For decades, people have been training for and completing physical challenges in an effort to raise funds for charity. It’s not a new concept.

Using digital technology to help do so, however, is relatively new — and it’s pretty amazing.

In recent years, smart phone apps, wearable technology and websites — often in conjunction with social media — have enabled unprecedented opportunities to not only get yourself in better shape and to challenge yourself to reach a physical milestone, but to also raise funds for charitable causes you’re passionate about.

Image: Indian peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) teach yoga to schoolchildren in Fardis, a small town in the foothills of Mount Hermon, Lebanon. UN Photo.