The fitness sphere has exploded recently, especially regarding personal technology. We have new ways to track our fitness levels, tools to help us eat healthier, and even guided plans on building muscle. And that’s just the start!
There are so many ways to stay fit and many technologies to help us reach our fitness and health goals. There are just so many to pick from: there are apps for overall physical and mental health, nutrition, and even specific ones for fitness and weight loss.
Today, we thought we'd take a minute to focus on fitness. Some apps log calories burned during cardio exercise, others allow you to track what you eat, and others still offer professional fitness coaches and similar services. These Android and iPhone fitness tracking apps can help with whatever you're looking for. Read on to find out more.
The NutriSense app works with continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) to provide insights into blood sugar management and help you optimize your health.
CGMs allow you to make informed decisions about lifestyle choices like your fitness regime by providing real-time data on blood sugar levels.
The best part about this app is that you also receive one-on-one in-app support from a credentialed dietitian or nutritionist when you sign up for a commitment program.
Download NutriSense for Android, Apple
Runkeeper is a fitness tracking app that uses GPS to record your speed and the distance you cover during a run, giving you the data you need to break down a particular workout.
Besides running, the app can track you when performing cardiovascular activities, including walking, cycling, hiking, and skiing.
You can use the app to meet your fitness goals, and there is even a training option for when you want to prepare for competitive running events.
Download Runkeeper for Android, Apple
The workout tracking app JEFIT puts you in control of your gym routine. It’s for those who want to get the most out of muscle-building, so it is a bit niche, but it does have valuable tips and tools to track your muscle-building workouts.
The JEFIT app is beneficial if your routine has become monotonous. The paid version is relatively inexpensive compared to other fitness tracking apps and includes progress reports, premium workout routines, and priority support.
Download JEFIT for Android, iPhone
Charities funded by regular people who exercise sound almost like a Utopian dream: You download a free fitness tracking app, choose a charity from a list, and walk, run, or bike, and the charity gets paid out for every mile you complete.
But that’s what the Charity Miles app does, and it tracks your workout via GPS, donating money to the charities you pick.
You can stick with a single charity or pick a new one each time you exercise. The concept is interesting and serves as motivation for exercising.
Download the Charity Miles app for Android, iPhone
This app has short- and medium-length video exercises you can follow along with, targeted at different muscle groups. Certified personal trainers demonstrate the routines, and they have on-screen instructions and countdown timers, so you know how long each set will be.
The paid version is ad-free and has more workout routines, including Pilates, kettlebell, stretch, and ball workouts.
Download Daily Workouts for Android, Apple
The PEAR Sports fitness app connects you with a vast selection of workouts and fitness training exercises spread across various categories. There is no free version; it is subscription-based only.
You’ll also need a wearable fitness device that tracks your heart rate.
However, you get personalized coaching based on your heart rate while exercising, and you can track your calories burned, pace, distance traveled, time spent exercising, and heart rate in the app.
Download the PEAR Sports app for Android, iPhone
An app that focuses on fitness plans and tracking to help you reach your goals, Sworkit makes for a lovely workout companion.
The app features a massive range of exercises and workouts, and you can customize workouts to find something that suits you best. The paid version adds trainer support and is relatively cheap.
Download Sworkit for Android, Apple
The Fitbit app is excellent if you have a Fitbit device. The free version has everything you’ll need to track your fitness, with the paid version adding deeper insights and extra social integration.
The app can also integrate with other fitness apps, such as MyFitnessPal and Strava, so you can use your Fitbit device to share your exercise activity between those apps.
Download the Fitbit app for Android, Apple
One of the more recent apps, FitOn, offers free workout and fitness plans. There is a paid version of the app, too, which includes personalized meal plans, workout music, and the ability to connect a device to monitor heart rate.
The FitOn platform has a good selection of workout videos spread across various exercise types; however, there seems to be no overarching structure to the videos.
Download the FitOn app for Android, Apple
MyFitnessPal isn’t a fitness app in the exercise sense, but it can help with weight management and calorie counting. It allows you to track the foods you eat and see how they match your weight loss goals.
The system has a nifty graph of your weight, telling you how you’ve done over time. It’s simple but requires a bit of user input.
Download MyFitnessPal for Android, Apple
Forte is an app offering on-demand and in person personal health and fitness instruction.
With Forte, you can access anything from 1-1 coaching to group classes from skilled specialists in your area.
Access Forte and download the app here.
Gym memberships or fitness apps? While there are still benefits to a traditional gym, you can get fitness tracking apps for free, and even with paid subscriptions, you can stay fit in the comfort of your home.
That’s a huge bonus when you consider that many fitness apps have classes and videos to exercise along with, many of which even offer a level of personalization to tailor exercises to your fitness levels.
Some apps even connect you with other users and lend a sense of community to your workouts. Others put the fitness data in your hands, allowing you to track your fitness levels and stay on the path to achieving your health goals.
They're becoming a more attractive option than traditional gym memberships any way you look at them.
While most other apps either provide fitness videos to exercise or need you to input your meal and run data, the NutriSense app gets all the information on your health via the continuous glucose monitor (CGM).
It tracks your blood sugar levels and tells you how the food you’ve eaten, your stress levels, your exercise, and your sleep might affect your fitness and health.
With a NutriSense subscription, you’ll have access to dietitian support to help you read and understand the data. This way, you can discover new options better suited to your body’s metabolism and develop lifestyle habits that are easy to adopt and that make you healthier.