WEBVTT

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(repetitive music imitating a game app)

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(Molly Wood) Fitness is a big trend 
in gadgets and apps right now.

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But if you're trying to get in shape,

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can a fitness app, and maybe 
a calorie counter do the job?

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Or should you go old school 
and get a real personal trainer?

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I decided to find out.

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(exercising music)

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I'm launching a month-long 
fitness challenge,

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comparing an app called Fitstar, 
which does personal training,

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and counting my calories 
with MyFitnessPal

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Going up against Fitstar is Alison.

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She's a personal trainer
with multiple certifications,

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and she'll also help me create
a nutrition plan.

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I'll evaluate which trainer keeps me 
most motivated, accountable,

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and which works best for me 
in the long run --

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and of course, 
which one kicks my butt the most.

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(exercising music)

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(Alison Roessler) I never do 
two workouts twice

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and I'm always constantly changing

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the different things 
that I throw at my clients,

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the different stresses 
that I throw at them

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throughout exercises,
because really, it'll get boring

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and it's not sustainable
if there's not enough variety.

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(Journalist pants; 
Alison says something inaudible)

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(Journalist) Alison seemed overwhelming
at first.

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Her workouts were really scary,

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and she sent me home 
with tons of cardio homework

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and this long food journal 
that was in a spreadsheet.

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Plus, each session with her
is 100 bucks.

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Not sure I'm going to be able 
to keep that up.

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So I just finished my first full session
with Alison

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and I'm sweaty and starving,

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and I've definitely underestimated
how hard that workout was going to be:

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it was fantastic, but I'll clearly have
to up my game with Fitstar

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because Tony Gonzalez is no Alison

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(Tony) Reverse shoulder-up

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(Molly) Fitstar was easy and 
convenient from the get-go.

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The app is free or $40 a year.

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I chose the pay version 
to get more work-outs

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but I loved that you can do it anywhere:
no gear required.

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That is sustainable

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(Dave Grijalva) It' like in a workout DVD
and the experience is very similar to that

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but different every time,

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and it's different in the way that 
it actually adapts to you.

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We wanted the experience to feel authentic
and feel real,

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and we wanted to put real people on 
the screen,

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and having Tony's personnality 
that really helps a lot.

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(Tony) Good job.

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(Molly) I like how the workouts 
include a variety of strength and cardio

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and you can specify your fitness level
and rate each exercise

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in terms of how hard it is.

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I found that Fitstar did progress over time,

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but it didn't really push me as hard
as Alison did,

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and even though it reminds me to work out,
it's still kind of easy to skip --

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like, I totally ignored it 
when I went on a vacation.

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Even though I kind of dreaded 
my workouts with Alison,

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I did not miss a single one.

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Plus, she was able to modify 
those workouts

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for this kind of nagging foot injury 
that I have and that was great.

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She also held me very accountable
for my food, my sleep and my stress.

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(Alison) I don't think that an app
can take the place of human interaction.

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I think that they can be positive
pieces of the puzzle,

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but I don't think that it's going 
to ever replace

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working with a trainer 1 on 1.

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(Dave) You know, personal 
trainers provide a lot of things

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that are really hard to do with software.

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And so, what we're trying to do is 
provide that type of an experience,

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in a way that's accessible to everyone,
and really convenient.

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(Molly) When I started 
this challenge,

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I hadn't really worked out 
in about a year.

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So if I were just getting started 
with only Fitstar and MyFitnessPal

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I would see progress, but I might be slow
and I could get frustrated and give up.

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Alison was definitly a huge jump-start
in terms of getting back in shape,

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but one month with her was $400.

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Ouch!

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And ultimately, sticking 
with the workout plan

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is about creating good habits.

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So while Alison kicked my butt 
in the short term,

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in the long term, Fitstar is the one
that fits into my life.

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After that initial push, 
the app is where it's at.

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(music)