As much as we all want to stay fit, going to the gym regularly often feels like a burden. Considerably taking time for it can be quite a task. With a pandemic looming, gyms have become one of the places to avoid at all costs. However, shutting gyms does not mean you close the door to fitness on yourself. One can still stay fit while working out at home.
Fitness apps these days help you track your calorie intake and offer workout sessions and mindful exercises to keep you physically active. Having a fitness app on your phone can also give you the push you need to get up from the couch for a while.
If you have not downloaded one already, let’s get you one. Here is our list of top 10 fitness apps you ought to consider:
1. Google Fit
As convenient as Google’s other apps, Google fit is a free fitness app with good features. The app’s design is intuitive and offers a user-friendly interface for a seamless experience. Once you set up your profile on the app, it will improvise suggestions for you. For example, it will start recording your move minutes and heart points. In addition, you can track your number of daily steps and check them against the recommended count for your age, gender, etc.
You can always view your daily, weekly, or monthly activity overview and plan workouts and walks/jogs accordingly. One of the intriguing features of Google fit includes its compatibility with other health and fitness apps.
2. MyFitnessPal
One of the most downloaded fitness apps, My Fitness Pal, always comes through whenever you decide to take up a health goal. The app offers a variety of exercise sessions, including several cardio ones. Each workout session is tailored to meet your fitness goal accordingly. In addition, it allows the integration of more than 50 apps and devices, making it easier for you to track your workout sessions across all the devices you use.
One of the many reasons we prefer My Fitness Pal is its massive food database that rarely misses out on any food regarding the calorie count. The app is majorly known for its calorie-count feature. You can also set a weight goal and feed in the weight you aim for; the app will do the nutrition math for you.
3. CARROT Fit
Only available on Apple Store, CARROT Fit has a witty yet realistic approach to fitness. This app has rewards for those who slack around a lot and are looking for a proper push to get you to work out. The app offers small rewards as intriguing as letting you watch a friend eat a bag of chips (not sure if you would want to), which is intended to rush your happy hormone and give you all the more motivation to do the workout again using the app.
You can also unlock numerous advanced features upon successfully completing your sessions. In addition, the app constantly monitors your progress and changes its demeanor according to your progress (yes, the app can sound mean and rude if it is unhappy with your progress).
Availability: iOS
4. Sworkit
Sworkit is a workout/exercise app packed with numerous handy features. The app has something for every person, from stretches to intense workout sessions. All the sessions and routines are highly customizable, allowing you to set parameters and goals yourself. The app is fully paid but has a decent number of features for a fitness app. It functions seamlessly and keeps a record of all your sessions as well.
Sworkit is also compatible with many other prominent fitness apps like Google Fit, MyFitnessPal, etc. However, this app does not keep up with your progress or fit it (this feature is quite common among fitness apps).
5. Map My Run
One of the highly-rated fitness apps on the App Store and Google Play Store, Map My Run is not your ordinary running app. Instead, the app lets you record a bunch of fitness activities such as running, cycling, workouts, and other forms of exercise. The app uses the GPS of your phone to track your miles. In addition, the app announces your speed while you run so that you can catch up or slow down if required. Although free, a decent number of features are only available in the paid package.
One of this app’s most exciting features is its integration with the Apple music app. You can play songs through the running app while you complete your running target.
6. Runtastic
Runtastic is a fitness app by Adidas. The sports brand started its running app with good enough features. Designed primarily for runners, the app can track your outdoor running activities and indoor ones. Since the app uses GPS, not the phone’s built-in accelerometer, it does not recognize the treadmill runs. The app has social media integration that lets you share your stats with your family and friends. In addition, the app knits the users in a social circle where they can look at what running activities others are up to.
The app has a load of other features offering different types of workouts. You can even set a specific goal and feed it in the app. In addition, other handy apps like Pedometer and Altimeter can be used integrated with Runtastic.
7. Fooducate
Mainly concerned with nutrition, Fooducate is a nutrition-based fitness app that tracks your calorie and another nutrient intake. One of the prerequisites of keeping yourself fit is monitoring your dietary habits. This app is specially designed for people who are conscious about their food and are always looking for healthy alternatives. The app makes you feed your biometrics first so that it can proceed with the calorie tracker and other features as per your requirement. For example, if you aim to lose weight, you can easily do so by following the calorie intake that is a must for your health.
The food library provides insights into the nutrients in some of the most commonly consumed foods. In addition, you can log every meal so the app can calculate your daily calorie and another nutrient intake. This way, apart from running and working out, you can keep fit through healthy eating habits through Fooducate.
8. Headspace
A healthy mind ensures a healthy body. So while you have an app for your workout sessions and another for tracking your calories, Headspace could be perfect for your Headspace (pun intended). The mindfulness app offers a free 10-day trial afterward, of which the users are asked to pay. Each session in the trial version is 10 minutes long and has an infographic explanatory video with it. It is after you have completed your first session that you can unlock the next one. Each session is carefully designed to complement the one preceding it.
The app also sends interesting pop-up messages to motivate users. Users can set reminders for their sessions on the app as well. The app has a FAQ page where users can interact with the rest of the community, share their experiences with the app, and help each other out.
9. My Virtual Mission
One of the year’s most popular apps, My Virtual Mission, makes staying fit fun. The app lets you create fitness missions that you are supposed to complete. You can also challenge others to achieve your virtual mission. The users around the globe are connected through the app and can interact with each other on exercises and workout sessions.
The app has a library of virtual missions you can complete. You can choose from several missions and monitor your progress once you complete the chosen mission. The app also allows users to set a time limit for each activity. This is ideal for people who tend to slack while working out. What sets this app apart from many others is its group mission feature. The group missions aim to encourage people to stay fit, with every group member playing their part.
10. Fitbit Coach
Designed for wearables, the Fitbit coach takes your fitness wearable up a notch with its numerous features. The app is available for Android as well as iOS and is paid. The app links your wearable to the smartphone. By tracking your daily activities, it recommends a variety of relevant exercises and workouts. You can browse the app on your smartphone and set goals too. Choose from a diverse collection of routines as per your requirements. Once you complete a workout session, the difficulty level gradually increases. It is a subscription coaching service that helps you achieve your fitness goals.
Formerly known as Fitstar Personal Trainer, the app got rebranded and updated to meet a much broader audience’s needs.
All in all, there are multiple great options when it comes to a fitness app. First, decide what fitness routine you should take up, and then pick the app that goes well with it.
Do let us know in the comments section below if there’s another one you think is worth making it to our top 10 list of best fitness apps.
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