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SPORTS & 

FITNESS 

& LIVING

 Mountain Views NewsSaturday, March 8, 2025

AI FOR FITNESS

Artificial intelligence (AI) might sound intimidating, 
but when it comes to fitness, it’s a helpful tool. You don’t 
need to be a tech expert, spend money, or buy fancy 
gadgets to benefit from AI. It can assist you in planning 
workouts, tracking progress, staying motivated, and 
improving nutrition—all with minimal effort. If you’ve 
ever wished for a personal trainer, a meal planner, or just 
some extra motivation, AI can provide that support. The 
best part? Many of these resources are free.

Starting a fitness routine can be challenging, especially 
when deciding which exercises to do. Instead of spending 
hours researching, you can let AI do the work for you. 
Free AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, 
or Microsoft Copilot can generate customized workout 
plans in seconds. Simply ask, “Create a beginner workout 
I can do at home with no equipment,” and you’ll receive 
a structured plan detailing which exercises to perform 
and how often.

If you prefer using an app, the Nike Training Club (NTC) 
is an excellent choice. The NTC app is completely free, 
offering a wide range of workouts without any cost. The app adjusts as you progress, ensuring 
your workouts become more challenging over time. Another great free option is FitOn, which 
provides a variety of workouts tailored to different fitness levels. FitOn offers 100% free workouts 
and personalized fitness plans, with no catch. AI removes the guesswork, making it easy to start 
your fitness journey immediately.

Many believe that tracking fitness progress requires expensive devices, but your smartphone 
already has AI-powered tools that can do this for free. Google Fit (for Android) and Apple Health 
(for iPhone) can count your steps, estimate calories burned, and monitor overall activity. You can 
set goals, such as 7,000 steps a day, and your phone will track them without additional equipment.

For activities like running or cycling, apps like Google Maps and Samsung Health can estimate 
distance and pace. If strength training is your focus, apps like Strong and JEFIT allow you to log 
workouts and monitor progress over time. Whether you’re increasing your daily steps, lifting 
heavier weights, or running longer distances, AI helps you visualize your progress without the 
need for extra gadgets.

But what about diet? Healthy eating doesn’t have to involve expensive meal plans or strict diets. 
AI simplifies nutrition in a way that fits your lifestyle. MyFitnessPal’s free version enables you to 
track food intake by scanning barcodes or entering meals manually. The app calculates calories 
and nutrients, making it easier to stay on track.

If meal planning feels overwhelming, AI tools like ChatGPT can generate personalized meal plans 
in seconds. For instance, you can ask, “Give me a week of healthy, high-protein meals under 
2,000 calories per day,” and receive a comprehensive meal plan. Additionally, apps like Whisk 
suggest recipes based on the ingredients you have at home, making healthy eating both simple 
and convenient.

While starting a fitness routine is one thing, maintaining it is another challenge. AI-powered apps 
help keep you accountable by setting personalized challenges and offering rewards for progress. 
Google Fit’s “Heart Points” system encourages increased activity by turning exercise into a game. 
Similarly, apps like Strava offer AI-generated challenges that motivate you to run, walk, or cycle 
further each week.

On days when motivation is tough, AI can provide encouragement. Asking ChatGPT for tips to 
stay motivated can yield practical advice to keep you going. Even without a personal trainer, AI 
serves as a virtual coach, offering support whenever you need it.

What if you’re just starting out? A common mistake among beginners is overexertion. AI can 
help prevent injuries by analyzing your activity levels and indicating when it’s time to rest. Both 
Google Fit and Apple Health track sleep and recovery, aiding in the prevention of overtraining.

If stress or lack of sleep affects your workouts, free meditation apps like Insight Timer use AI to 
suggest relaxation techniques based on your mood. Fitness isn’t solely about intense workouts; it’s 
about balancing activity with proper recovery. AI ensures you’re achieving both.

Many assume AI is complex, but when it comes to fitness it simplifies the process. It creates 
workout plans, tracks progress, improves nutrition, and keeps you motivated without the need for 
expensive equipment or technical expertise.

The best part? You can start today without spending a dime. It’s instant. Allow AI to handle the 
planning while you focus on moving, feeling better, and progressing toward your goals.


Michele Silence, M.A. is a 37-year certified fitness 

professional who offers semi-private/virtual fitness 
classes. Contact Michele at michele@kid-fit.
com. Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness 
Visit her Facebook page at: michelesfitness.

UNLOCK YOUR LIFE

Tips From Lori A. Harris


BEYOND STRENGTH: THE TENDER SIDE 
OF HARRIET TUBMAN

As we celebrate Women's History Month and Harriet Tubman 
Day on March 10th, let's reflect on how we remember 
this American icon. Most of us know her as the fearless conductor 
of the Underground Railroad — her stern face staring 
back at us from those few surviving photographs, embodying 
strength and determination.

Author Jason Reynolds once described her face as "incapable 
of smiling." However, those photographs reflect the limitations 
of 19th-century technology — requiring subjects to remain 
still for several minutes — rather than Tubman's emotional 
range. Perhaps in focusing solely on her extraordinary 
courage, we've fallen into the "strong Black woman" stereotype, 
missing the fullness of her humanity.

I was struck by artist Kerry James Marshall's painting "Still Life with Wedding Portrait," which imagines 
Tubman as a young bride. This tender depiction resonates with Ann Petry's biography, "Harriet Tubman, 
Conductor of the Underground Railroad," which describes how Harriet dreamed of marrying 
John Tubman, a free man. She loved his laugh and lilting whistle. She even sewed a patchwork quilt by 
hand for her wedding trousseau.

Marrying John made her very happy, and she wanted to be free.

She wanted both.

Though John never supported her freedom dream — even threatening to report her if she tried to escape 
— Harriet left anyway, carrying her treasured quilt. That same quilt became instrumental in her escape 
when she gifted it to the woman who helped her on the first leg of her journey.

Because she truly loved him, she returned for John, only to be laughed at — that same laugh she once 
adored now becoming a source of pain. Undeterred, she channeled her energy into her mission, returning 
south repeatedly to guide others to freedom, including her family members who faced being sold 
"down the river" and, eventually, her elderly parents.

Through it all, that desire for love and tenderness never left her.

As we navigate today's challenging political landscape, Tubman's example reminds us that we can be 
both strong and tender. We don't have to choose. Honoring our whole selves — including our need for 
rest, joy, and connection — makes us more effective in our commitments to community.

This is especially true for helpers and community leaders, who often put others' needs before their own. 
We must remember to:

Look for moments of awe and wonder. We need to put our shields down sometimes. Notice what's good 
in our lives and celebrate it. Reject either-or thinking and embrace both/and.

In these times that feel divisive and difficult, these practices aren't luxuries — they're necessities that 
sustain our ability to serve and create change. Harriet Tubman's legacy teaches us that profound courage 
can coexist with deep tenderness. Her example invites us to honor all aspects of ourselves as we work 
toward a more just world.

This week, I encourage you to decide on an act of self-care that honors your softer side. How will you 
stay inspired while caring for your heart? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and you're always welcome to 
reach me at my website.

Stay strong and stay inspired,

Coach Lori

--

Lori is an award-winning coach and hosts the Unlock Your Life Podcast with Lori Harris. Learn more 
about her or have her speak at an event by visiting her website: www.Loriaharris.com

ALL THINGS 

By Jeff Brown 


NONDUALITY & THE NATURE OF 
OUR EXISTENCE 

Nondualism includes a number of philosophical 
and spiritual traditions that emphasize the absence 
of fundamental duality or separation in existence. 
This viewpoint questions the boundaries conventionally 
imposed between self and other, mind and 
body, observer and observed, and other dichotomies 
that shape our perception of reality. As a field of study, nondualism delves into the concept 
of nonduality and the state of nondual awareness. Nondualism emerges as a central teaching 
across various belief systems, inviting individuals to examine reality beyond the confines of 
dualistic thinking.

Nondualism emphasizes direct experience as a path to understanding. While intellectual 
comprehension has its place, nondualism emphasizes the transformative power of firsthand 
encounters with the underlying unity of existence. Through practices like meditation and 
self-inquiry, practitioners aim to bypass the limitations of conceptual understanding and 
directly apprehend the interconnectedness that transcends superficial distinctions. This experiential 
aspect of nondualism challenges the limitations of language and rational thought, 
aiming for a more immediate, intuitive form of knowledge.

Each nondual tradition presents unique interpretations of nonduality. Advaita Vedanta, 
a school of thought within Hindu philosophy, focuses on the realization of the unity between 
the individual self (Ātman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman).In Zen Buddhism, the 
emphasis is on the direct experience of interconnectedness that goes beyond conventional 
thought constructs. Dzogchen, found in Tibetan Buddhism, highlights the recognition of an 
innate nature free from dualistic limitations. Taoism embodies nondualism by emphasizing 
the harmony and interconnectedness of all phenomena, transcending dualistic distinctions, 
towards a pure state of awareness free of conceptualizations.

People regard themselves as separate units, separate from the world and from other people. 
Only after removing the veil that the mind creates you will be able to realize the Oneness of 
everything and, thereby, realize what nonduality is. Oneness is right here,right now!

John Wheeler, Rupert Spira, Eckart Tolle, Lisa Cairns, Mooji, Alan Watts, Jackson Peterson 
& others discuss Nonduality on Youtube.


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