"P90X, the popular hardcore home fitness program, has made a bold leap onto the iPhone with outstanding content, if not polished experience."

P90X -- short for Power 90 Extreme -- aims to get you into better shape in 90 days through a combination of traditional exercises and nutritional advice, all highly packaged, polished, and available for purchase right on your iPhone. If that sounds slightly cynical, it is. The amount of money made from people buying and never using commercial home fitness programs probably tends towards the infinite at this point. From Jane Fonda to Richard Simmons to Tony Little to Billy Blanks to Jillian Michaels to Tony Horton, the amount of video tapes (Wikipedia it!) and DVDs collecting dust on our collective shelves could fill gyms around the country. But the age of physical media is over. We have iPhones and iPads now, devices that can not only show us the latest, freshest workout trend, but unshackle us from the living room TV and let us watch them anywhere, at any time. Moreover, since our mobile devices are tied into the rest of our lives, they can remind us when to work out (calendars and task lists), and the data they collect can help us track our progress more easily than ever before (location, time, movement).

P90X has been available in DVD form for a while and so P90X for iPhone can be used in 2 ways -- as a companion to help you schedule and track your P90X DVD progress (or just your progress in general if you're already familiar with all the exercises), or in its own right if you buy the in-app purchases and watch the workout videos right on your iPhone.

P90X for iPhone does a great job getting you started, but also offers a good variety of exercises to keep you going.

The P90X app itself is $4.99 and the in-app pricing for the workouts are as follows:

• $59.99 for the all bundles
• $29.99 for bundles of workouts (chest and back, shoulders and arms, legs and back, etc.)
• $6.99 for individual workouts (plyometrics, Yoga x, Kenpo x, core synergistics, etc.)

There are both traditional fitness workouts, the bread and butter body-parts stuff, and some variety like the Yoga and Kenpo workouts. (Which shouldn't be confused with traditional holistic or martial arts, but include different enough movements to keep things fresh.)

As you might have picked up from the intro, I have a bias against these types of commercial packages. P90X, for example, litters the registered trademark (R) symbol around almost more than they do the exercises, and the app actually has you agree to terms and conditions for their content when you launch it for the first time (even movie apps don't typically do that). It makes you think the lawyers and accounts were as involved in the planning and design and the exercise and nutrition experts. That's okay. Products are supposed to make money. It's just a little to overt and, frankly, tacky in this case and makes me take them a little less seriously.

Back to the app. It's not the best user interface or user experience. It requires taps sometimes when swipes would feel better, it has tips that are helpful but not perfectly implemented, and it's heavy -- lots of video and resources -- so older devices may struggle with the load.

The content here is king, however, and there's enough really good stuff that any quibbles about tackiness and UI polish quickly fade. When you're sweating up a storm, you just need to know what to do next and how to do it. In those areas, P90X is excellent.

You can choose individual workouts in P90X for iPhone, but the real benefit comes from starting a 90-day guided program.

First time users can easily get started with a 90 day program and are immediately assigned some easing-into tasks, like taking a profile photo, inputting measurements, and taking a fitness test to establish a starting point. This data is fed into the P90X profile tab so you can make the experience feel a little more personalized, as well as view your achievements (+1 for game-ification), check your progress, and re-take the fitness test.

Once you're ready to get going, you can schedule your workouts, choosing between P90X classic, lean, or doubles, and it will push the appropriate times into the built-in calendar (but not into the main iOS calendar, at least as far as I could tell). If you exercise on your own -- spin class, hot yoga, Pilates, obstacle courses, grappling, whatever, you can add those in as well. If you use their online "Team BeachBody SuperGym", you can sync between your iPhone and the site.

All of your progress gets charted so you can hold yourself accountable to your goals. There's an option to keep a nutrition log in the app as well, but it's not very robust and while convenient to keep everything in one place, if you're serious about it you my want to try a dedicated diet app like Weight Watchers Mobile.

It wouldn't be an iOS app without a social component either, would it? Not only do you have the usual Twitter and Facebook options, but P90X even includes support for Apple's Game Center so you can share with the world and get a little peer-pressure working for you as well.

With P90X for iPhone, you can use it as a companion for the DVDs (or your existing exercise knowledge), or buy video workouts via in-app purchase.

The exercises available via in-app purchase are well presented. Much to their credit, P90X doesn't use a fitness model in a thong and a hero pose for the actual exercises, but instead a realistic trainer doing realistic training. The camera moves in and out, and around, so you can get a good idea of the movements involved. They also mention tips on proper positioning and form, though the primary goal here is fitness, not functionality, so you don't get Muscle Balance and Function focus or precision.

There are popup warnings if you try to do something like two resistance workouts in a day ("Tony would want you to back off a bit"), which is great for beginners who might try to start off too quickly only to get injured, get discouraged, and ultimately fall off course.

Better integration with the iPhone would be welcome. Having the schedule show up in the built-in Calendar app or Reminders app would be great. Tying into the GPS and clock to track activities automatically, where and when possible, would be welcome. Pretty much anything and everything that got the management out of the way so you could focus on the fitness activities should be the goal.

You can run P90X for iPhone on the iPad, but there's no universal app or specific iPad app version yet, so you're stuck in double fuzzy chunky 2x mode. If you are at home, however, thanks to AirPlay mirroring on the iPhone 4S, you can beam the content to your Apple TV and watch any in-app purchased workout videos on your big screen.

The good

• Well packaged, well planned, well presented content
• Thoughtful progression for new users
• Videos available on-device (via in-app purchase)
• Good variety of exercises

The bad

• User experience needs more polish
• Commercial nature of the program is too overt and distracts from content
• Bootcamp-style might be tough for first-timers

The conclusion

P90X is a popular fitness program that's made a bold leap onto the iPhone with outstanding content, if not polished experience. If you're already all in on P90X, the iPhone app is a great companion and will make it easier to track and keep up with your goals. If you're new to mobile health, and you're looking for something a little more hardcore than your typical TV fitness show, P90X is a great way to get started. (It may be a bit much for an absolute first timer, however, so start slowly and work your way up to P90X if it's something your want to try.)

And if you're joining us for Mobile Nations Fitness Month, and P90X is your plan of choice, jump into our Health & Fitness Forum and work out with us!

$4.99 - Download now

Nike has announced the Nike+ Fuelband which gives iPhone users in-depth information on their daily physical activity. With development assistance from the likes of Lance Armstrong, Kevin Durant and Carmelita Jeter, the Nike+ Fuelband is able to keep track of your daily physical goals using a built-in accelerometer. The user sets a daily goal in the morning, and Fuelband tracks time, steps, burned calories and more.

One aspect I like about Fuelband is the ability to gain points from more activity based on a social metric after syncing with your iPhone.

The Nike+ Fuelband will be available for $150 and pre-orders are now being taken online, however Nike hasn't disclosed an official release date.

Source: Nike+ Fuelband

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Returning to your regularly scheduled ZENandTECH, Georgia and Rene discuss the benefits of exercise and how it alleviates depression, burns away stress, helps you sleep, improves your concentration, and otherwise works wonders. Plus, some app picks to help you keep track of your progress and build good habits.

Read on for more, including our Nintendo Wii giveaway!

Topics

• The importance of aerobic exercise
• The benefits of aerobic exercise: Rapid metabolism of adrenaline and thyroxin, oxygenation of blood and brain, stimulates endorphins, decreases cholesterol, improves circulation, lowers insomnia, increases self esteem, improves concentration and memory
• How to know if you're not getting enough: Are your muscles tense? Can’t walk up a set of stairs without being out of breathe? Long recovery time after you exert yourself? Feel tired? Lethargic? Feeling depressed? Ache for days after a work out?
• Examples of aerobic exercise: Cycling, running, swimming (great if you have injuries), combat sports like grappling, vigorous sex
• Help getting motivated: Join a gym, join a team, ask a friend to start with you

Tools

• Think about how well you take care of your gadgets, how you keep them clean, protect the screens, keep them charged and updated.
• Now think about how well you take care of your most important gadget -- your body. You deserve the same level of care! More even!

Homework

• Get your heart rate up for 10 min., 5 times a week (to burn stress)
• Start slow if you're new, better to aim small and accomplish

Giveaway

to coincide with ZENandTECH 4: Exercism, we're giving away a barely used, mint-condition Nintendo Wii (we review a lot of stuff we never have a chance to use later). One lucky listener will get to work out, and have fun, with Wii Sports and a bunch of other active, exciting games.

All you have to do to enter is head on over to iTunes and give ZENandTECH a review. (We'd love 5 stars, but that's not a requirement!)

Because iTunes doesn't provide contact info, once you've posted your review, just shoot us an email at podcast@zenandtech.tv and let us know which one is yours. We won't make your email public, but we will use it to contact you if you win!

And hey, if you already have a Wii, enter anyway. You can give it to a loved on or friend, a child or grandparent, anyone who would benefit from staying healthy and having fun!

That's it! Go enter!

Tech pics

• BlackBerry: GymTechnik
• webOS: Jogstats
• iPhone: Top 5 iPhone Fitness apps
• Android: Android fitness app picks

Sponsor

This episode of ZENandTECH is brought to you by the PreCentral.net Store, your one stop shop for everything Pre, Veer, and soon... TouchPad. Combine a TouchStone with a Palm Car Charger for the ultimate in on-the-go power. You spent a lot of money on your device, protect it, keep it charged, and keep yourself happy!

Hosts

• @GeorgiaTiPb (Georgia)
• @reneritchie (Rene)

Contact

You can reach all of us @ZENandTECH, via email at podcast@zenandtech.tv, or leave a comment below!

Thanks everyone, you're the best community on the web and we love having you with us!

Please subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating, it means a lot to us!

Disclaimer

While Georgia is a therapist, she's not YOUR therapist. Everything said or implied on this show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. And shouldn't be taken in any way as a replacement for proper, professional care.

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We were scheduled to talk about exercise on ZENandTECH this week, but after suffering a death in the family, Georgia discusses the stresses and strains of major loss, and offers some tools and tips for dealing with them, including... video games. Then it's back on topic and we somehow end up on whether or not sex counts as exercise. (Listen to find out!)

Read on for more!

Topics

• Dealing with death
• The importance of exercise

Tools

• Breathing
• Work that occupies your mind but doesn't stress you, like casual video games, cleaning, knitting, etc.

Homework

• Get your heart rate up for 20 min., 4 times a week (to burn stress)
• Start slow if you're new, better to aim small and accomplish

Tech pics

• The Holmes-Rahe life stress inventory

Zen pics

• A nice hot cup of tea, or beverage of your choice. Take care of yourself.

Sponsor

This episode of ZENandTECH is brought to you by the WPCentral Store, your one stop shop for everything Windows Phone. Check out the awesome new accessories for Samsung, HTC, an dmore. You spent a lot of money on your device, protect it, keep it charged, and keep yourself happy!

Hosts

• @GeorgiaTiPb (Georgia)
• @reneritchie (Rene)

Contact

You can reach all of us @ZENandTECH, via email at podcast@zenandtech.tv, or leave a comment below!

Thanks everyone, you're the best community on the web and we love having you with us!

Please subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating, it means a lot to us!

Disclaimer

While Georgia is a therapist, she's not YOUR therapist. Everything said or implied on this show is for informational and entertainment purposes only. And shouldn't be taken in any way as a replacement for proper, professional care.

Some of us recently realized there's a whole world out there, and perhaps it'd be a good idea to visit it once in a while, and an even better idea to (gulp) exercise in it.

And so, we hug out for a few minutes at CTIA 2010 with the folks from Trimble Outdoors and their AllSport GPS app, which comes in a free, ad-supported version [iTunes Store link] and a full, $4.99 version that adds a few additional features [App Store link]. It's kind of your standard GPS trip app, but it's for athletes and out-of-shape bloggers of any age. Pick your activity, hit the start button, and it tracks your route, time -- hell, altitude, if you're flying -- and logs it all online for posterity and/or sharing on Facebook and the like.

Check out video of it in action after the break.

YouTube link

The iTunes App Store is faring well and apps are flying off the virtual shelf, but lest we forget, web apps used to be the only game in town for anything 3rd party on the iPhone (unless you jailbroke your iPhone - you rapscallion you). There is a plethora of web apps that iPhone owners use day-in and day-out. The internet is a big place, but fortunately people like Kelly Sonora are happy to share tips like www.NursingDegree.net, where writer Christina Laun has posted "iFit: 50 Coolest Fitness and Health Apps for the iPhone."

There are numerous apps listed, including categories like fitness Tracking, Calculators, Diet and Nutrition, Working Out, Relaxation and Inspiration, Medication and Diagnosis, and Miscellaneous Health. Some links may be broken, but for the most part, Christina Laun has compiled an impressive treasure trove of fitness web apps that are designed for access from the iPhone.

Check out web apps like MyNetDiary and FitReach for keeping track of your workouts, diet, and manage your weight goals. BMI Calculator and Daily Calorie Calculator can be used for approximating your Body Mass Index and the number of calories you should be ingesting each day. Food Information Database and iPhone Diet are apps you can use on your iPhone to get nutritional information from your favorite restaurants and manage your diet and monitor your nutritional intake.

With Pump10, you have access to view numerous workout videos on your iPhone; view workout videos while you are at the gym. FitSync is a good way to keep track of your workouts online and select workout programs. These are all just a few of the 50 apps listed; visit the site from your iPhone and try them out for a more healthy you!

That's it for this week's Tip.  Thanks again to Kelly Sonora for the lead and Christina Laun of www.NursingDegree.net for the article. If you have a tip of your own that you would like to share with the rest of us, please leave a Comment or you can email me at: brian.hart@tipb.com.

Disclaimer:  Tip o' the Week makes no guarantee, express or implied, that any tip found herein will be new or particularly useful to the reader (and working your iPhone's accelerometer in one hand and eating a Twinkie in the other do NOT "cancel each other out").