9 Fitness Apps That Could Improve Your Health and Wellbeing
With our daily lives becoming increasingly digitized, fitness apps have surged in popularity, providing a handy, effective platform to help keep us on track with our health goals. From food trackers to sleep apps, we look at nine of the most popular health and wellness apps on the market today.
1. Foodility
Foodility is a simple-to-navigate yet highly effective app that enables users to keep track of their diet and exercise. Elegantly designed, the app appeals to minimalists seeking to track their fitness progress. Users can record their physical activities, meals, weight, and water intake by posting sticky note-type entries on the app’s calendar.
With push notifications to keep users on course and multiple viewing options providing different perspectives, the Foodility app allows users to export their monthly fitness diary to PDF, enabling them to share their progress with ease.
2. Jefit
Targeted to serious gym users, Jefit features an anatomical map. Users simply tap on the region of the body they want to work on, granting them access to hundreds of exercises concentrating on that zone. Members can use the app to create power-packed, super-set workouts, and they can log progress photos so they can see themselves toning up over time.
Available in both free and premium versions, Jefit maintains a network of more than 8.8 million members, providing a community where members can give and receive feedback, tips, and support to reach their fitness goals.
3. Pact
Formerly known as GymPact, Pact incentivizes users to get their workouts done by placing wagers, so members who hit their fitness goals can earn cold hard cash. With wager money coming from a communal pot, members who complete their workouts on time collect from those who slack-off, providing real-world incentives to motivate users to get to the gym.
4. Human
Tailored to those just starting on their new exercise regimen, Human is not the most sophisticated fitness app on the market, but it is a strong motivator. The app runs in the background, tracking the time users spend on activities like cycling, walking, and running, nudging them to complete their “Daily 30” minutes of exercise.
Human’s motivation comes from other people. Users can compare their data with nearby users on a leaderboard, showing them how they rank against their neighbors.
5. Fooducate
Many food items marketed as “health foods” are not nearly as beneficial as they might seem at first glance. Protein bars are touted as healthy, but is there a better alternative?
Fooducate users simply scan an item’s UPC, and the app analyzes the contents, providing nutritional insights and, where applicable, suggesting healthier alternatives. The app provides warnings if a product contains dangerously high salt levels, for example, or chemically derived vitamins rather than those from a natural source. Fooducate then suggests food items that are more beneficial from a nutritional perspective, helping users to make smarter food choices.
6. Glo
With an $18 monthly subscription fee, Glo may not be the cheapest yoga app on the market, but it is a great choice for beginner yogis. It provides daily curated classes to help users attain their fitness goals, whether they are seeking to improve their sleep, build general strength, or find a way of managing stress.
Glo members can follow their favorite yoga, Pilates, and meditation instructors, receiving updates on their latest classes. The app has received a litany of 5-star reviews for its knowledgeable teachers.
7. Runcoach
Through Runcoach, users build an adaptive training plan tailored to their individual needs, allowing them to create a realistic workout schedule they can stick to. Members simply input information about their daily schedule and set a running goal and the algorithm does the rest, delivering customized guidance on how to train.
The app also connects members with USATF-certified coaches, enabling them to get help with nutrition, injuries, and much more.
8. RISE
RISE helps users improve their sleeping habits and boost their daily energy levels. When we are consistently starved of sleep, the body goes into survival mode. Rise tracks how much sleep users “owe” their body, helping them to repay that debt.
Eighty percent of RISE users report improved sleep within five days, which in turn impacts their performance, wellbeing, and productivity.
9. GymBuddy
GymBuddy is an innovative app that connects gym users with their perfect training partner. Whether you are seeking a short-term training partner while traveling or a long-term partner nearer to home, GymBuddy pairs like-minded people in close physical proximity, enabling them to work out together as well as interact via messages, videos, and more.
The app also helps users discover and book gyms in their local area. Users can also track and post their workout sessions, with supportive messages from the community boosting their confidence and motivation.