A healthy lifestyle doesn’t require a thousand gadgets and gizmos to track every movement and log every bite you eat. You just need one tool that is always within arm’s reach: your smartphone. With these (mostly free!) apps, you can amp up your workout, keep yourself motivated and live healthier.
Food Journaling:
Food journaling is the easiest, and most effective, way to count calories. When paired with one our kitchen scales, food journaling will help you reach, or maintain, your target weight. MyFitnessPal - Free & Premium MyFitnessPal has 5 million foods in its database and includes a barcode scanner to easily input foods. It will calculate your daily calorie allowance based on your activity level. If you’d rather not log each activity, it can connect to your fitness tracker or utilize the onboard motion processor. Alarm notifications can remind you to log your meals and weigh in. What We Like About It: If you cook often, you can save a recipe’s ingredients for easy access. Restaurant Logging shows you a menu with calorie counts of restaurants around you.Running:
We know running isn’t for everyone. The following apps will help everyone – from casual walkers to marathoners – meet their fitness goals. C25K - Free This app will help you go from your couch to running a 5K in two months. C25K has 3 running plans per week, beginning with a brisk warm-up, and voice prompts alternate you between walking and jogging as you increase your stamina. Listen to music in your iTunes, Apple Music or RockMyRun. What We Like About It: The interface is easy to use, and training is only 3 times per week. Graduate from C25K to 10K Trainer Pro when you’re ready to go the distance. Charity Miles - Free With Charity Miles, you can choose from a list of 37 charities and support your favorite cause. For extra motivation, create a team and invite your friends. What We Like About It: It’s an extra incentive to put in those miles. If you’re already an avid runner, this app will help you support a worthy cause. Zombies, Run! - Free If Zombieland taught us anything about the Zombie Apocalypse, it’s that speed is super important. In Zombies, Run!, the app combines a story/game with your run. Imagine your helicopter making an emergency landing and running to the safe zone – dodging zombies along the way. Each run is a new mission, unfolding more of the story. What We Like About It: An innovative, fun way to go for a run for those who really enjoy zombies. RockMyRun - Free & Premium Bored of the same exercise music and need a boost? RockMyRun has thousands of DJ mixed playlists to choose from. Best of all, you can tailor the BPM manually or to match your stride with the accelerometer or heart rate with the AppleWatch. What We Like About It: There’s a genre for EVERYONE, from country to 80’s favorites.Exercise Routines:
These apps will lead you through a balanced workout plan. Think of it as a personal trainer in your phone. Sworkit - Free with paid upgrades Sworkit is a suite of several apps to target whatever you want – abs, legs, flexibility, etc. Choose what you want to exercise and how much time you want to dedicate to it. Before you begin exercising, a helpful video pops up demonstrating all the moves in the circuit. It can also connect to your Apple Watch. What We Like About It: The videos give clear instruction of each move, and exercises are performed with body weight resistance, so you don’t need any equipment. Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout - Free 7 Minute Workout is a guided exercise app with video and audio cues. Beginners start with 7 minutes and progress to 30-minute workouts for advanced users. Create and save custom workouts, and set workout reminders for yourself. It can connect to your Apple Watch. What We Like About It: Includes warm-ups! Easily tailor Smart Workouts with what exercises you like and dislike.Sleep:
Sleep is often neglected, but it’s critical to allow your body to rest and repair the muscles you’ve been exercising. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock - Free with paid upgrades The Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock analyzes your sleep cycles and wakes you when you are at your lightest stage of sleep, so you wake up feeling refreshed. What We Like About It: You wake up feeling more refreshed, and the data will help you understand how your sleep is affected by daily stress, alcohol, etc. Sleep Machine - $1.99 The ultimate white noise machine. It comes loaded with 71 ambient sounds, 9 ambient music tracks, and 14 mixes. You can even mix in your music from iTunes. It also features an alarm clock to wake you with your favorite mix. What We Like About It: Easy to use. Our personal favorite mix: Beach 2, Thunder (Distant), Campfire, & Wind Chime. What healthy lifestyle apps can’t you live without? Share in the comment section or let us know on Facebook or Twitter.
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