By NATALIA HAWK
If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the jungle regions of Mexico where there’s no iPhone reception.
You see, my worst nightmares have all come together and manifested in the form of a horrible, horrible app.
The app is called “Gym Shamer”. Basically, if you took an evil mother-in-law, a stubbed toe, a really cheap glass of wine and every other miserable experience in the world, and put them all together, you would get this app.
This douchebag of an app takes note of those optimistic gym goals you made at the beginning of the year when you were probably still drunk off champagne and sunshine. If you tell it that you want to go to the gym six times a week, it will take note. It then TRACKS YOUR GYM VISITS via Foursquare check-ins to make sure that you actually stick with your fitness goal. Your ridiculous and unattainable fitness goal (“Of COURSE I’ll take up yogalates, never miss a spin class and train for a triathon by March!”).
But wait, because it gets worse. If you slack off, Gym Shamer sends a message to ALL YOUR FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FRIENDS to tell them that you haven’t been going to the gym. All of them. Including your mum, your work colleagues, and the ex-boyfriend you’ve been meaning to delete for six months.
Top Comments
I think the best way to motivate yourself is to sign up for something (fun run, triathalon, tough mudder etc) and TRAIN HARD! If you don't, usually you'll start to train AFTER you are disappointed with your effort at said event. An even better catalyst to get you moving :)
I'm signed up to the New York Marathon this year. Have I run a marathon before? Never. The most I've run is 10km. But I'm working my butt off to get there AND raise $9,000 for Amnesty International because I know that if I fail to meet both goals I will be extremely disappointed in myself, and these are both once in a lifetime achievements that I may not have the chance to do again.
Your body is that once in a lifetime achievement. be good to it! you don't need an app for that!
Holy crap. Seriously WTF is the world coming to. I'm sure this app will do wonders for peoples mental health and especially those already experiencing disordered thoughts/disordered body image issues/eating disorders/low self esteem etc. With kids as young as 8 years old putting THEMSELVES on diets, and children getting mobile phones younger and younger.... this app truly scares me. Evilness.