Track your workout with GPS

The hardest part of sticking with a fitness program is motivation. And it's tough to be motivated when you don't see immediate results.

Unless your idea of a fun workout involves running around a high school track with a stop watch, it can be tough to gauge your progress. But a Windows Mobile powered device with a GPS receiver makes a good coach, whether you run, bike or ski.

Sportsdo makes programs that track your activities in a variety of sports. To use the software, you need a Windows Mobile powered smartphone or Pocket PC, and a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver. Sportsdo says its software is compatible with any such GPS receiver, though it offers several recommendations on its Web site if you don't already have one.

Next, choose the Sportsdo application tailored for your activity. As you would guess, Rundo is for runners and Skido is for downhill skiers. Snowdo is for snowboarders. There are two applications for bicyclists: Bikedo is for mountain bikers and Cycledo is for those who do laps.

Regardless of your sport, the applications work in much the same way. They use GPS to determine your starting point, and continue to track your position during your workout to measure your speed, distance, altitude, gradient and even calories burned — the important stuff! There's a dashboard view that lets you see the key numbers in big format, so you can tell how you're doing at a glance. It's sort of like a speedometer. It can also read the numbers to you. There's no need to guess how far you've gone; now you know for sure.

As if weight loss and improved muscle tone isn't enough indication you're doing well, the software can also analyze your workout. During the workout, you can view real-time graphs of your performance. It also saves all the data so that you can compare your performance over time.

—Suzanne Ross