Top 4 Fitness Apps to Get Your Body Moving
Tired of being a couch potato? Are you ready to lose some pounds? Packing on the weight is certainly easier than losing it, especially since our metabolism slows down as we become older. Between work, school, family and life, physical fitness can fall by the wayside. But getting older and becoming busier is no reason to ignore good health.
Even when you know the importance of being physically active, you might need a little motivation to get moving. The good thing about a cell phone is that the motivation you need fits right in the palm of your hand.
There are several apps designed to help you become more physically fit. Whether you’re looking to drop pounds, build muscle tone or improve your overall well-being, these four apps will point you in the right direction.
1. Lose It
Regardless of whether you need to lose 50, 30 or 10 pounds, reaching your weight loss goal can be a challenge, especially if you love food and don’t have a lot of time for exercise.
The Lose It app, however, provides the spark you need to stay focused. It comes with several user-friendly tools to track your meals, exercise and nutrition. The ability to log meals keeps you conscious of your eating habits, helping you eat less. Log your current weight and your target weight, and the app calculates the number of daily calories you need to achieve this goal.
Other features include weight loss challenges, the ability to log food by snapping a photo, meal planning and there’s even a serving size guide. The app is free to download.
Once you download this app, you’re able to easily track your diet and exercise to become more fit. My Fitness Pal features a 5 million+ food database, which makes it easier to log your meals and receive accurate calorie counts. This way, you know approximately how much you’re taking in calorie-wise each day.
There’s also a built-in tracker and GPS to calculate steps and estimate your calorie burn for different activities. Other features include a food barcode scanner, nutritional guide and community forum. The app is free to download, but premium members pay $9.99 a month.
3. FitBit
If you’ve purchased a Fitbit fitness tracker, the Fitbit app is a must-have for monitoring your progress. This app is one of the leading fitness apps available and provides resources and tools for achieving your target goal.
The Fitbit app tracks daily steps and, with its built-in heart rate monitor, you’ll receive a more accurate estimation of calories burned while active, whether you’re biking, jogging, walking or playing sports.
The app also tracks sleep patterns, plus there’s the option of challenging your friends to see who can get the most daily or weekly steps. Healthy competition is motivation in itself.
Other features include a fast food log, community groups, personal trainer videos, wireless syncing and goal trackers. The app is free to download.
If you want to get fit and make a difference, Charity Miles is the app for you. This unique fitness app is perfect because it lets you earn money for your favorite causes while you work out.
Charity Miles partners with sponsors who pay your favorite charity for every step you take—whether you’re playing with the kids, walking the dog or squeezing in a workout.
Here’s how it works: choose the charity you want to support. Before starting each activity, activate the app’s timer. Stop the timer when you’re done and for every mile you finish, Charity Miles’ sponsors will donate a few cents to your chosen charity. The app is free to download.
If you’re ready to get fit or lose weight, stop planning and get moving. Developing a routine is challenging. Even so, the right fitness app can provide the encouragement you need. Remember, every inch is a step in the right direction!