App Helps Students Track Steps

Students and faculty may be exercising more often than they think.

They can credit RunKeeper, an Apple application that uses a GPS to track fitness activity. Apple employee Andrea Gailet said the app serves many purpose, and is worth the memory space.

“This app is free and would save you money if you wanted to buy an expensive GPS watch,” said Gailet.

“It works in the same way and is just as effective.”

This app was made free a couple months ago and its popularity has already sparked interest around campuses in Tallahassee.

Breauna Larease, fourth-year English student, said she has had the app for about a week.

“It’s amazing how much information I pick up from this app,” said Larease.

“I had no idea I even walked that much around campus, and I have classes every day of the week. This app is definitely staying on my iPod.”

Eva Gaverish, a third-year international business student at Florida State, said she was amazed at how much she’s learned from the app.

“I knew my walk to class was far, but I didn’t realize that I was walking three miles a day,” said Gaverish. “I use RunKeeper almost every day to see how many calories I burn and how long I walk.”

RunKeeper tracks the calories burned and shows a map indicating the path traveled daily. Once an activity is completed, all the information is uploaded on the app’s website and students can compare daily fitness with other people’s activity.

This app not only tracks running, but also biking and walking.

With new updates to the app, there is now an auto pause that keeps track of heart rate zones.

Jason Jacobs is the developer of the app. Jacobs said RunKeeper’s tools are just the tip of the iceberg for planned development and that much bigger things are on the way.

He said he created the app to help people who can’t afford Nike’s iPod nano-cantric tracker, which is comparable to RunKeeper.

Jacobs said the tool isn’t always used for tracking a run. Businesses also use RunKeeper to keep track of their employees to make sure the employees are always where they said they would be.

The app is not only for iPhone users. RunKeeper has recently become available for Andriod phones as well.