Health apps are taking the world by storm for a good reason. With the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear and other wearables on the market you can track basically any aspect of life, especially when it comes to your health. Even if you don’t have a “wearable” you can still use your smartphone to keep track of pretty much every aspect of your health and all of your workouts.
There are countless apps that you could use, but here are five fitness apps which are different enough that they stand above the rest. Use them every day and you’ll be fitter, more flexible, more committed, and more hydrated than ever. You may even end up better than Tony Perkis ever was in Heavyweights.
Waterlogged (Free)
Staying hydrated can be harder than it looks. In fact, many people find themselves dehydrated without even realizing it. Waterlogged fixes that. You decide what your water intake should be for the day, and the app uses reminders to help you track what you’ve had and how much more water you need to hit your goal for the day. Sure it’s simple, but staying hydrated can be incredibly powerful for your overall health.
12 Minute Athlete ($2.99)
The best thing about 12 minute fitness is how simple it is. In roughly 12 minutes, you get a high intensity interval training workout that makes fat cry tears of sweat. The app has more than 180 workouts to choose from, and you can choose your focus (strength, cardio, core) depending on your individual fitness goals.
Some workouts in the app work better if you have some minimal equipment, but if all you have is your own bodyweight, that’s fine. There are plenty of workouts that will keep your heart pumping. Quick animations lead you through each individual movement so you’re never left guessing what the exercise looks like.
And if you want more advanced workouts, you can upgrade to a premium membership, which includes a small monthly subscription. With more than 200 5-star reviews on iTunes, 12 Minute Athlete is definitely doing something right.
Strava (Free)
Nike+ and Map My Run have nothing on Strava. It’s super easy to track your running or cycling workout. Just start the app, and you’re on your way. You don’t have to worry about anything until you finish your workout. It also has a beautiful design and user experience. Strava is (in my opinion) one of the best apps for tracking your cardio workouts. .
Move Well (Free)
With all that working out, your body is going to need time to recover. With MoveWell, a video coach walks you through simple 10-15 minute mobility workouts to help ease your pain and get you moving better. And the best part? You pick the area you need the most help. If you want to warm up for a workout, there’s a routine for that. Are you feeling lower back or irritation with your IT band? There’s a workout for those too. Most workouts are included for free with the app, and a additional mobility routines that target specific areas are available for purchase.
Coach.me (Free)
This simple app works wonders for building and sticking to habits. Set a goal, choose how many days per week you want to do it, and you’re off! You can follow friends and give each other “props” for checking in. And when it comes to motivation, there’s nothing like looking at the calendar to see your uninterrupted string of “check ins”. I definitely wouldn’t want to break that record!
