When former ϳԹ Online Editor Megan Miller told me this past spring she was working on a new adventure fitness app called , I was curious. How would it work? Who would use it? How easy would it be? She revealed the app a couple of weeks ago and I've had a bit of time to play around with it.
I signed up for Teemo by logging in via Facebook—the only way to try it right now. I picked an adventure to climb Everest. There are currently 10 adventures, from chasing down a jewel thief to sailing the Caribbean to running in the desert. Each adventure is divided up into steps. You get a message about what's just happened—i.e. your yaks are tired and you need to haul your own gear—and then an exercise that takes you to the next level. There are 105 total exercises and all of them can be done anywhere—each one requires no weights or extra equipment of any sort. Each exercise features a quick video tutorial that's easy to follow and starts with a timed session, so you can go at your own pace.
Obviously, the exercises you do are a far cry from what you would need to do for a real Everest climb. But if you're looking for a simple-to-follow fitness routine that satisfies an an adventure craving while stuck in a hotel room or waiting for a delayed flight in an airport, Teemo is probably right up your alley.
“What we noticed is that everything currently on the market aims for either people with a medical need (obesity, diabetes, etc.) or for athletes who want to improve their performance,” says Miller. “We thought it would be interesting to aim for the average person who needs a little extra help fitting exercise into their day. The complete concept for Teemo evolved over time, based on my interests in adventure travel and interval training.”
The app is available for free for a limited time. For more, check out . The app is available for iPhone and iPad, but not Droid—yet. It's one of a many developments in the works for the app.
“Soon we're adding a feature that lets you check in your friends like Foursquare, so that people playing together in the same location can all get credit in the stats for their achievements,” says Miller.
—Joe Spring