FBG-Approved Online Fitness Tools

Jenn and I have a long and growing list of our favorite online fitness tools. Lucky for you, we also have a strict policy not to keep our faves to ourselves. And although old-fashioned pen and paper is a perfectly suitable way to track your workouts and nutrition, it’s way more fun to track them on these websites. Plus, they’re great sites to hit when you need a break at work, and they're great for helping you stay on track. Not that we’re approving surfing on the job…but for these sites, we are. Healthier employees are more productive, right?

PEERtrainer
One of Jenn’s fave go-to sites, PEERtrainer allows you to journal daily activity and food intake along with joining groups of people with similar goals for accountability. There’s something about other people knowing when you skip five days of working out to make you get your rear in gear. If you’re looking to join a team, join us on the Fit Bottomed Girls group. Plus, if you’re looking for a real kick in the pants, PEERtrainer is offering a 12-week coaching program that will give you tools to succeed in your healthy eating and exercise goals. It’s not free after the two-week trial, but making an investment in yourself might give you the push you need.

Map My Run
Save some gas and stop hopping in the car to drive your runs. Hit up MapMyRun.com to make checking the distance of your runs or walks a breeze. All you have to do is enter your address, and then simply click on your path to map it. It’s much more accurate than a simple Google map search because you can take your runs off the beaten path. You can also search for runs in your area to find new places to explore.

FitDay
FitDay is one of the best sites we’ve come across for tracking food and nutrition. This free site allows you to enter your daily foods, moods and exercise, and make journal entries. It also provides nutrition information on an obscene amount of foods, and it even breaks down carbs, fat and protein intake into handy graphs.

Life Fitness Virtual Trainer
Designed to link exercisers and equipment, the Life Fitness Virtual Trainer website recommends individual workout plans and tracks exercise progress. Users can store data on a USB device, and then the website organizes and stores workout results, making it easy to track progress. The system has also introduced a buddies feature that lets you create and share workout programs with friends and family. The more the merrier!

SparkPeople
SparkPeople’s mission is to spur everyday people into action and improve their health. This free site advocates transitioning from a diet mindset to a permanent healthy lifestyle. The site has the community aspect, allowing you to talk on message boards and join teams, as well as tons of nutrition, fitness and health content.

GoodFoodNearYou
Pop in your zip code and GoodFoodNearYou will bring up the healthiest food options in your neighborhood. From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly chains, but the site includes smaller chains, as well as local favorites. The site compiles the info in one spot so you don’t have to go searching endless restaurant websites for hard-to-find nutrition info. A great site to steer you in the right direction for healthy eating in your neighborhood.

Got your own web faves? Share them with us in the comments! —Erin

Want more snazzy workout ideas? Check out the Power Plate or the Treadwall.

Photo grabbed from Tim Morgan on Flickr.