It’s Sunday – you’ve just come home from the gym, a busy workweek is looming and you’re staring at a blank grocery list. Should you opt for takeout, or should you ask ChatGPT to throw together a grocery list?
You’re a first-time marathon runner. You’re unsure if you should run two or 10 miles tomorrow, you’ve read all of the advice articles on Runner’s World, and you’re looking for more advice. Should you turn to AI?
As the world of artificial intelligence rapidly expands, AI has become a popular resource for health advice. While AI is a free resource with an endless stream of information, it is important to not confuse its split-second answers with those of a certified nutritionist. AI can be a valuable tool in achieving your fitness goals; however, it is crucial to know the best ways to utilize it.
Personalized fitness programs
Jirapongl/Adobe Stock
Prioritizing fitness isn’t easy, and knowing how is even harder. Since ChatGPT’s launch in 2022, users have turned to AI for personalized training programs and meal plans focused on meeting goals and maintaining motivation.
The days of searching the internet for generic 20-minute ab workouts are over. AI can now help create a personalized training plan tailored to your fitness goals, current ability, body type and other key factors.
There is a range of apps to choose from, such as Fitbod, Freeletics and Nike Training Club, which use machine learning algorithms to formulate personalized routines that evolve as your performance improves.
A huge advantage of these apps is their ability to process data in real time and adjust plans accordingly. To do this, apps connect with smart devices such as watches and heart rate monitors to track fitness metrics, including calories burned, heart rate, step count, sleep patterns and general workout intensity. If your sleep routine is off or you over-exerted yourself during a workout, this data will be collected and used to adjust your next few workouts accordingly.
AI also works to enhance motivation and maintain engagement through gamified features, reminders and progress tracking tools. Some apps offer virtual coaches to answer questions, offer feedback and provide positive reinforcement throughout your plan.
AI Fitness Tools
Fitbod
Fitbod
- Fitbod: This AI-driven app is a great option for anyone looking to increase their general fitness. The app creates strength-training workouts personalized to your fitness goals, taking into account equipment availability and recovery tendencies when crafting plans.
Suited for: those looking to improve overall fitness and lifters with access to weights
Limitations: requires a subscription for long-term use
- Nike Training Club: Users are granted free access to a range of workouts through Nike, from yoga to high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Workouts are on-demand and catered to your goals and fitness level.
Suited for: those seeking guided instruction without equipment
Limitations: lack of personalized recommendations or feedback
Runna
Runna
- Freeletics: For those who prefer to skip the weights, Freeletics offers a library full of bodyweight workouts that can all be done at home.
Suited for: home workout enthusiasts and beginners
Limitations: most personalized features require payment
- Runna: For those looking to try their first 5K or improve their running endurance, this app offers personalized running training plans. It also acts as a virtual running coach, providing workouts that take into account your goals, experience and schedule.
Suited for: runners training for races or building endurance
Limitations: requires subscription after trial for full access, limited cross-training guidance
Limitations to consider:
Although AI offers dynamic ways to meet your fitness goals, it should not be viewed as a replacement for certified fitness coaches and nutrition professionals. There are several factors to consider if you are opting for a digital coach.
- Accuracy: Many AI tools boast personalized plans, but ultimately, recommendations are still based on data patterns. Data can be inaccurate, which can lead to inaccurate recommendations.
- Emotional negligence: As real as chatbots may feel, they cannot understand human emotion. A personal trainer can sense mental barriers and adjust training plans accordingly.
- Safety: Even the most advanced AI trainers cannot correct your form in real time or recognize when a workout might be unsafe. Poor technique or pushing too hard can lead to overuse injuries, joint strain and muscle imbalances, issues a real trainer is better equipped to help prevent.
- Data privacy: Allowing AI-based fitness apps to create tailored plans means sharing sensitive health and personal data. There are risks of how your information is stored and used and a potential for inaccurate health recommendations.
Your digital sous chef
Fitness is much more than lifting weights and burning calories. Without proper nutrition, even the most intense workout regimen will fail. Meal planning and prepping are beneficial to prioritizing nutrition, and AI can aid with this process.
Apps such as MyFitnessPal and Lumen use AI to analyze dietary habits, exercise and metabolic rate to formulate personalized meal plans and recipes. This negates the need to search for recipes and calculate nutritional content.
While you build your grocery list, AI can also give insight into new recipes you may not have tried before, making healthy eating exciting and fresh. In addition to variety, you can tailor your grocery lists to stick within certain budgets to help limit food waste.
Many of these apps use tools such as barcode scanning, photo recognition and extensive food databases to make tracking meals quick and efficient, helping users monitor their progress more easily. Some even include hydration reminders and sleep recommendations to coincide with meal plans.
AI Nutrition Tools:
Lumen
Lumen
- MyFitnessPal: This app tracks calories, macros and micronutrients through an extensive food database to guide eating habits. Users simply input their daily intake, and they will be given suggestions of how to maintain or improve their nutrition in order to meet their goals.
Suited for: those who want to understand their eating habits and follow a macro-based approach
Limitations: Free version includes ads, AI insights are limited without a premium
- Lumen: Lumen pairs with a handheld device to measure your metabolism and provides personalized nutrition and exercise guidance based on your body’s fuel usage.
Suited for: users focusing on metabolism and fat loss
Limitations: a device is required, and may not be suitable for all diets
Limitations to consider:
Just as with fitness, seeking nutritional advice through AI comes with a warning sign. AI is not a certified nutritionist, so it is important to review its recommendations as you curate your nutrition plan.
- Simplicity: Nutrition science is complex, and AI creates recommendations based on general research data, rather than considering behavioral, psychological and environmental aspects.
- Accuracy: AI sometimes relies on outdated food databases or misreads user input, which may result in inaccurate calorie or nutrient recommendations.
- Promoting disordered eating: Consistent tracking of food and calorie intake can promote an unhealthy relationship with food, leading to harmful disordered eating habits.
- Culture and lifestyle awareness: AI often does not factor in socioeconomic access to food, diverse eating habits or cultural traditions, sometimes leading to generic or unrealistic meal plans.
- Dietary restrictions: Most apps aren’t designed to account for food allergies, intolerances, chronic health conditions such as diabetes or individual metabolic differences.
Should you use it?
AI is a powerful tool for those seeking convenient and accessible support for health goals. From custom workouts to grocery lists, AI-based apps and sites can simplify steps and motivate users to stick to their goals. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more seamless integration between AI tools and expert-led guidance.
However, no matter how advanced AI becomes in the future, it will never replace the expert guidance of trained professionals. Certified trainers and dietitians offer personalized guidance that AI can’t match, factoring in things such as form, burnout, mental health and medical history.
The key is learning how to implement both resources. By combining the efficiency of AI with the expertise of trained professionals, you can craft a plan that is both realistic and personalized.
Megan Brokamp is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mbrokamp@cityscenemediagroup.com.
