Is There An APP for That?

 

Caroline’s Choice Health and Fitness Applications

It never ceases to amaze me how no one seems to look UP when they walk anymore. Or how we can pack ourselves into a crowded bus and ride the entire trip without saying a word to one another. Our growing phone addiction may be hurting our social skills, but it has increased the efficiency and ease of our daily lives. Not only that, but it’s strengthened our ability to reach our health goals with the genius creation of downloadable applications. In our tech savvy society  fitness, nutrition, and health services are just one click away. Using these applications can help guide you in your goals, track your progress, and boost motivation when the going gets tough.

Here is a collection of a few of my favorite health and fitness related applications. Wether you are working on weight loss, improving your running form, or just need new ideas for a core workout, these services are worth checking out. Support at your fingertips. Download now and GO FOR IT!

Caroline’s Choice Health and Fitness Applications

I WORK OUT. Training, Sweating, and Sport applications. 

Nike Training Club

Nike’s personal training app. Users enter their current fitness levels and find exercises that help them reach their goals. Users can even try workouts from celebrities, professional athletes, and trainers. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Workout Trainer

This app from Skimble gives users exercise advice from personal trainers. Get photo, video, and audio instruction while working out, whether the focus is yoga or weightlifting. You can also let friends know what those muscles are up to by sharing workouts on social media. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.

Nike+ GPS

I use this app a lot and some of you have even given me cheers on facebook (totally gets me running faster, so THANK YOU 🙂 NIKE + GPS offers users a GPS and coach on the go. Track running routes and record the pace and distance of every workout. Post live updates on social media and hear cheers every time friends check out the status! Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

STRAVA 

Strava lets athletes all over the world experience social fitness—sharing, comparing and competing with each other’s personal fitness data via mobile and online apps. Currently focused on the needs of avid cyclists and runners, Strava lets you track your rides and runs via your iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS device to analyze and quantify your performance. Strava makes fitness a social experience, providing motivation and camaraderie even if you’re exercising alone.

Tabata PRO

Twenty Seconds ON, ten off. Tabatas are 8 ROUNDS of intense fitness! This app makes it easier to time your tabata drills and stay honest about your work time. Tabata Pro is a powerful tabata timer for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. It is full featured, simple to use, and designed for tabata interval training, weight training, running, cycling, or any interval fitness training.

MapMyRun

MapMyRun tracks runners’ exact routes. Plus the app records other features of a workout like speed, distance, pace, and calories burned. Users can share their achievements with friends on social media. There are also versions for walking, hiking, biking, and triathlons. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, and Blackberry.

runtastic

Technology that measures running time and distance, plus how many calories runners burn. Users track their progress toward fitness goals; they can even send friends live updates and photos of the wind in their hair. Other versions are designed for walking, road biking, mountain biking, and winter sports. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows, and Bada.

I EAT WELL.  Nutrition / Healthy Eating apps

Whole Foods Market Recipes

I LOVE my local whole foods and they just got even better with an application! Search for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes that use only natural and organic foods. There are even options for specific diets, like gluten-free and vegan. And amateur chefs are welcome — enter the ingredients currently in the fridge and the app figures out how to combine them in a healthy concoction. For more adventurous chefs, the Whole Foods Market Missions app offers ways to prepare less conventional healthy meals. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Fooducate

Chosen as a 2011 best iPhone Health & Fitness app, Fooducate turns smartphones into scanners. Pick a food product and scan the bar code to get all the details on the nutrients inside. Users can even compare different items to find the healthiest, tastiest, most affordable choice. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.

ShopWell

ShopWell rates thousands of food products based on users’ specific nutritional needs. Whip out the smartphone on the next supermarket visit to get a personal shopping list with the best options around. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Cookwell

This app is designed for beginners who want to learn how to cook nutritious food. Create weekly meal plans and grocery lists, plus find practical recipes for meals and snacks. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

CookingLight Quick & Healthy Menu Maker

The Cooking Light app helps solve the problem of how to prepare healthy, tasty food on a tight schedule. Find recipes and photos of satisfying meals, complete with nutritional info. Share favorites on social media! Available on the iPhone and iPad.

Cook It Allergy Free

Gluten free is no reason to have a boring diet. For anyone who suffers from food sensitivities or who just wants to find more nutritious recipes, this app is perfect. It’s got recipes without gluten, dairy, nuts, and eggs; plus it offers easy substitutions for any of these ingredients. Design personal shopping lists and recipe folders that make trips to the grocery store a breeze. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Yumee

Looking for a restaurant to fit your healthy eating specifics? This app is for you. Released November 2011, Yumee scopes out local digs to find places (and even specific menu items) that meet users’ nutritional requirements. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.

I AM A HAPPY WEIGHT. Weight Loss applications

Spark People Diet & Food Tracker

SparkPeople is the most popular diet and fitness site in the USA with its own application to inspire a healthy life. Users create daily meal plans based on personal health goals. Then log workouts and meals with a database of more than a million foods and track progress over time. The Healthy Recipes app is also useful for planning good eats. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, and Android.

MyPlate Calorie Tracker

This Livestrong.com app has got almost all the benefits of a nutritionist and personal trainer. It works with MyPlate online, where users can determine a target calorie range. Enter the calorie goal and search more than a million food items for nutritional information. A fitness database also includes different activities and how many calories each one burns. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, and Windows.

MyFitnessPal

Like Livestrong, this popular product also lets users track their daily activity and food intake. Nutritional info’s available for almost any food, from filet mignon to PB&J. The app even comes with a bar code scanner, so users can find out that cereal’s not so nutritious before they buy it. Get support from friends with similar health goals and track each other’s progress. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Blackberry, Android, and Windows.

MealSnap

Like to take photos? This app is for you. Users take a photo of their meal and this DailyBurn app gives a rough idea of the nutritional info and the calories. It’s also possible to share meals on social networks so friends can drool when they see the nutritious Nicoise salad you ate for lunch. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Lose It!

This app’s got it all for those looking to lose a few. Set a daily calorie goal; then achieve it by tracking physical activity and intake of specific nutrients. Search for new recipes and exercises and sign up for regular progress reports. Then broadcast big accomplishments to buds on social media. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

CalorieCounter

End calorie confusion with an app that lets users look up the caloric value of pretty much any food product. Enter the name of the food manually, say it out loud, or get super-hi-tech and scan the bar code. The app shows detailed nutritional information plus a grade for every food based on how healthful it really is. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.

I AM WELL. Physical / Mental Health apps.

HealthTap Express

The answer to all your quick questions for your doctor. Just enter a question on HealthTap Express and a doctor will respond ASAP. The service is available 24/7, so even when a fever strikes at 3 am, someone will be ready with information. Users can even find local doctors and check out their tips before an appointment. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.

GlucoseBuddy

This app may be just what diabetics have been waiting for. Users can monitor blood glucose levels, record when they take medication, and track their food intake and activity. Available for free on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

SleepCycle

This bio-alarm clock tracks users’ sleep patterns and rouses them when they’re in the lightest sleep phase, for the least torturous wake-up possible. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Stress Check

Stop stress with an APP? Sure why not! The technology uses physiological signals to measure stress levels. And by tracking this data over time, the app helps users figure out what situations (overflowing Gmail inbox?) are causing them the most grief. Azumio also offers stress-reduction apps for biofeedback training and monitoring heart rate. Available on the iPhone.

Awareness

Totally my kind of APP! Uses get inspirational messages throughout the day to stay calm and focused. You can also journal feelings and track data to improve attitudes and behavior. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

Do you have a favorite fitness, health, or nutrition app? Leave a comment below with your must have wellness applications so I can get to downloading some for the iphone thats glued to my hand 😉

Health & fitness is hard, but it can be made easier with innovative solutions from applications. Download and get the support you need to learn and GROW!

Whew that was a long post. Im tired… wheres the massage application when you need one? 😉 Looking forward to seeing you soon. Till then… keep shining.

Caroline

Other Things To Check Out This Week:

3 Replies to “Is There An APP for That?”

  1. I love this! You have the best suggestions– I would have never found these on my own! Off to pack my iPhone full of these fun apps…

    1. Ying! Im SOOO glad you enjoyed the blog this week – excited to hear which apps you find helpful/motivating. Maybe we can use the tabata one next time we train? 😉 thanks for your comment – cant wait to see YOU soon!

      1. I just read this AGAIN and shared it with my co-workers! You know I love me some Strava, but Fooducate and Nike Training Club are next. I’ll save Tabata for our sessions. =)

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