My health is important to me because if I am not in good health, I can’t keep providing for my two teens and dogs. It also helps me have the energy to do all the things that I want to do in life. Advancements in technology have positive and negative outcomes for humans. The negatives:
- Sleep is being affected because everyone is staring at their screens in bed
- People prefer to stay home and binge-watch or play video games instead of moving around.
However, I feel the positives outweigh the negatives. With my phone, I have found some great workouts that I never would have known about if I wouldn’t have checked them out on Pinterest or YouTube. I also found some apps that are helping me adopt some healthy habits. Let’s not forget my FitBit. Here are my favorite apps that keep me healthy. Please share yours in the comments.
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal helps me log what I ate during the day, as well as my activity. The great thing about this app is that its food database is extensive, and it keeps growing because everyone contributes to it. There are times that I think something I ate is healthy, and then I check it out on MyFitnessPal. I was wrong. It makes me be more mindful about what I put in my mouth.
I also like that it has a lot of integrations with other apps like my FitBit and Apple Health. MyFitnessPal is owned by UnderArmour, so you have useful integrations with their other apps like MapMyRun, MapMyFitness, Endomondo. They have a great community, and you continue being motivated cause you can connect with your friends. Connect with me so we can keep each other motivated!
HasFit
HasFit is a married couple who does different workouts that you can do at home or at the gym. What I love about this YouTube channel is that the husband does the more advanced steps while the wife shows a more beginner/intermediate level version. Therefore, you don’t have to worry that you can’t do their workouts. Believe me, they work you out! They also have their own apps, so you don’t have to use YouTube. Another really good one is GymRa. Either one will get you sweating and getting your body moving.
Cyclemeter
I used to be a regular cyclist. Biking was one of my favorite activities to do, and I plan to get back into it next summer. This was when I learned about Cyclemeter. Out of all the apps I tested, Cyclemeter was the best one for cyclists. When I started running, I found out that it isn’t just a biking app, but you can use it for other activities. They even have different running plans (i.e., 5K, 10K, Marathon) so you can be ready for your next race. They have voice cues when you get to a certain distance, time, etc. I usually get annoyed with some of the app voices, but this one is nice. It even keeps track of your running shoes and will alert you when it’s time to replace them. This is not sponsored by them. I had to say that before saying that, I would go premium, especially if you are going to use their training plans. If you keep it up, you will reach your goal.
Pedometer++
Before getting a fitness tracker, I used the Pedometer++ app on my phone. It tracked my steps and connected to Apple Health. The gamification that was used on the app was also nice because it kept me walking so I could reach some of the badges you could get. If you have your phone on at all times, then this is the best step tracker app.
My Water Balance
When I was trying to increase my water intake, I found that having a separate app than MyFitnessPal and FitBit helped me know that I wasn’t drinking enough water. My Water Balance (IOS and Android) sends me notifications to remind to drink a cup of water, and it’s visible from my phone. It kept me drinking enough water where I wasn’t beating myself up the next day.
Pinterest is the best way to save all the workouts you want to get to later. If you have never used Pinterest, pins are basically bookmarks to different sites that users have collected with a pretty picture. I have found some great workouts on Pinterest. Today I went to the gym, and I used one of the full-body workouts that I found on there. You can organize them into sections. I have mine organized with sections for cardio, upper body, lower, body, full body. You can organize yours the way you want, but do it in a way that it’s easy to find the workout you want when you are in the middle of a workout. Please connect with me on there and check out the workouts I have saved.
SleepCycle
Sleep is very important. You can do everything else great, but if you aren’t sleeping well, then you might affect your mental and physical health. Everyone is different with how much sleep they need, but try to find what works for you. For me, I have to sleep at least seven hours or I am grumpy the next day. Sleep Cycle is a great app that keeps track of your sleeping. You place your phone under your pillow and sleep. The next day you will see how you slept and the quality percentage.
Calm
One of my good friends recommended that I meditate. At first, I thought it wasn’t for me, but I was wrong. I tried a few apps, and then I found Calm. I love Tamara’s voice. I also like that I learn some life lessons while I meditate. There are also sleep stories, but I can sleep in two seconds, but I have heard good things for people who have issues. I have the premium account, and I love that I have access to the entire library. My favorites have been the Relationship with One’s Self series and Relationship with Others series. This app has made it easy to meditate. This is from the person who thought she couldn’t do it, and I have been doing it for over two years.
Please share your favorite apps, and why it works for you.
