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Whether you are starting your fitness journey, trying to eat healthier, or wanting to find some serenity during these unusual times, there are countless health and fitness apps to help you reach your goals or to relax.
Being an avid fitness enthusiast, I have used several health and fitness apps, but, have found only a handful to be especially useful in the data that they provide or in providing extra motivation and accountability. The apps that I have listed here are apps that I have been using for quite some time and use them regularly and have yet to grow tired of them. Therefore, I wanted to share with you my favourite health and fitness apps and what it is that I find to be beneficial and why I use them regularly.
Garmin
Maybe this does not come as a surprise considering my last post was comparing my experience between Garmin and Fitbit, but I am a major fan of fitness trackers! Honestly, there is not a day that goes by that I am not wearing my watch and that I am not at least glancing at the app in some way.
When it comes to the Garmin app, I appreciate that you can customize the main screen to display the information that you want to see (I.e., steps, stress levels, stairs climbed, etc.) and in what order, so you can easily see the information that is important to you. Secondly, I am always tracking my fitness activities such as running, weight-training, etc., through my watch, which then uploads onto the app once completed. My current fitness goals pertain to running and I love the data analytics and insights that the Garmin app provides, such as your average pace per kilometer, heart rate, and time spent in the different heart rate zones. Garmin also provides your pace per kilometer (or mile) for a specific run, which is helpful when reviewing your history and to see how you are progressing. Even more, you can also add training gear onto the app, such as running shoes where Garmin will track the mileage spent on your gear and when it is time to replace it.
I also appreciate that you can see your sleep cycles and the amount of time you were asleep, as I like to be mindful of and if I need to adjust my waking or nightly schedule. Another thing that I find interesting is that the Garmin app provides insights into your daily stress levels and informs you whether or not you have had enough restful moments.
Overall, while the data may not be 100% accurate, I find that fitness tracker apps such as Garmin provides a general overview of your lifestyle in terms of fitness activity, sleep schedule and stress (to name a few). These insights can be powerful, especially if you use them as a tool to build a healthier lifestyle (I.e., improve your sleep schedule, find ways to find more peaceful moments or to move more) or to monitor your insights once in a while.
Cronometer
Cronometer is a food-logging application that tracks your calories and provides an in-depth breakdown of your nutritional intake. While you may not need to religiously log your food (and I can't blame you), periodically logging your meals can give you a good understanding of your overall caloric intake. However, what I enjoy about Cronometer is that it also breaks down your macro- and micronutrient intake, allowing you to see if you may be falling short on vital vitamins or minerals. That is why I love using Cronometer: to see if I have any nutritional pitfalls.
From previous apps that I've used, Cronometer is the most in-depth app that I've come across, covering the most vitamins and minerals compared to other apps. Further, Cronometer provides you the key role of each nutrient when you select it, as well as a list of foods that are high in that select nutrient: additionally, it also shows you what foods you consumed that were high in that nutrient on that specific day. Overall, the biggest win for me is that you can see if you are consistently falling short on certain nutrients and whether or not you may want to incorporate a supplement or adjust your diet accordingly.
I also like that you can build and add your own recipes, which is honestly so convenient, especially if there is a meal that you eat regularly: it saves you from having to add each ingredient but also allows you to see the macro- and micronutrient breakdown of that meal. Moreover, if you have ingredients that are dried or canned, Cronometer conveniently has a barcode scanner so you can easily add that food item to your list of ingredients.
As mentioned, while you may not want to track your food every day, I prefer to do this periodically as a way of ensuring that, on average, I am meeting the RDA of vitamins and minerals and Cronometer helps me do that.
Nike Run
The Nike Run app was introduced to me by one of my co-workers and am forever grateful! Further, thanks to my co-worker, I am currently partaking in a 100KM challenge for June and have been using the Nike App pretty well daily.
The Nike Run App has a lot of cool features for both the newbie and experienced runner. The premise of the Nike Run app is to log your runs, and while it sounds simple in theory, Nike packs quite a few big punches into their app. Nike Run uses your phone's GPS and logs your pace, distance, meters climbed, and maps your run. It also links with Spotify, so you can either listen to your music or one of Nike's playlists (they have some pretty good mixes).
I have to say that the creators of Nike Run found some unique ways to help keep you motivated through three main sections:
Your Activity
In this section, you can view your running history, achievements, and run levels. I truly enjoy the achievements section, which is where you can find all of your Nike achievement medals. Whether you finished a Nike challenge, ran two weeks in a row, or just ran your quickest mile, all of your achievements will be in this section, which for me, provides extra motivation after completing a run, but also going into my next run. Finally, you can review your run levels; this section is intended to stoke your fire by tracking your progress over time and recognizing your wins by moving you to the next level.
Run
Under this section, you have different styles of logging your runs: quickstart (just hit the Start button and go), guided Runs (I LOVE this section), or my coach. As mentioned, I love the guided runs, so I want to take a quick moment to talk about it for a minute. Nike Run has countless guided runs to help keep you motivated with a Nike coach guiding and motivating you along the way. There are numerous options of guide runs, whether you want to run for a set duration of time, distance, or want to train by completing a speed run, you name it! I find the guided runs to be incredibly helpful, especially if I am running anything more than 5KM. Lastly, you have My Coach. If you have an upcoming race that you want to train for, then My Coach is for you. In this section, you enter your race day, the length of your race, and Nike Run will create a training plan to help you prepare for your big event in the upcoming weeks.
Club
Of course, no running app would be complete without the Nike Run Club. Under Run Club, you can view the leaderboard, which is a general overview of the kilometers that you and your connected friends have run for the month and whos in the lead. Secondly, there is the Challenges section, where you can either create a challenge for you and your friends to compete in or partake in one of Nike Run's weekly or monthly challenges.
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I find the Nike Run app to be incredibly easy to navigate, with a clean and intuitive layout, and is so simple to use. Similar to Garmin, you can also plug in your shoes so you can also track your mileage spent and when it is time to replace them. After you log a run, you can also add notes to the activity, indicate the level of difficulty on a scale of one to ten, and also note the type of terrain you ran on.
I can honestly say that the Nike Run app has kept my motivation high during this month's running challenge, but I can easily see it being a staple app that I use outside of this month as I plan more extensive goals when it comes to running.
Beachbody on Demand
I will be honest and say that I do not use Beachbody on Demand as frequently as the other ones mentioned in this post, as it's usage depends on my current fitness goals and being pretty committed to running, this app isn't getting a whole lot of love right now. However, if you know me, you know that I am a fan of Beachbody's workout programs, especially if Shaun T is the coach!
When I started my fitness journey years ago, I began by purchasing T-25 from an infomercial and fell in love. Since then, while you can still purchase workout programs on DVD, BeachBody has progressed with the advancement in technology and has an app that you can install on your mobile device so you can work out anywhere at any time.
One of the great things about Beachbody on Demand is that the creators have found a way to make their programs accessible, even if you don't have access to WiFi or data. If you know that you will be travelling and won't have access to the internet, you can download a specific workout before you leave and play it offline. I should also mention that if you are a Beachbody member, you will have access to all or their workouts on Beachbody on Demand.
Flipd
Flipd is an app that I go to when I am feeling particularly anxious and need to calm my mind, especially during working hours. Having been working from home since mid-March and now on a reduced work schedule, it has been very overwhelming to produce the same level of work in a reduced amount of time, which has increased the amount of anxiety that I have been feeling.
Flipd is an app where you can track your mindful moments, allowing you to be present. It helps you spend less time distracted from mindlessly using other apps on your mobile device and spending your time more focused on what matters. What I find to be the most helpful, aside from eliminating distractions, is the library of audio content designed to help you focus or relax your mind, which is why I primarily use it.
There is a fantastic selection of audio and I appreciate that they have a variety to choose from to help relax your mind and reduce the level of anxiety that you may be feeling. (Personally, I enjoy Flipd's nature-related audio).
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Well, there you have it: my current top-five health and fitness-related apps. I hope that you have found this post to be useful if you are currently looking for some apps to aid you in your health and fitness journey. If there are some apps that you love that are not listed in this post, I would appreciate hearing about it, so please leave a comment!
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