The saying “it’s like finding a needle in a haystack” is pretty fitting when it comes to the world of health-related apps. To summarize, there are somewhere around 165,000 health-related apps available to download for your smartphone.  Some of these apps are really good but a lot of them probably aren’t worth your time or the sometimes limited amount of storage on your smartphone.  In fact, of the 165,000 apps less than 50 of them represented 50% of total health app downloads.  In a series of 3 blog posts, I’m going to share some info about some of my favorite health apps.  I’ve broken them down into three categories.  Fitness Apps, Wearables , Medical / Health Apps.

We’ll start out this blog series with Fitness Apps.

Fitness Apps:

When I think of fitness apps I think of an app that I use while actually working out.  Smartphones are full of all sorts of ways to track progress and having an app designated to specific type of exercise can really allow you to focus on the exercise itself. 

1. Sworkit -  Convenient, customizable and easy to follow video workouts.  Very easy to navigate and features a sleek and minimalistic design.  The app is great for those that are on the go and only have a limited time to exercise without the use of a gym. The user is able to choose a workout from four main categories: Strength, cardio, yoga or stretching and then the app guides the workout routine based on which category you choose and how long you choose to exercise.  (Available for free on Apple iOS, Android and Amazon, paid upgrades available for advanced features) http://sworkit.com/

   

2. Cyclemeter – For those of you that tend to reach for a bicycle for exercise, Cyclemeter could be just the ticket.  The app uses GPS to track your route, speed, elevation and distance.  If you tend to listen to music during your ride you can have Cyclemeter running in the background and it will give you voice updates along your route to let you know your progress.  (Apple iOS only.  Free version available, paid upgrades available for advanced features)

   https://abvio.com/cyclemeter/

3. Charity Miles -  People are often motivated for different reasons to exercise and this app takes a different approach to getting people motivated about getting active.  The app pairs up with advertisters to donate a small amount per mile to a charity of a runner, walker or cyclists choosing.  For example, at the beginning of a run I choose one charity from list of predefined charities that I would like to have the proceeds of my run to go to.  I am linked up with an advertiser that displays an ad on my smartphone during my run and then that advertiser donates up to 25 cents per mile to the charity I chose.  The app itself tracks the distance I traveled and the time I exercised.  (Available for free on Apple iOS and Android)

   http://www.charitymiles.org/

4. 4. Runkeeper – For you runners out there, I recommend trying out Runkeeper.  It has all the features that can keep you updated on your progress during your run to make sure you are on track.  The app provides voice updates during your run and uses GPS to track speed and route.  There is also an integration opportunity with Spotify and the app keeps track of past workouts so you can compare results.  (Available for free on Apple iOS and Android,  paid upgrades available for advanced features) https://runkeeper.com