum heart rate.
I use AllTrails and Komoot to discover hiking trails near me so I can plan a nature hike or run and not get lost 🙂

Samantha Mansfield, founder of Samantha Mansfield, LLC, uses the Apple Fitness app. “Though this is not a new app, they have added some nice new features: more workout types, ways to change your goals through the week, see a weekly summary through the week, etc. I find the challenges they give you each month helps me to mix up my workouts, and appreciate the reminders to get moving.”

Joy Lutz, founder of Aligned CPA, said, “I love using the Noom app. This app offers daily mindset topics around exercise and weight loss. It helps you to think about the positives, and to stay committed to your goals. Using the app has helped me to move my body consistently.”

Jacquelyn Tracy is partner at Mandel & Tracy, and chair of the AICPA Women’s Initiatives Executive Committee. “My Apple watch is my first line of defense as I can track my progress throughout the day with just a glance. Plus, I love when I can see that I have closed all my rings! I am also a big fan of MyFitnessPal. The app allows me to track both my exercise and what I am eating and drinking. Many times it helps me budget my meals. When I know I am going to have a big dinner, I can plan breakfast and lunch to be something smaller or make sure I get out an move more during the day. It is very easy to use and coordinates with my Apple watch.”

David Cieslak is the executive vice president and chief cloud officer at RKL eSolutions. He has two recommendations for us:

Runkeeper – tracks my runs 3-5 mornings per week. Great way to track fitness progress (and let you know when it’s time to replace your shoes)!
7 Minute Workout – enter your fitness and motivation levels. The app then tailors and tracks a body-weight workout for you each day.

Blake Oliver, director of marketing at Jirav, told us, “The Activity app on my Apple Watch is what motivates me to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. It also tracks my heart rate, even when I’m not exercising, which is how I was able to empirically confirm that the first 2020 presidential election debate was unusually combative — my resting heart rate jumped 67% during the last hour!”

Richard Roppa-Roberts, owner of Quasar Cowboy, starts us off with a series of kudos for the Peloton app. “The Peloton app has numerous workouts and ultimate flexibility. I don’t even have a peloton, but I have recently begun using the app to find the ‘perfect’ workout for me. Sadly, not a single one of those workout routines involves cookies.”

Nick Pasquarosa, CEO of Bookkeeper360.com, agrees: “I recently got a Peloton and love that app.”

Kelly Welter, partner at Serl Keepfer Welter CPAs, chimes in: “! I completely fell in love with the Peloton app about 6 weeks ago! It is $12.99 a month for unlimited classes. They have a ton of live and recorded classes at all different levels, and multiple time lengths.” In addition, Welter added: “We are huge fans of the Meditation, Yoga, Cardio, and Strength classes. They even have kid friendly classes for families to do as a break from virtual learning at home. There are also Running, Biking, Walking, Stretching, Bootcamp, Outdoor Running, and Cycling classes. We do it on the iPad or from the phone. My homeschooled teens start every morning alternating between a 20 minute Yoga or Meditation class. They even have challenges for people to compete with others and themselves. It travels with me everywhere!!!!!”

Finally, Kacee Johnson, strategic advisor at CPA.com and founder of Blue Ocean Principles, weighed in on Peloton as well: “Peloton has been my life saver during the pandemic. It’s not just for the bike, the app has outdoor runs, yoga, strength classes that you just cast to your TV and thousands of classes to keep you active without getting bored. I can take it anywhere with me and join different challenges based on my monthly goals.”

Natasha Schamberger, CPA, CEO & president of the Kansas Society of CPAs recommends EWG’s Healthy Living App: “The most powerful tool that can determine your health journey is what’s on your fork. However, breaking down a label to know which ingredients are ok and which to avoid can feel overwhelming. The EWG’s Healthy Living App does this for you and rates food products based on nutrition, ingredient concerns and degree of processing. This app gives you more knowledge so that you can make even healthier and better choices for you and your loved ones. Eat well, live well!”

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If you would like to join the CPA Practice Advisor community and participate in surveys and requests for information, please send your name and email address to gail.perry@cpapracticeadvisor.com.

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