Lose Weight, Get Fit, Stay Healthy with These 11 Apps
Credit: Raw Pixel
2020 is here, and with every new year comes new resolutions that we usually wouldn't keep. Luckily for us, we live in the 21st century, and that includes all of the tools and apps we need to help us stick to our goals.
One of the most common New Year resolutions is to lose weight and get fit. The App Store is chock-full of health and fitness apps to keep you on track. Whether you're looking to stay hydrated, get a good night's sleep, be more mindful, or lose weight, there's something for you. Continue reading to browse our top 11 picks for apps that will keep you fit and healthy.
Lose It!
Like many of the apps on this list, Lose It! is one that thousands of people love and swear by. The app has over 360K ratings on the Apps Store with 4.7 stars.
It's easy to see why Lose It! is one of the best apps for people who want to be more conscious about their health. In addition to your regular calorie counting, Lose It! helps you set weight goals (including maintaining and gaining weight) and keeps track of your food intake. It's kind of like a food journal that lets you see everything you've eaten and when. Just search the app's extensive database for your favorite foods—including popular restaurants—or add your own.
In addition, Lose It! syncs with Apple Health, which means all of the nutritional and health data recorded in the app is synced with HealthKit (and vice versa). HealthKit can be extremely helpful for viewing all of your data in one easy-to-use app, and syncing data between your favorite apps.
Lose It! is free to download and use. A premium subscription with more features is available through an in-app purchase. Get Lose It! from the App Store.
WaterMinder
Staying hydrated is an important part of your physical wellbeing. For years, I've been using WaterMinder to track my hydration intake. Recently I've started using a smart water bottle with its own app (more on that in a bit), but I continue to use WaterMinder for manually logging liquids, including those that aren't water.
Like most of the apps on this list, WaterMinder supports HealthKit. It also lets you set up your favorite beverages (and custom ones, too) and assigns a hydration score to different drinks. You can easily add to your daily intake using the widget or Siri; and, it supports Apple's new Shortcuts app.
The app is extremely customizable. In addition to custom drinks and Siri Shortcuts, WaterMinder lets you change the appearance of the app and even the icon. You can set a goal or let the app calculate a goal for you. You can even view—and customize—a cool visualization of how much water (or other drinks) you drank.
WaterMinder is $4.99. I know that may seem like a lot for an app, but I'm a big believer in paying for apps rather than dealing with ads or in-app purchases. The app is well-designed and regularly updated, and it's a small price to pay for staying healthy and obtaining your goals. Purchase WaterMinder from the App Store.
HidrateSpark
WaterMinder is great for tracking your hydration levels, but sometimes it's easy to forget to log your water. Wouldn't it be nice if your phone just knew how much water you were drinking?
With that in mind I searched the Internet for a smart water bottle and found out there are quite a few of them. After doing my research, I purchased a HidrateSpark 3 Smart Water Bottle, and... I love it!
The HidrateSpark 3 is a bit pricey for a water bottle ($60), but it's high quality and a great way to get serious about your health. The smart bottle lights up to remind you to drink more water and automatically logs how much you drink throughout the day. Bottom line is this: it just works.
The free HidrateSpark app works with HealthKit; which is great, because, to be honest, I don't really like their app. It's a fine app, I just like WaterMinder better, especially because it can log other drinks besides water. Both will sync up with each other, so the water you drink with your HidrateSpark can show up in WaterMinder.
The app also keeps track of your location, so if you forget or lose your HidrateSpark 3 bottle you can find out where it was connected last within the app.
The HidrateSpark 3 smart water bottle currently comes in six colors, has a 20 ounce capacity, supports three "glow styles," and the built in battery lasts for months. The bottle comes apart, making it easy to clean and replace the battery. In addition, the polypropylene bottle is food-safe and BPA-free.
Nike Run Club
Nike and Apple have had a good relationship for years. They've even made shoes together. Currently, Apple offers Nike versions of its Apple Watch, and Nike Run Club (NRC) is available on watchOS, iOS, and Android.
The NRC app features guided run workouts, coaching plans, and lets you connect and compete with your friends. It's the perfect companion for your Apple Watch, and it's a stylish looking app that's intuitive and easy to use.
Currently, the NRC app has 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store with about 300K ratings. It's free to download and use. Get Nike Run Club from the App Store.
Pillow
Sleep is an important part of your physical and mental wellbeing and there are a number of apps out there that help you track and analyze your sleep. Pillow is one of my all-time favorite sleep trackers.
It doesn't require any additional hardware, but if you have an Apple Watch it works even better. Best of all, it just works. Go to sleep, wake up, that's it.
If you don't have an Apple Watch, you can still use the app by starting your sleep session before you go to bed. The app can analyze your movements using the sensors within your phone and can monitor the sounds within the room to gauge whether you're sleeping and if you snore.
In addition to sleep tracking, Pillow can help you fall asleep with soothing sounds. Additionally, you can view an in-depth analysis of your sleep data and get feedback based on your sleeping patters and habits.
Pillow is free to download and use, but offers premium features as a monthly or annual subscription. You can get Pillow from the App Store.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal, from Under Armour, is a big deal. Like "almost 1 million ratings on the App Store" big deal. It's easy to see why, too. This app isn't just a one-and-done, it does just about everything.
The MyFitnessPal app is an all-in-one fitness solution. It can keep track of what you're eating, log steps and exercise, and help you stay motivated by competing with friends. Additionally, it's compatible with many other apps and services. In addition to Apple's HealthKit and Apple Watch, MyFitnessPal also interfaces with FitBit, Garmin, and more.
This app isn't for everyone, but it is a universal app that's compatible with a myriad of services and has a large subscription base. Speaking of subscriptions, the app is free to download, but at $9.99 per month, it's not cheap. Users can save a little money with a $49.99 annual subscription. Get MyFitnessPal from the App Store.
Noom
Like Lose It! and MyFitnessPal, Noom can help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Unlike the other two, Noom takes a more psychological approach to weight management by focusing on behavior and healthy habits.
In addition to dieting, Noom encourages healthy mindsets, teaches you about the 13 types of hunger, and helps you form healthy habits for life.
If you're looking to keep your 2020 health resolutions, Noom is likely a great candidate. It's free to download and has a subscription plan as an in-app-purchase. Get Noom from the App Store.
Oak
Health and fitness aren't just physical. In addition to healthy eating, drinking, and sleeping habits, meditation and mindfulness play an important part in our emotional and mental health.
Oak has a couple of guided and open meditation and breathing courses to get you started. Additional options can be added via an in-app purchase. Get Oak from the App Store.
Lifesum
If you're looking for a new diet, Lifesum is a good place to start. You'll find a diet that works for you and the app will work with you to help you reach your goals.
In addition to calorie tracking, Lifesum will help you find recipes that meet your dietary needs. Over 40 million users have tried Lifesum and they currently have a 4.6 star rating on the App Store.
Like many health apps, Lifesum is free to download and offers a subscription via in-app-purchase. Get Lifesum from the App Store.
Headspace
If you're looking for a more robust mediation app than Oak, Headspace is a good bet. It has hundreds of exercises to help you achieve peak enlightenment, and even has options to help you fall asleep.
Headspace is free to download, but that doesn't mean it's cheap. It's $12.99 per month, $69.99 per year, or a whopping $399.99 for a lifetime subscription. That being said, it has 4.9 stars. Get Headspace from the App Store
Sweatcoin
I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of exercise. I'm a nerd who flies drones, works from a desk, and plays video games with my kids. Don't get me wrong, I get out (sometimes), but being overly active just isn't my thing.
That being said, what if you were being paid to be active? Sounds too good to be true, right? Sweatcoin decided to do just that. The app takes your steps and turns them into dough. Kind of.
You don't get a paycheck, or anything like that. Instead, it's a rewards program. The more you walk, the more you earn. Sweatcoin makes its money through partnerships, like insurance companies, that are aiming to keep you healthy and keep their costs down.
You can use your Sweatcoins to purchase all kinds of things, from headphones to audiobooks. Remember Headspace, the meditation app? You can even use Sweatcoin to get a free or discounted subscription.
Sweatcoin is free to download, but it does have a subscription fee of 99 cents per month. Get Sweatcoin from the App Store