Time to Run Across America!?!
Have you ever felt like giving yourself a challenge in life to help you achieve your health and fitness goals? How about running across the USA? Before you stop reading and think that I have gone mad, please just give me a second to explain.
Over the last few weeks I have been spending my free time using a website called amerathonclub.com and with this name I think you can probably see the link between my “crazy” idea and the website. Naturally, neither I nor the Amerathon Club expect you to run the width of America in one go. However Amerathon Club do ask you to step up to take the challenge and I have to say it is very addictive and a great way to help you get motivated about exercise.
The Amerathon Club offers the following:
BMI calculator
This will let you know if you are considered overweight for your height and whilst this is probably the closest that websites can come to helping you assess your physical condition, it is surrounded by controversy about how accurate the method is. I wrote a small article on the topic here.
Calorie Counter and Food Log
There is an extensive food database on this website and it allows you to record your daily intake of not just calories but fats, proteins and carbohydrates to name a few. This I particularly like as calories on their own only give a small picture of what is really happening in your diet. This calorie counter can send your chosen food to your food log where you can record what you have actually eaten through your time using the website. Sometimes we probably would rather ignore what we are eating so this is very beneficial as when you have seen it logged it can help you take action. After all who takes action on situations that they are not aware of? In my opinion it is a very good system, however it would have been nice to see the calorie counter and food log as one program rather than the two as it works one way, from calorie counter to food log, but not the other way so well.
Fitness Forum
A place where you can meet other members and chat about your goals and achievements and anything else that may cross your mind. Forums have been around for a long time and whilst it brings you in contact with others it is not very web 2.0. Nevertheless it does the job and brings members together.
Virtual Journey
Now in my opinion (of which we get a lot on this website – Beeble) this is the best bit of Amerathon Club. The virtual journey consists of a log to record all your physical activity whether it be running, walking, cycling or any other activity including sport; add your effort and time spent doing the activity and the program will translate this as distance of your journey across America. If you think it stops there it doesn’t; as you reach landmarks you get a history lesson (much more interesting than it sounds – Beeble), motivating comments from the “Fitness Bug” and a Geography lesson thrown in.
During your journey you are also able to jot down your feelings and progress in the personal journal which is very important as you get a true feeling of yourself as a whole. You can also look back and see how you have progressed. From my experience exercise gives us a more optimistic outlook on life and when you look back on your journal you should be able to see how negative you used to be.
Thrown in for good measure is a calendar so that you can see what you have done but also, more importantly, set yourself goals for you to achieve by a certain timescale.
Last but not least you have a map that tracks your journey across the USA and shows you where you are and, of course, how far you have to travel to reach the final goal.
Summary
This is a great website that is aimed squarely at the exercising novice and we have all been there! I found it interactive and motivating and that is the key to any fitness journey. So few websites are able to tackle the motivational side of the journey, so it is nice to see that someone has at last tackled this. I would recommend this for schools and colleges as you can join as a group and even go up against other local schools or just keep it in-house. With obesity so prevalent with children of all ages and nationalities it would be a fun way to encourage them to engage in more physical activity. It would also be good to see office workers take part: get off their chairs and start walking to work (where possible – Beeble) and adding physical activity into their daily lives. It’s not the best website at everything it features, but it is well constructed and it is fun and that is something it does very well and much better than other competing websites.
Let us know what you think of it by leaving a comment. If you decide to give it a go good luck with it and remember enjoy it, exercise can be fun!
