Health Apps to Help You Stay Active

Are you struggling to remain active? Technology can help. Mobile apps can help us remain mindful and conscientious about our activities, exercise, and diet. If you want to improve your motivation, consider some of these popular apps.

1. MyFitnessPal (iTunes | Android)

MyFitnessPal is the leading all-in-one health app, which includes support for fitness trackers, exercise tracking, and diet tracking. You can also connect with friends and family to track each other’s progress and challenge each other. If someone has a single fitness app, it’s likely to be MyFitnessPal if it isn’t something proprietary like FitBit or Samsung Health.

2. Sworkit (iTunes | Android)

Need some help getting your workouts done? Sworkit is a subscription-based service that gives you information on different types of workouts: ab workouts, back workouts, and complete workouts. Sworkit is ideal for those who need a personal fitness trainer in their pocket. It doesn’t just tell you which exercises to do and when, but also includes audio and video content showing you how to complete the exercises.

3. Nike+ Run Club (iTunes | Android)

Nike’s Run Club is an app designed for serious training, with options including 5k, 10k, 15k, half-marathon, and full-marathon. If you’re serious about training for an upcoming event, Nike+ Run Club will give you the information, motivation, and progress tracking that you need. It will include your progress reports and skipped runs in order to tailor your goals, to make sure that you still get to where you need to be in time.

4. Couch to 5k (iTunes | Android)

Have you ever want to run a 5k? Couch to 5k is the first step. Couch to 5k assumes you have no running experience or limited running experience. Couch to 5k uses a method called interval training, which lets you alternate between walking and running until you’re faster and more consistent. You start out running just a few minutes a day and, by the end of it, you will be able to run a 5k within 20 minutes. From there, you can do Couch to 10k, and continue to pursue your fitness goals, until you’re up to a marathon.

5. Strava (iTunes | Android)

If you’re training for running or cycling, Strava is what you need. Strava is a competitive application for logging runs and cycling routes. It has both a free version and a premium subscription, depending on the features that you need. Strava is an accurate method of logging not only the time of your runs, but also where you ran and the distance you ran.

6. MapMyRun (iTunes | Android)

Have you ever wondered exactly where you ran? Do you want to know precisely how long your run was? MapMyRun is a simple application that is designed to create an accurate and thorough map of your run. You can also use this app to create your runs: just tell the app how long you want to run and it will chart the course for you, to make it easier for you to concentrate on your running and not your planning.

7. Pocket Yoga (iTunes | Android)

Trying to get your stretches in? Pocket Yoga gives you all the information and motivation you need to do your stretches, which are not only useful in and of themselves but are also helpful before or after an exercise session. Pocket Yoga has over 200 unique poses with descriptions and illustrations, designed for those ranging from beginners to experts, and with the ability to log your progress.

8. Sleep Cycle (iTunes | Android)

You can’t be active if you aren’t sleeping properly. Sleep Cycle tracks how much you sleep every night and how deeply you sleep, to identify any problems you could be experiencing with your sleep cycles. With better sleep, you’ll also find yourself experiencing better work outs.

9. Lose It (iTunes | Android)

Trying to lose weight? Lose It is an app focused on weight loss and calorie counting, making it easier for you to log how much you eat and track how much weight you have already lost. Lose It will calculate how many calories you need to eat to get to your goal weight, in addition to also adjusting your caloric requirements based on the exercise you’ve had throughout the day.

10. Runkeeper (iTunes | Android)

If you want a simple, streamlined app to keep your runs in, Runkeeper can help. Runkeeper will log your pace, the length of your run, and the distance you’ve run all of which can be used to chart your progress. You can also set goals as needed.

With the above apps, you should be able to keep active, fit, healthy, and happy. By logging and remaining mindful about your activity levels, you can better increase and manage them. You just need to start downloading today.