A quirky, new iPhone App just released from i-labo, inc. Japan (September 10, 2009) does the impossible: it makes boring ol’ sit-ups entertaining.

i-fukkin, which translates to “abdominal muscles” is funny in more than just a ‘lost in translation’ sort of way. It’s built upon a simple premise: perform crunches while holding the iPhone horizontal so you can see the screen, and a Japanese ‘cheer girl’ (complete with pig-tails and pom-poms) counts aloud the number of sit-ups you do, offering words of encouragement when you slow down.

Everyone does theres Best!

Hey! Don’t be lazy!

Too much isn’t good for you.

Definitely worth the 99 cents, as I pumped out 5 sets of the “20 times” and two 1-min tests  tonight, waiting to see all what Alanya the ‘cheer girl’ would say and trying to beat my 1 min record. Besides, laughing tightens your abs even more. Switch the language setting to Japanese and count along with Alanya.

I forsee this little app being brought out at a party or two in the near future, but I’m doubtful it’ll become a regular feature of my training program. I prefer to do crunches, rather than sit-ups, which reduces the risk of straining my back. Since the counting mechanism in the i-fukkin app doesn’t register the small movement of a crunch, only the horizontal-to-vertical motion that a sit-up produces, at this time, I would say it’s more of a novelty than a viable training tool. Also, holding the iPhone out in front of you while you sit-up is not exactly proper form and could put an unnecessary strain on your neck if used repetitively to excess.

For the proper way to perform a crunch, watch the little clip below:

FoodScanner Demo from Andy Smith on Vimeo.

Before the promo video for the FoodScanner iPhone App even ended, I had my iPhone in my hand, ready to install this ingenious little app – but where was it? First, it appears I have to download the DailyBurn app – not the FoodScanner. Alright done. Create a profile. Check. Now what? App crash.

Scan, baby, scan

Hmm… my patience is wearing thin. But I want to scan food! I want instant, scanable proof of my daily noshes.

(Come to think of it, I first felt this ‘need to scan’ earlier this week while in Cost-co and fell in love with the NeatReceipt concept. Which I didn’t buy, btw – but I digress…)

Then it dawns – I first need to complete a profile* online at the Daily Burn. So I do, which takes a surprisingly short time to fill in my stats and create a diet goal. Easy to manoeuvre, gender-neutral theme, fun graphics. I’m drawn in with the jockey layout – the locker room, the gym, challenges, motivation, the calendars with their cute little legend.

DailyBurn calendar legend

Before this look-around, I hadn’t considered using a website to help monitor my fitness progress, even though I’ve seen quite a few in my day; I’m just a pen-and-paper, carry it around with me kinda gal when it comes to private stuff. But I was nearly sold when I remember it has a free iPhone app I can carry around with me! And it links into twitter. Tempting…

So, I’m inspired – I head to the bathroom, grab a flash card, my ‘tells me all’ scale, my tape measurer and fill out my anthropometric stats – I haven’t filled out a new flashcard since June 23, 2009.  My scale beeps out the first 6 measurements:

• Weight:
• % Body Fat:
• % Water:
• Bone Density:
• Daily Calorie Requirement:
• Metabolic Age:

My tape measure tells me the rest ~

• Bust:
• Waist:
• Hips:
• Glutes:
• R thigh:
• R biceps:

I’m happy to see there’s only a 0.6lb weight gain (lunch) and I’ve actually increased my biceps by 1 inch – must be the gym sessions at school. Body fat% is a percent higher, and my thighs & butt have another half inch on them each – must be the increased in all the sitting and highlighting journal after journal, article after article I’ve been doing since my Grad program started in Sept .

So, it’s nearly an hour later that I once again return to my iPhone to download the much-awaited FoodScanner App. $0.99 – a sale. Nice. Download now.

Not yet available in Canada.

Why  didn’t you tell me that before, DailyBurn, oh, why? You’ve foiled me for now, but I’ll be back in a couple of weeks when you’ve got the CDN version up and running. I’ll be back then…

Link shared with Lightfoot by Wade Kelly @wadekelly