Time is a key aspect of most fitness routines. While my ergormeter and our elliptical both have built-in timers, when I’m doing other things (such as the 100 pushups routine) I have to keep time on my own. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done…
Over the years I’ve grown dependent on my cell phone and computer clocks. That means I don’t typically wear a watch, and I’m away from “real” clocks more often than not. Unfortunately, neither my cell phone nor my computer has a second hand, so it’s hard to time things with any level of precision.
So… What do I do?
For starters, my cell phone is a Palm Centro, so I have the entire universe of Palm-compatible applications at my disposal. After a bit of digging, I managed to find an excellent little freeware application called “Stopwatch.” As the name suggests, it’s a very simple little electronic stopwatch that’s just perfect for timing breaks between sets, etc.
Second, for those times when I’m working out near a computer (like when I’m doing pushups at work) but don’t have my cell phone handy, I rely the web-based Online Stopwatch. Here again, this is a very simple (and free) electronic stopwatch that’s perfect for timing various aspects of my workouts.
Of course, both of these options have their limitations (e.g., not everyone brings their cell phone when they go running, and pretty much nobody hauls along a computer). Nonetheless, they can be quite handy under the right set of circumstances.