Only Human

By The Editors
September 26, 2013 9:00 am

If you spend your entire day on a computer, science says you’ll lose years off your life.

Or, as Grandpa used to put it, “If you don’t get up and do something active, boy, your ass is gonna be flatter than a frog standing up.”

Here to give you a slightly more gentle reminder: Human, the app that reminds you to be less sedentary, available now.

A new free app for the iOS (Android coming soon), Human uses your smartphone’s GPS to track your daily routine – i.e., walking, running, biking — or lack thereof.

From there, the app has one goal: to get you to move.

Once you open Human, everything is automatic.

You’ll be notified when you reach your daily 30-minute movement goal (suggested by the CDC). Tap the app’s clock to get more detailed stats, a la Fitbit, including maps, exercise duration and walking speed.

Some caveats: In our tests, the subway occasionally confused the app. And when you walk, you’ll have to move for at least a minute at a time, so indoor steps are moot.

“Walking to the water cooler doesn’t count,” as they say.

But walking to your local watering hole? That’ll do.

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