5 Fitness Apps You Have to Try Right Now
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Written By: Taylor Rao
If it seems like you can always come up with an excuse to not work out—you’re too busy, can’t afford a personal trainer, don’t like to work out in a group setting—there is another alternative to the typical gym routine that can help get you out of your fitness funk.
In a time where so much of our “world” can fit inside your pocket, mobile apps give us quick and easy access to almost anything, even a workout regimen that you can stick to and get results from.
We’ve rounded up five of the best fitness apps on the App Store today that cost way less than a monthly membership to a studio or gym. Low investment, but a high chance of being rewarded with the summer body you’ve been working toward.
Pocket Yoga (4.7 stars)
Find your zen wherever you are with the Pocket Yoga app. For just $2.99, you can practice your poses at home, in a park—literally any place you can roll out a mat. Pocket Yoga aims to recreate the experience of an in-person yoga class by guiding you through a full workout in a cool, calm voice. Your virtual instructor will even remind you when to inhale and exhale as you feel the beat of a soothing playlist in the “environment” you choose.
Better yet, this app is a resource for all practicing yogis even when you’re not wearing yoga pants. There’s a comprehensive yoga pose dictionary at your disposal with information about each pose, how to practice them and what the benefits are for your mind and body.
Strava (4 stars)
If an Apple Watch is one of your favorite accessories, Strava tells you to leave the phone at home during your workout and track your progress from start to finish using its app that fully integrates with Apple Watch. No phone = fewer distractions.
Plus, like we’ve said before, apps that include a social component can help keep you motivated along your fitness journey, and the Strava app will push you to your limit with monthly challenges between other users so you can see where you stack up against the competition. Or, if you wouldn’t mind a little pat on the back, you can share your routes and workouts to your social network.
And speaking of routes, if you’re not sure where to take your workout of the day, Strava helps you map your journey by showing you the most popular routes in your town or city via heat maps of where there’s the most activity.
Google Fit (3.9 stars)
Google Fit for the Android operating system helps you track over 120 fitness activities, giving you way more options than the typical exercises of running or biking. It also integrates with 43 other apps so that you’re seamlessly tracking your progress across your favorite platforms.
We trust Google with answering all of life’s questions within .00003 seconds, so why wouldn’t we trust them to help us reach our fitness goals? And just like the search bar itself, the more information you give to Google Fit, the better it can help you.
If weight loss is your goal, Google Fit will help you record weight loss over time if you consistently input your weight. The app will track your calories burned for the fitness activities you log, and can make recommendations on which workouts are best for you for to maximize results, and to ensure the time you’re spending is worthwhile.
MyFitnessPal (4.7 stars)
MyFitnessPal is the #1 Health and Fitness app for four years running, and better yet --you can find out why people rate it so highly for free. MyFitnessPal is a free calorie-counting app, helping users recognize that diet is just as important as exercise when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.
From importing your own recipes to scanning barcodes of items at the grocery store, this app is here to hold you accountable and give you the tools to make good decisions when selecting the best diet to complement your fitness routine.
Plus, it’s fueled by Under Armour, a leading brand in providing wearable, fashionable fitness technology for professional and everyday athletes across the world.
Sworkit (4.7 stars)
While the inventors of Sworkit didn’t close the deal with Mark Cuban on CNBC’s popular show “Shark Tank,” the app continues to soar with a high app store rating and a fitness plan model that has users commit to a 6-week training program or longer, with a quarterly or yearly subscription being your ticket to this well-loved fitness app.
Sworkit’s workout plans include hundreds of bodyweight exercises, so the only investment you’re making is for the app and not any additional equipment. Pretty nice, right? Versatility is the name of the game, and Sworkit caters to the busy lifestyle many of us live, making working out personalized, accessible (and fun) from wherever you are.
To find out more about working out at home we’ve compared workout apps for you and you may also like our Openfit app review!