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As mobile devices become more integrated into daily life, people are turning to apps for guidance on maintaining or improving their physical health. Whether you’re looking to start a new workout routine or make healthier dietary choices, there’s a fitness app available to suit your needs. Good to know : for more ways to elevate your overall well-being, check out these mental health podcasts to add to your playlist .
Price : Free with premium options 30 Day Fitness Challenge ( Android , iOS ) is a great app for those who were never really heavily into fitness before but would like to start being more active. The app provides you with 30 days of workouts, ranging from easy to hard for the full body, abs, arms, etc. As you continue using 30 Day Fitness Challenge, the routines get progressively harder, as new exercises are added to the roster.
The app is perfect for beginners and features an animated coach (in the free version), who shows you how to do the exercise and provides helpful suggestions. Crucially, it provides a 30-second break between exercises (that you can skip), which fitness noobs will no doubt appreciate. Tip : learn how to use your Pixel phone to measure your pulse and respiratory rate .
Price : Free This free, no-strings-attached app from the world’s foremost maker of all things sporty is, as you’d expect, one of the most polished and detailed mobile fitness platforms around. Nike Training Club ( Android , iOS ) is all about body-weight workouts, ranging from yoga to conditioning to raw power. You can browse the numerous workouts in the app.
To find what you’re looking for more easily, sessions are categorized based on focus, muscle group, or equipment available. The Nike Training Club is the perfect app for working out at home. As a beginner, you’ll have access to clear instructions that will help you master each exercise correctly.
What’s more, the app includes a Guidance section where you can find articles on numerous topics, such as Nutrition, Movement, Rest, and Mindfulness. Price : Free with premium options MyFitnessPal ( Android , iOS ) is an app that focuses on the nutritional aspect of your health journey. It does, however, incorporate a few extra functions, such as workouts, sleep information, and recipes.
The app’s main function is to act as a calorie counter. Set a goal, such as losing weight and/or eating more fruit and vegetables, and MyFitnessPal calculates a calorie goal that you should work on every day to achieve your ideal weight. Input each meal to ensure you stay on track.
While keeping track of your daily caloric intake is available in the free version of the app, accessing more advanced features, such as workouts, meal plans, and a food analyzer, are all locked behind a paywall. FYI : looking to purchase a fitness wearable? Check out the fitness band buying guide . Price : Free with premium features 8Fit ( Android , iOS ) is a great app that gives you access to workouts and helps you maintain a healthy diet.
The only caveat here is that most features are sealed behind a paywall. With the free version, you get access to a few basic workouts and articles and have the ability to track your weight and activities. What we appreciate about 8Fit is that it allows users to test some of the features before forcing them to subscribe.
While the free resources don’t compare to some of the other apps on this list, 8Fit still provides plenty of options so that you can get an idea of whether the app is for you. Upgrading to Pro will unlock the full library of workouts available under categories, as well as exclusive weekly classes, personalized meal plans, healthy recipes, and a shopping list. Price : Free with premium options Freeletics ( Android , iOS ) is an app that offers home training solutions for people who are just starting out and don’t own any equipment, as well as more advanced users.
When you first set up the app, Freeletics will ask you a few questions to help determine your profile and level of fitness before generating a personalized track for you. You can manually set goals in the app, such as specifying designated exercise days. If you feel like you’re in need of encouragement, join Challenges , and invite friends to participate to keep each other motivated.
The free version only gives you access to a few workouts. To access the full library, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid subscription. This also unlocks features: building your own session, AI coach, and a nutrition plan.
FYI : want to listen to music while you’re exercising? Check out the best headphones for working out on a budget . Price : Free with premium options FitOn ( Android , iOS ) is a comprehensive app that provides users with a wide range of workouts led by popular trainers, including Sydney Belina, Kelsey Ellis, and others. Workouts offered in this app cover Yoga, Stretch, Meditation, HIIT, Kickboxing, Pilates, and more.
A Pro version unlocks some unique features. For instance, you can invite friends to join you in workouts via video call or download specific workouts for later offline use. FitOn is also a nutrition app that allows you to create healthy meal plans.
The app has a social component, too, that allows you to add other FitIOn users to encourage each other. View their updates in a feed and also get access to an advice section to read countless interesting articles on various health-related topics. Price : Free with premium options Yoga: everyone is doing it, so it’s only fitting that you get your phone involved in the action too.
Of all the yoga apps (and there are many), Daily Yoga ( Android , iOS ) is a very popular option among the health-conscious crowd. There are new yoga videos uploaded to the app every day, and you can choose intensities and lengths for your practice. With hundreds of individual exercises, the workout combinations are virtually endless.
You should be aware that the majority of programs are not available in the free version. You can, however, try a few without upgrading to the premium tier to see if the app is for you. Subscribers get access to a smart coach, master workshops, a pose library, meditation sessions, an ebook library, and much more.
Price : Free with premium options The Fitbit ( Android , iOS ) app is a health and fitness tracking platform designed to work with Fitbit devices and smartphones. Since Fitbit was purchased by Google, some Android users may find the app preinstalled on their phones. The app works as a step counter can monitor your sleep schedule, and as a log for your calorie intake.
Android users can add Health Connect to the Fitbit app to see an overview of data from all connected apps and devices. Users also get a Coach section, where they can find a collection of training programs. For those who want to dabble in mindfulness practice, there are several tracks available.
Tip : learn how to fix a Fitbit that is not charging . Price : Free with premium options If you’d rather have a professional assist you on your health improvement journey, you may want to take a look at Nudge (Android, iOS). Nudge has two separate apps: one for coaches and one for clients.
As a coach, start creating assignments via the Nudge coach web dashboard. There are various templates to take advantage of, which is really handy. If you don’t like the options, you can build your own.
Once a card is ready, assign it to your clients (after adding via the Coach dashboard). When the client opens the app, they can see their new assignments. A coach can add up to five clients in the free version.
A premium subscription lets coaches add more and unlocks more features, such as sequences, communities and data exports. Price : Free with premium options If you prefer outdoor activity trackers, then Strava ( Android , iOS ) is the app you need. The app uses your phone’s GPS to map your runs, walks, bike rides, and swimming sessions.
Strava is a unique app, as it boasts a strong social component that allows you to share your workouts on social media, as well as join challenges and interact with other Strava users via groups or events. The app can suggest routes for you based on your location. This is a feature that is available in the paid version, along with advanced analysis tools, group challenges with friends and other perks.
FYI : check out the best sports streaming platforms to watch the next game . Physical fitness is an important component of a healthy lifestyle, but so is your mental health. These health apps will help improve your overall well-being .
Don’t forget to exercise your mental muscles with these useful math games apps . Image credit: Unsplash . All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.
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