Fitness, you say? There’s an app for that.

Hook your love of fitness into your love of smartphones and download yourself an app to boost your workouts. Kick start with the simple and popular – Nike+ GPS. It clocks the number of miles you’ve run and tracks a map for you to look at. No need to enter directions – this app plots your progress as you run. Or there’s the ThinQ Fitness app, with dozens upon dozens of fitness videos for you to peruse, free. If you’re keeping track of your diet, Tap & Track Calorie Counter is your best bet: for £2.49 it keeps track of calories eaten, calories burned, intake levels of carb, protein, fat, fibre, sodium, sugar and more, and sets you weight goals and diet plans. What’s more, it’s easy to personalise – you can add food and recipes, and the app boasts a database of 180 exercises to help you keep your fitness level.

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Tap & Track Calorie Counter

What are your favourite fitness apps?

Whether it’s the wet stuff you’re into (sailing, swimming, diving, rowing or waterpolo – invented as an aquatic form of rugby), the awe-inspiring flexible strength of the world’s greatest gymnasts, the sleek power of the cyclists or the bulk, brute strength of the weightlifters and wrestlers, there is something for everybody. And the triathlon (which we at Total Fitness Music are fond of ourselves) combines three in one for those who really do like a bit of everything!

Our Great British hopefuls include Jessica Ennis, Britain’s dream heptathlete and former World Heptathlon Champion, who currently holds the titles of European Heptathlon and World Indoor Pentathlon Champion.

Jessica Ennis

Tom Daley, the 17 year old 2009 World Champion (he was 15 at the time), also scooped two golds at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and last year racked up two golds and a bronze for synchronised diving in British and World championships, along with a handful of silver medals for events across the globe.

Our other top chances are Chris Hoy, triple Olympic Gold swimmer and three times world champion and Gemma Spofforth, 2009 World Champion for 100m backstroke.

Tom Daley

Who are your favourites to win? What do you think of Great Britain’s chances at gold this year? Could Tom or Jessica bring it home for us, on English soil?

Total Workout: Running Classics Gold
Strip off that excess chocolate to golden oldies on this vintage mix! Includes classic hits like ‘You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record)’, ‘Chariots Of Fire’, ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and ‘We Are Family’.

Total Workout: Pumping Mix Vol. 2
The latest installment in our Total Workout: Pumping Mix series, following the popular Total Workout Pumping Mix Vol. 1. Features all of your favourite tunes from 2011 including ‘Someone Like You’, ‘A Team’ and ‘Bounce’.

Total Workout: Classic Disco 3
Get in shape to some classic disco grooves expertly mixed into a 60 minute variable tempo 32 count mix, with a bpm range of 108 – 135 – 125. Great for classes too!

Tribute To Abba Workout
13 classic Abba hits synced into one smooth running mix for seamless, nostalgic running fun! Includes a non-stop workout mix and the thirteen hits as separate tracks. Only £5.99 on iTunes!

Total Workout: Cardio 2
The sequel to our highly popular Total Workout Cardio Fat Burn, Total Workout Cardio 2 features superstar hits from the clubs and charts guaranteed to get your on your feet and sweating in no time. The inspirational lyrics coupled with the pumping bass lines and feel-good tunes are sure to boost your workout!

Total Workout: Club Anthems 2
A non-stop pumping mix of the greatest, latest club anthems, including stellar tracks Rolling In The Deep, Swagger Jagger, Price Tag and Louder. You’ll be hitting ‘louder’ on your iPod as this mix powers you through your workout!

All our workout mixes are available on iTunes, Spotify and Amazon, so follow the links above to find out more and get your body pumped and ready for an unbeatable 2012!

£2.49

The Zest Workout Mix Vol. 1

Runner’s World Playlist No. 2 : Rock N Run 

Runner’s World Playlist No. 3 : Pop Mix Power Run

Men’s Health Playlist Vol. 2: VO2 Max Mixed by Tom Middleton

£3.49

Runner’s World Playlist No. 1 : Running Classics (Extended Run)

The Zest Workout Vol. 2 : Summer Bikini Body

Men’s Health Playlist Workout Vol. 6 : 10K Stamina Mixed by Chicane

Men’s Health Workout Playlist No. 8 : Endurance Kick Mixed By Judge Jules

Men’s Health Workout Playlist No. 9 : Strength & Power Sessions Mixed By Huw Stephens

Like what you hear? Hit share on Spotify to let your friends know!

Running while pregnant is by no means uncommon: American Amber Miller was in the news recently for completing October’s Chicago Marathon in six and half hours – the same day she gave birth to daughter June. Amber, a veteran marathon runner, kept up her training throughout both of her pregnancies, with the support of her husband Joe. But many female runners are uncertain as to the effects upon their body, their health and above all, the safety of their child.

Emily Antcliffe, young mother-of-one, is a keen long distance runner, who ran four miles the day of daughter Ellen’s birth, and competed in a 10k, two cross countries and a half-marathon during her pregnancy. She says running actively helped her through the pregnancy.

“I found it a really good way to escape and exercise actually helped with the morning sickness and tiredness in the first few months,” she says. “Ellen engaged really early which the midwife thinks is due to my running and consequently helped with labour. My labour was only 4 hours from start to finish and my running almost certainly helped with that.”

In the third trimester, hormones are released to make your joints more pliable and supple than usual, along with a shifted centre of gravity. This can affect the running gait, making it shorter and with less elasticity. Emily says she was able to keep up her regular training for the first two trimesters, but recommends toning down your training in the latter stages of pregnancy.

“Don’t train intensively after 24 weeks (maybe even 20 weeks) – keep running but do so at a slower pace with less pressure on yourself,” she says. “[My midwife] suggested I could run till at least 24 weeks and implied I would know when the time had come to stop.  I didn’t listen to my body very well and at a training session at nearly 27 weeks I had a sore back but kept running.  Turns out I had pulled a muscle that in turn pulled on my sciatic nerve.  Ouch! It was linked to the fact that from 24 weeks your ligaments start to soften and stretch and I pushed them too hard!”

Other changes to your body mean your lungs have less space to expand, making it harder to breathe. Be prepared for more breathlessness and pace yourself accordingly. Lots of water, soft surfaces and stretching well eases the pressure on your joints and keeps your body hydrated. Eating well before and after runs is also important – your little ‘un needs as many nutrients as he or she can get, and you need to keep feeding yourself and child as you expend energy.

 The most important thing is to listen to your body as it changes, and pay attention when it tells you to cool down. Body temperature has the most effect on a developing foetus, so it’s important you don’t overheat.

Emily says the most difficult thing was not the exercise or adapting to a new training regime: it was the negative response from those who thought she should stop training.

“I found the attitudes of family and friends the hardest to deal with.  Some people’s comments made me feel guilty – like I was damaging my baby by running – but because my midwife, coach and husband were so supportive I felt able to keep going and over time others seemed to accept it.  At one point my boss even had a go at me for going for a run!” Fellow runners, on the other hand, seemed behind her. “I got some odd looks in the latter stages but other runners were always really supportive – even as I overtook them!”

So don’t hang up your running shoes just yet; get your kids started early and start running for two!

Perhaps more usefully, it’s also a great way to get fit.

It’s common knowledge that here at Total Fitness Music we love exercise and music. You already know that working out to music cuts perceived effort by 10%, increases motivation and thus improves performance. That’s why we love creating workout mixes for ourselves and you to work out to. We know you stick them on your iPod when you go for a run (we do too!) – but have you ever tried sticking them on your speaker system and turning your workout into a dance-off?

Its main focus is on core strength, and it incorporates elements of balance, flexibility and stamina. The muscles you use for dance are trained through power, meaning it builds muscle without bulk (so you can wear your sexiest dress without fear of bicep bulges), forming a strong, toned, slim body. And alongside the yoga-style stamina and core strength needed, it’s a fast-paced cardio workout.

“Doing a dance class is like doing a circuit training class or a cardio class,” says Joseph Landreth-Smith, a professional dancer for Abercrombie. “It’s intense exercise that involves your whole body, at an upbeat, fast pace.”

Furthermore, because you’re working out to music and concentrating on getting the dance moves smooth and in time, your focus remains on the fun of the movement rather than the effort you’re making. Which means you work out harder, without noticing.

“You can’t see on a screen in front of you how many calories you’ve burned or how much effort you’ve expended,” says Landreth-Smith, “So it gets to the end of the session and you’re amazed to realise what an intense workout you’ve done.”

Another great benefit to dancing is its social side. Instead of zoning out into your own world as you pound the treadmill by yourself, you can dance, laugh, and get fit with friends in a fun, social environment. It’s a great way to meet people and build community, and if you find it hard maintaining motivation when you’re working out alone, taking a dance class may be the solution to save your workouts. It’s guaranteed to be the only workout that you’ll want to break out into on a Friday night in the club!

The latest craze in the dance workout world is Zumba, a combination of aerobics and samba. The Zumba concept is letting the music move you, and getting carried away in the beat as you dance. Check out a local class, or for the quick and easy way to get started, simply head over to the Total Fitness Music website now to download an album with your favourite songs!

So why do we dehydrate? Exercise produces heat. Our bodies cool themselves down by a combination of vasodilation (blood vessels swelling up and rising near the surface of the skin, where the outside air can cool the blood) and sweating. When sweat evaporates from our skin, the skin cools down; but we also, of course, lose water.

Exercising in heat results in more sweat, with short bursts of intense exercise on a hot day dehydrating you of 2-3 litres an hour; but even on a cool day of 10°C, a runner at 6 mph will lose 1.2 litres in sweat.

For runners, drinking too much can cause excessive discomfort, which can lead some runners to drink far less than needed. Another reason runners drink less water than other athletes is the belief that the time taken to stop and drink will not be recovered. But bear in mind that dehydration strongly impacts performance and you cannot afford not to rehydrate.

The average runner intakes 500 ml/hour and dehydrate at a rate of 500-1000 ml/hour. If drinking causes too much discomfort when running, it is important to drink more after exercising, to make sure your body’s H20 levels are back up to a healthy level.

The album’s due out September 5th – so get yourself ready for what is going to be one killer of a record!

Last Saturday Team TFM took to the city to compete in the event, finishing with an exciting 2.58.52 total. Natalie McCain embraced the balmy Thames swim leg, Micheelle Smyth got in gear for the cycle race, and Dave Lambert hit the streets to pound out the last leg of the event, the run.

We did it in order to raise money for Huntington’s Disease, a charity close to our hearts as we personally know people affected and want to help however we can. Thanks to your marvellous generosity we managed to hit our £500 target, which with the addition of Gift Aid brings the total raised to £640. Great big thanks go out to all you amazing people who helped us reach that total!

It was a long, hot day but we were incredibly pleased with our times and we’re definitely up for doing it again! Check out our finishing video!