Zombies Made Me Thin: Getting in Shape with Zombie Fitness

Zombies are currently enjoying an unprecedented spike in cultural popularity, and there seems to be no arena that is out of their groping hands' reach.

The shambling hordes are infiltrating every corner of commerce with aplomb and gusto, and not even the fitness market has been spared. In fact, fighting for survival against zombies is the latest health and fitness craze.

Zombies, Run! is a smartphone app based around the premise that you need to run in order to stay ahead of zombies that want to eat you. The game tracks your mileage, allows you to set your own speed, and delivers its mission-based story intermixed with your own music. The original version of this app could only be used outdoors, but Zombies, Run! 2 is able to track your steps while inside on a treadmill.

I love this app. Not only does the auditory story unfold as you walk or run, but you collect items while you exercise. After your workout is over and you "return to base," you can use these items to build new structures or upgrade existing buildings in your base. This element of the game is simple, but genius. You will want to continue your workouts into "radio mode" (which runs indefinitely after each mission concludes) because the longer you run, the more items you will collect.

Zombie Fitness Pro is an app in which you fight off the zombie virus by completing daily workouts. It contains over 40 different bodyweight exercises, has adjustable difficulty levels, and boasts over 160 different workout routines. Each workout helps strengthen your body against the zombie virus and moves you a step closer to becoming "superhuman."

I have not tried this app, but it sounds intriguing. According to an iTunes store customer review, it is a "great app," but unfortunately has pop up ads even in its full version.

Zombie runs are all the rage right now and can be found popping up in cities all across the United States.

The Zombie Run is hosted in a variety of locations around the country. In my home city, New Orleans, thousands registered to run in it this year, and spots to participate as a zombie sold out before I was even able to sign up!

The Zombie Run is a 5k (3.1 mile) run through the once peaceful streets of your city while zombies try to chase you down. Each participant receives a Zombie Survival Pack, including an official race t-shirt, headband, and water bottle.

Even if you're not in a large city that plays host to one of these nation-wide zombie runs, check around locally. Many fitness clubs have begun to sponsor their own.

For example, the Best Body Fitness Zombie Run, in Alberta, Canada, bills itself as a fun 3k obstacle course that participants run through while being chased by zombies that try to "infect" them by stealing the flags they wear on their belts.

Or, for a more kid-friendly apocalypse, there are runs popping up like Renda Broadcasting Kids Fitness Zombie Chase 2013, which benefits the Shannon Miller Foundation, in Jacksonville, Florida. This one mile course is open to kids ages 5-15 who will run while trying to avoid being "bitten" (stickered) by the zombies (who will be played by parents and older siblings). Is it just me, or is this the stuff of nightmares?

There are oodles of other local zombie runs being organized. Run a search for ones in your area, and see what you come up with!

I don't really get Zumba, let alone Zombie Zumba. Nonetheless, it is apparently the next big thing. Throughout the United States, particularly around Halloween time, many fitness clubs, such as Curves and FTK Fitness, are hosting Zombie Zumba dance classes. Now you too can enjoy all of the rich pageantry associated with zombie dancing.

Check with local gyms in your area!

If people enjoy zombie dancing classes, why wouldn't they enjoy zombie fitness classes? It only stands to reason, after all.

The Zombie Survival Camp in Edinburgh, Scotland, provides a unique way to keep fit. It mixes boxing and core body training with zombie chase games. Every Wednesday, participants run through Inverleith Park while being chased by the undead.

According to founder Ian Dryburgh, a zombie apocalypse really could happen. So how can you afford not to join ZSC?

The tremendous value of such classes clearly speaks for itself. But what if you don't live in Edinburgh? Well, how about Chicago?

Zombie Fit offers zombie fitness classes in the Chicago area. And with the slogan "Fitness for the Apocalypse," how can you go wrong?

The premise behind Zombie Fit's routines is "What if you woke up tomorrow to find your city overridden with zombies. . .would you survive?" Their routines are holistic and based upon pakour, a discipline that developed out of military obstacle course training.

What t if you don't live in Chicago either? Well, that's okay. You can always mail away for the play-at-home-version...

Fit Zombie Fitness offers a home version of zombie classes.

Fit Zombie bills itself as an intense exercise program that is designed to get you into the best possible shape in the least amount of time. The program includes over 45 different workouts, is geared for users of all fitness levels, and promises that their routines will allow users to “level up" as they complete ever more intense workouts.

Now that we have shambling zombies on our heels as motivation, it seems that there is no longer any excuse for failing to exercise. So get moving and keep ahead of the undead!