Top 5 Health And Fitness Apps - Who Said Technology Couldn’t Help You De-Stress?
Anything technological gets a bad rap when it comes to being healthy these days! However, they can actually keep us staying motivated to exercise and give us purpose and structure in our fight to keep fit, both mentally and physically.
In fact some life-insurance companies have health and fitness-based discount schemes – for example John Hancock's Vitality Program has program that uses a fitness device, like a Fitbit, to track your physical activity. Policyholders who meet certain health-related goals are awarded with Vitality Points which when accumulated can earn as much as 15% off a typical policy.
The trend towards encouraging individuals to take preventative action to preserve their mental health is growing, and so you may wonder, does insurance cover therapy?. The good news is that under the terms of the Affordable Care Act 2010 all health plans must cover behavioral therapy, including psychotherapy and counseling, mental and behavioral health services, and substance abuse disorders – however, some providers limit the number of times that you may see a therapist.
So if the ever competitive insurance industry recognizes and actively rewards those who strive to stay physically and mentally healthy, why not save more money and use simple and inexpensive apps to aid you?
In a recent study, one of the top reasons why people were found to buy portable audio devices is to have them as fitness companions. And you may not know it just by looking at them, but the iPhone and iPodTouch are excellent tools for watching your weight and keeping in shape--you just need the proper enhancements. At the same time, a healthier body improves your metal state and helps you to de-stress.
First and foremost, if you're going to be exposing your skinny little iPod to the indelicate environs of the gym, make sure you wrap it up in a nice, protective case. Then it's onto the fun stuff: apps. The iPhone and iPod Touch have a vast array of third-party applications tailored to get you fit!
There are a ton of options but we have saved you the hassle of wading through them and have rounded up six of our favorite helath and fitness apps right here.
1. Lose It
Cost: Free
Pros: Won't cost you a dime; provides a simple way to track calories ingested in the form of food and expended in the form of exercise; has a fairly extensive library of standard and brand-name foods with accurate calorie, carb, fiber, fat, and protein values, all of which are trackable within the app; lets you set weight-loss goals and track over time.
Cons: Calorie budget and burn amounts per exercise aren't necessarily accurate for all users, as the program doesn't let you input your activity level or body fat percentage; certain foods have limited input amounts (for example, only cups when you might like to enter weight in grams instead); inputting data can become tedious over time.
Good for: Diligent record keepers who are serious about losing weight, or anyone who wants to gauge his or her overall calorie/carb/fat/protein/fiber consumption for reference in health and weight loss.
2. Fitness Pro
Cost: Free
Pros: This app is easier to carry around than a fitness magazine and offers the added bonus of an electronic log for your workouts; offers tips for newbies on types of cardio and proper form; lets you select exercises by individual muscle; some exercises can be done at home, with minimal equipment; includes a handful of preprogrammed routines and you can create your own as well.
Cons: All of the included routines require hard-core gym equipment; the exercises are pretty standard, so there will be no surprises for the seasoned fitness fanatic.
Good for: Fitness magazine faithful who are looking for a more pocket-friendly and flexible way to add new exercises and routines to their workouts; this app is also a good free option to be used in conjunction with Lose It for getting into better shape.
3. GymGoal ABC
Cost: $0.99
Pros: The free version offers 280 exercises with animations, and you can add your own images to any exercise; includes a variety of calculators, such as for target heart rate, BMI, BMR, and body fat percentage; an integrated body map of muscles lets you hone in on the specific area you would like to work and provides exercises designed for that muscle group.
Cons: As the name suggests, all the workouts are geared for use in a gym, with all the equipment you would find therein; there are very few workout routines and no cardio offerings; graphical interface seems dated.
Good for: Gym newbies who are looking for proper instruction on how to lift and use gym equipment without injury, or cardio fiends who want to add specified muscle toning to their routines. If you want to record and track workouts, a full version is available for $2.99.
Cost: $6.99
Pros: FitnessBuilder comes with a massive library of targeted fitness routines as well as individual exercises; lets you narrow options by your location (gym, hotel room) and goal (core, flexibility); tracks completed workouts by date; includes a variety of calculators and stat trackers; offers a workout builder tool for easily tailoring your own routines.
Cons: It's expensive for an app, and it would be nice if there was a way to automatically play (properly timed) slideshows of routines to eliminate the need to swipe through each exercise by hand--an audio guide would be even better; it's not a simple app, and the complexity means it will take time and patience to use it to the fullest; the form used by some of the models is not perfect.
Good for: Experienced fitness freaks, dedicated exercisers who want a large variety of fitness routines with all the bells and whistles available in the palm of their hands, or anyone who wants to get in tip-top shape but can't afford a personal trainer.
5. iTreadmill
Cost: $0.99
Pros: The app accurately tracks steps, distance, and average speed while in a hand, strapped to an arm, or carried in a pocket or purse; sensor and stride calibrators help you ensure the utmost accuracy; includes a calorie counter and a pacer for setting speed goals.
Cons: The calorie counter is based on weight alone, so it may not be entirely accurate; would be a better treadmill replicator if there was a sensor for detecting incline.
Good for: Walkaholics who constantly carry their devices on them and are trying to reach a step-a-day goal, and couch potatoes who need a nonthreatening way to ease back into fitness.
This is one of the best known meditation apps that you can listen to to help you through all types of difficult situations and to help you relax.
Pros: Easy to use with a meditation to suit everyone.
Cons: Expense - $96 per year
Good For: Beginners who want to learn mindfulness meditations, and avoids the potential embarrassment of doing classes in person.
So there you have it, health, fitness, and mind space training all at your fingertips. We hope this guide will get you moving forward on your fitness journey, let us know how this technology helps you.