Not all apps are made equal. Having an awesome fitness app on your phone will help you stay ahead of your fitness game. Here are 5 apps that are worth your attention.
Like every other industry, the fitness industry is bloated with a shitload of apps for your phone. Anything you need, there’s an app for that.
However, the million dollar question is:
How many of them are actually useful?
Now, I know it can be a pain to dig through a ton of apps to find one that works really well for your goals.
Most apps are sprinkled with bad UI and crazy ads. Moreover, some of them even fail to live up to the purpose they were built for in the first place.
To ease your pain, I’ve come up with a small but effective list of apps that will be an assistant for your fitness goals, falling mainly in these categories:
- Quick overall workout
- Food logger or calorie counting
- Running or cardio activities
- Mindfulness
- Healthy cooking ideas
These 5 areas should be enough to cover all the aspects of an average fitness goal.
Just to make things super easy for you, I’ll feature 1 fitness app from each area and tell you why they deserve to be on your smartphone.
Let’s get started, shall we?
1. 7 Minute Workout
If you haven’t heard of it already, 7 minute workout is a very popular intense workout routine aimed for busy people.
This routine squeezes about 30 mins of full workout to just 7 mins with high-intensity reps and shorter rest period.
If you’re on a tight schedule and don’t have the luxury to spend time at the gym, this can help.
What’s good in it?
- Minimal and clean design.
- Exercises are well demonstrated for newbies.
- Voice guidance to keep you going.
- Reports to see how you progress.
2. MyFitnessPal
When you on a strict diet, every meal counts. You need to track whatever you’re eating to make sure you’re on the right track.
You need to track your carbohydrate intake, your protein intake and more.
Sure, a notepad and a pen will do just fine to log everything down. An app which has a rich database of nutrition information of almost every food that you’ll find in the market will save you loads of time.
Plus, daily reports will help you get a bird’s eye view on your progress and keep you charged towards that dream physique.
What’s good in it?
- Rich food database of more than 6 million foods.
- Easy to use.
- Scan barcodes of popular food items to quickly log them.
- Track how much water you’re drinking in a day.
- Log exercises that you have done in a day.
PRO TIP: Look for the green checkmark on each item to know that the nutrition facts are verified.
3. Runtastic
Do you run? Are you planning to start running?
You need start tracking your every move. The quality of your run. Your speed. Distance covered.
Everything that will give you a clear picture of how good you run and how you can improve.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to do anything manually. This app will do the job for you.
Also, with a rich community of runners and bikers, you’ll get all the motivation you need to make running a habit.
What’s good in it?
- Excellent tracking system to give you a detailed analysis of your run.
- GPS tracking to map your route.
- Voice coaching to keep you on track.
- Ability to share your progress with friends and see theirs.
- Syncs quite well with other fitness apps such as Google Fit & MyFitnessPal.
4. Headspace
While staying fit is often interpreted as staying fit physically, keeping your mind healthy counts as well.
Gone are the days when you needed to visit a meditation club to listen to someone putting you to sleep.
This app will help you perform mindful meditation anytime you want, anywhere you want.
Oh yeah, you won’t fall asleep while meditating with this app.
What’s good in it?
- Beautifully guided meditation sessions.
- Free basic packs to get you started.
- Detailed pro packs to help you target a particular emotion.
- Shorter individual sessions when you need to cool down in an emergency.
- Track and share your progress with friends.
PRO TIP: The subscription is often cheaper when purchased through the app instead of their website.
5. FitMenCook
You’ve got your workouts ready.
You know how to track everything you do and eat.
Where do you get inspiration to cook a variety of meals that are super healthy for you and complements your fitness goals?
This is where this app comes to the scene. Just fire up the app, pick up a recipe you like and start cooking.
What’s good in it?
- Loads of recipes categorized by your goals and meal type.
- Video tutorials on how to make each dish.
- Complete nutrition information for each meal.
- Easy to create a shopping list for your meal plan.
PRO TIP: Select your meals for the upcoming week in advance and add the ingredients to your shopping list in the app for easy access while you’re at the supermarket.
What to do now?
Convinced?
Installed the apps?
Now, it’s time to put your app army to use.
- Make a daily habit to use these apps.
- Log and track everything you do and eat. Make that a habit too.
- If the app offers a sign-in process, then do make use of that. This way your data will be saved even when you switch devices.
Your fitness goal is a journey. These apps will serve as tools to ensure your journey is smooth.
Share the list with your friends and make them healthy too.