Twitter training

Twitter’s great for seeing what your fave celebs are up to, keeping in the loop with friends, even sussing out what your latest man interest has been doing, but getting fit? It seems more and more people are looking to Twitter to tone up.

Health and Fitness Coach Amelia Burton says, “When it comes to health and fitness, people crave education and motivation. The short micro-blogging style, means useful bite-sized tips aren’t lost in time consuming articles.”
Whether you’re new to exercise or certifiably obsessed, Twitter provides immediate info on new workouts, exercise pointers and even motivation in short, sharp bursts. So how do you get in on the action?

Follow a trainer

Celeb trainers are dishing their own tips in the Twitterverse. Trainer to The Hills’ girls Lauren Conrad and Audrina Patridge, Jarett Del Bene, tweeted at the beginning of the year, ‘Switch up your workout routine in 2011. Don’t get stuck doing the same workout you did in 2010’.

The Biggest Loser trainers Michelle Bridges and Jillian Michaels, also tweet direct tips throughout the day, which once upon a time only a select few clients would receive.
Broadcasting healthy eating tips, motivational words and responding to questions directed at them via Twitter, allows Tweeters to feel like personal clients without the $300 an hour price tag. “The nature of Twitter makes it feel as if they were your trainer. I received an email thanking me for setting up my #CrackofArse challenge (wake up at 5.45am four days a week and train), as they have done it for the past three weeks and lost 5kg,” says Burton.

Twitter Apps

Twitter is powerful at creating a community, and when it comes to fitness, community is key to staying consistent. While some fitness apps are based on accountability, others offer support, education or motivation.

@Twackit
This app helps you follow everything - including your weight. It uses your account to track measurements, which it then compiles into a chart. Just tweet your weight and a hashtag to @twackit (eg. 45#weight@twackit) and view your report at twackit.com by entering your Twitter account name and the hashtag you used.

@Twye
‘Tweet what you eat’ provides inspiration and support. Acting as a food journal, you can log what you eat, and keep tabs on meals and energy intake.

@Ugomo
This tool tracks your workout regimen and weight loss through visual graphs. Tweet your exercise routine (eg. #bike30min8.25miles@ugomo) an you'll receive personalised reports and a summary for the week.

Online support

One of the biggest battles with getting fit is time, so doing it via speedy tweets is very attractive. “Many of us are too busy to commit to regular meet-ups with a trainer, so even if we train on our own, knowing that we have followers sharing our journey can be just as motivating,” says Burton.

Along with offering an instant fan club of supporters, using Twitter also keeps you accountable; when everything is made public, there’s no lying to yourself or cutting corners. In conjunction with a healthy eating plan, these tools may just assist in losing or maintaining weight. That’s pretty tweet.

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