getting healthy and fit can be intimidating, but it doesn't have to be!
there are SO MANY resources you can use to make your health journey as easy as possible!
I have used a lot of different apps over the last few years but the following are my favorite and most consistently used apps!
I mentioned that one previously but I can honestly say that MFP has been the most valuable asset in my weight loss & fitness journey. I use MFP every single day.
It has a HUGE database of food so you can easily log your caloric intake. And not only does it track calories, but also you can track your macros (carbs, fat, protein), your sugar intake, vitamins, just about everything you can think of when it comes to nutrition.
AND then it also allows you to track your workouts! Though these calorie burns are definitely estimations, it's still a great way to get yourself motivated to exercise!
You can track your weight and measurements and add progress photos as you go (the addition of progress photos is so awesome!). It really helps to see your progress and what sort of trend you weight and measurements are taking.
My favorite part of MFP is the community. If you use MFP go onto the message boards and add people! I promise you won't regret it. Having people to cheer you on when you workout or hit logging streaks or having a moment of weakness is a HUGE help on a weight loss journey. Having a support system is the easiest way to get going on a health journey and MFP is full of people who will motivate and inspire you!
Since quitting my job I have gotten to start running outdoors a lot more, which has been SO GREAT. I used it in the past, but I have been using it now way more than ever.
Nike Run Club will track your mileage, route, duration, ascent, splits, and your estimated calorie burn. It knows the temperature and your average pace. You can also track what sort of terrain you're running on (road/trail/track), how difficult the run was, and your shoes (so you can know how many miles you've put on your running shoes).
There are different ways to track your runs, too! You can go by mileage, duration, mark speed intervals, or just a quick start (with no specific goal). All of them are great. It really depends on the day and my goals, but I have used them all. And throughout them you'll get updates on where you are in your run (how many minutes or miles left), your pace, and some motivation from a Nike coach or celebrity (Kevin Hart has been cheering me on lately!).
And, my favorite part (because I'm competitive) are the "Achievements." These can be your longest run, farthest run, or your speediest 1K/1 mile/5k. Plus if you run several times a week, you get an achievement, if you hit a certain amount of miles in a month, you get an achievement. I really like achievements. Competing against Past Me is the best.
They also have weekly challenges that motivate me to get moving on days I'm being really lazy (shout out to you "Just Do It Sundays"). Other challenges come up, as well. There is a community feature that I haven't gotten into, but I have heard good things about. Once I give it a try, I'll update this! :)
3. BodySpace
A recent addition to my "Health & Fitness" folder, but SUCH an awesome app if you do (or want to get into) weight training. (that's any kind of weight too!) They have a huge library of exercises that you can look through and find what you want to do!
I use BodySpace to track my weight lifting program. It helps me to measure my set/rep schemes, calculate 1-Rep Maximums, and to see how much weight I moved in a given workout.
Personally, I use my own program but there are SO MANY really, really fantastic programs from world-renowned trainers and you can just click into and fill in the data and know you're getting a great workout. And if you make your own you can go back and track from that workout.
Also a community feature on this app. You can add friends and like and cheer on people and ask questions about their workouts.
To be fair, I basically do the bare minimum on here and just track my workouts and log on off, but still definitely one of my favorites.
4. Tabata Timer
If you follow me on instagram you'll know that I really love HIIT. Tabata Timer is plain and simple and easy to use. I use it several times a week!
You set your work time and rest times. And add in how many cycles and how many rounds and your rests between each round.
Nothing fancy, but everything I need in a timer app.
Honorable Mentions:
Instagram! (great community and so many great people to follow!)
Spotify! (gotta have music for a workout!)
VideoShop (can slow down video so you can check form!)
Those are my current faves! Do you have any others I should know about? Let me know in the comments!
