CTV’s Fitness Expert Libby Norris and I teamed up this morning to take a look at the best fitness websites available. She chose three websites for their ability to deliver great fitness resources and I picked out three based on their ability to make use of the internet and the latest web technologies.

Libby’s Picks:

www.sparkpeople.com

Designed to help you record your progress in a number of areas, SparkPeople.com is free, offers a veritable wealth of information, and most importantly is easy to navigate and use. Here’s a quick summary of the different areas it handles:

Nutrition – information, meal planner, calorie count, goal reminders

Fitness – track exercise, workout ideas, information, daily exercise features

Weight Management – weigh in, charts, tracking Quick exercise ideas, motivation

Beginners to intermediate - great ideas and outlines, not periodized or specifically prescriptive

MomsInMotion.com

Moms In Motion is an international organization of fitness teams for women. You have to have a chapter in your area to participate, but Libby says she knows people who belong and it’s an amazing group of motivated, community-minded and helpful women. Each team experience offers camaraderie and works toward both common fitness goals and philanthropic causes. If there isn’t a chapter in your area and you like the idea, you can even start your own.

FitnessJournal.org

Fitness Journal is an online suite of web programs that let you easily plan and keep track of your exercise routines while staying motivated. It’s designed for everyone from those who just want to lose a few pounds to serious athletes who are looking to set new personal records and everyone in-between Features:- Less than $5.00 per month- Provides tracking for goals, cardio and strength training as well as nutrition- Recipes, information - Easy to follow instructions on how to plan a program, set up your measurements and track your progress- Amazing charts and graphsGreat for: - All levels – although you do have to do a bit of reading and research on setting up your program…but there’s lots of info there- Perfect for visual types who are motivated by graphs, pie charts and bar charts!- The perfect addition if you’re not working out with a training to give you an overall perspective of your program and progress

Kris’ Picks:

PeerTrainer.com

PeerTrainer takes the idea of a fitness journal and applies it to the MySpace model. Here you can register for a free profile where you can record your progress in a number of areas – exercise, diet, calories burned, and personal goals through your own blog. The twist is that you can join a social group where your online friends will be given access to your own progress and messaging tools to send you notes and messages of encouragement. The community supports every kind of social group imaginable, pairing up people with common interests such as divorcees, “goth” teens, Apple users, etc.

YogaToday.com

Yoga Today is a daily, one-hour television show produced exclusively for the internet. Shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, each lesson features one instructor and two students going through routines rated for different levels. Free to download or stream, and available in an impressive number of formats including a version for your iPod and a High-Definition version for high resolution monitors and for those with media centers connected to their HDTVs. For Yoga instruction, it’s nice to have the option to pause, rewind, and watch the show at any time.

MapMyRun.com

Rather than jump into your car and drive your jogging or running route to measure the distance, MapMyRun uses Google Maps and a number of enhancements to achieve the same data. Just type in your address and double click on the points along your route. When you finish the route, the website will calculate the distance for you. You can save and edit your route, add custom icons, and use a calorie calculator. Make sure to check out the new “Beta” version that uses a cleaner, friendlier interface.