Technology Update: Fitness Apps to Keep You on Track

By: Matt Weik

The Apple iWatch has been around for quite a while now and has several versions to choose from. Regardless of the version, there are some great apps out there that can help you with your health and fitness goals.  This article will showcase some of the top health and fitness apps for the iWatch and they won’t cost you a dime.

Activity

When you first purchase your iWatch, by default it comes with its own fitness app called, Activity. This app allows you to monitor how many steps you took during the day along with the distance, how many times you stood up during the day, how much exercise you got, and how much you moved along with the calories burned.  When you are exercising, it can also monitor your heart rate to give you a fairly accurate count of how many calories you have burned.

There are several different workouts you can choose from which include indoor walking or cycling as well as outdoor activities like running, jogging, and walking. For those who weight train, while there is no set workout for hitting the weights, you can use the “other” feature which will be able to monitor your heart rate and give you a general idea of how many calories you are burning during your resistance training.

This is a great resource without the need to go out in search for more apps, but if you want more data, you’re going to need to shop around for an app that suits the individual wants and needs that align with your goals.

Gymaholic

As mentioned above under the Activity app, the one key thing it was missing was the ability to track your resistance training workouts. Gymaholic enables you to track all of it.  If you aren’t sure how to complete an exercise, it shows you a video on how it should be completed.  You are also able to log your workouts in terms of weight, reps, and sets.  The app also allows you to track your heart rate as well as your weight and body measurements.

Another cool feature is that you can create your own transformation videos by uploading images or taking them within the app. One of the hardest things to do is gauge your progress when you see yourself every day. Minor changes add up to huge accomplishments, but unless you saw the before and after, it’s difficult to see the big picture when you live it every day. If you’re looking for a step up from your default app on your iWatch, Gymaholic could be a savior if you are in need of a health and fitness tracker.

Lark

For those of us who use Siri, we know how easy it is to get information you are looking for simply by asking a question. Lark is ultimately your personal health and fitness coach right on your phone or iWatch.  This app does offer an upgrade for a broader spectrum of options, but what it offers is pretty dang cool.  Lark allows you to track your foods, weight, sleep patterns, exercise, and more right from your iWatch.  Lark can ask you what you ate for breakfast to keep track of your nutrition.  You simply tell the app through speech what you ate and it records it as well as gives you information about your choice.

For instance, if Lark asks you what you ate and you said eggs and bacon, Lark will scan your habits and tell you how many times you had bacon that week and you can get more energy through eating a leaner source of protein for breakfast. The fact that it gives you instant feedback is pretty unique and unlike any other app out there today.

The app itself is designed for people who want to minimize the amount of time spent recording their health stats each day as well as allowing people to get instant feedback on the choices they made. You no longer have to run a report or wait until the end of the day to find out where you are at.  Lark can help keep you up-to-date no matter the time of day.

Runkeeper

For those of you who enjoy running, this app is right up your alley. With the ability to track your runs via GPS, this app can give you instant information on how long you have been exercising, your pace, routes, and more.  What’s even better is that you don’t have to take your phone with you in order to utilize the app during your run.

Maybe it’s a rainy day and you’re forced to stay indoors? No worries.  Runkeeper allows you to choose indoor activities as well such as work on the treadmill, bike, or even resistance training workouts.  The app even offers challenges to keep things fresh and helps push you harder than you would by yourself without a dedicated challenge.

While this app is free, there are many different versions of the app that you can pay to upgrade to depending on what you wanted out of the app experience in terms of tracking capabilities. If you love to run and are looking for a way to track everything in one convenient location, Runkeeper is something you should definitely consider.

3 Minute Mindfulness

If you’re like every other person roaming this earth, then you’re no stranger to stress. This app allows you the ability to spend three minutes of your day working on centering yourself and removing the stress, anxiety, or nervousness you may be feeling.  The app gives you the ability to relax, calm yourself, and can even give you reminders throughout the day to breathe and smile.  3 Minute Mindfulness can help you increase your overall focus, calm your mood, reduce stress levels, relieve anxiety, improve your sleep, and give you a better sense of wellbeing during the day.

The app can be used in the morning, afternoon, at night, or just about any time you need to level yourself out. The app will walk you through different breathing techniques, meditation techniques, as well as different techniques that are no longer than three minutes in length.  If you find you’re constantly feeling stressed, this app might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Seven

Are you just getting started with your health and fitness journey, and aren’t too sure what you’re doing? Seven is an app that allows you to go through a step-by-step workout that will take you seven minutes.  Another nice feature of not needing to think about your workout, is that everything is right on your iWatch so you don’t need to be fumbling around with your phone when you’re working out.  Simply look at your wrist for the next exercise and get to it.

The app on your watch will give you a timer for the exercise you are to complete as well as the body position needed. You are even able to use the voiceover so you can hear your instructions from the app.  So, if you feel like you have no clue what you are doing and need a little more guidance, download Seven and let the app put you through some workouts.  This is a great way to get your feet wet exercising before considering joining a gym and paying for a membership.

MyFitnessPal

An app that many have on their smartphones already, can now be used on your wrist. MyFitnessPal allows you to track your food for the day, see how many calories and macros you have left, gives you the ability to track and record your weight and body fat (you need to input that information or use a scale that syncs to the app), tracks your workouts, and allows you to interact with their community to stay motivated throughout your health and fitness journey.

If you wanted to quickly add some calories to your log from a meal you just ate, you don’t even have to pick up your phone, you can simply log it right through your iWatch. Directly from the app on your iWatch you can also see how many steps you’ve taken during the day, your macro/micro breakdown for the day, and log how many cups of water you just consumed.  So, if you’ve already been utilizing MyFitnessPal on your phone, it only makes sense to start utilizing the capabilities of the app right there on your wrist.  And if you haven’t been using this app at all, I highly recommend doing so.

The IML Blog section here at DigitalMuscle.com is loaded with great info to help you along your fitness and muscle building journey. Check it out!