Top 10 Fitness Apps

BreakingModern — Winter, if you are on the west coast of the U.S., has been mild so far, and if you’re in Canada, like I am, the worst is yet to come. No matter where you are it’s still cold outside. For fitness resolutes, the first two weeks are the hardest for fitness — it can take up to a month before a routine is set and you no longer need to force yourself to get some exercise. Whether you want to add a morning jog before you go to work or schedule in a quick set or three in the gym, here are 10 apps that will help you accomplish your 2015 fitness resolutions.

Fitness

You Are Your Own Gym

This is one of my favorite travel companions since it’s essentially a gym in your pocket. This particular app hosts a series of workouts featuring body weight movements that don’t require any equipment, aside from a bench or chair that should be easy enough to find.

Body weight exercises are my go-to because you can do them anywhere and at any time. A quick set of 20 jumping jacks, 15 push-ups and 10 sit-ups/crunches done three times will pick up your heart rate and warm you up. If you’re looking for something more challenging, burpees and jump squats are an excellent way to sky rocket yourself, or you can really push yourself with interval training, such as Tabata.

You Are Your Own Gym is a paid app, and there are various 8-11 week training programs that have already been made for you, or you can create one yourself. There are exercises that focus on upper body, lower body or cardio, and all of that can change week to week. You can also just work out in a body region you feel like focusing on. There’s also a timer/stop watch that comes with the app, which easily allows you to set up intervals or tabata.

You Are Your Own Gym is available for Android on Google Play or Apple iOS for $2.99.

Fitness

Tabata Stopwatch Pro

Tabata exercise was created by Professor Izumi Tabata and is used by athletes for short bursts of training for maximum efficiency. It starts with 10 seconds of rest followed 20 seconds of high-paced exercised. The goal is to do as many as you can in that brief 20 seconds. Do this eight times for a total of four minutes and you’re bound to be breathless.

When I’m in a time crunch, this is my go-to exercise. For the first set, I alternate between burpees and jump squats, while my second set varies between isolating upper body muscles (push-up jacks, regular push-ups), lower body (lunges, squats, mountain climbers) or abdominal exercises (crunches, v-sits, Russian twists). My third and fourth sets either alternate between more cardio or muscle work. Pick your poison. What I love about this particular app is its simplicity and clean lines.

It’s available for Android on Google Play for free and $4.99 on Apple iOS at the time of writing.

Fitness

Yoga.com

Yoga.com is a great introductory website and app for people looking to try out a few of the movements before registering for a class. The app shows you simple and basic poses to help you get started. As you progress, more movements become available — however, to unlock all the benefits of the app you have to pay for it.

Yoga.com is available free for Android on Google Play and (at the time of writing) $3.99 on Apple iOS.

Pact

“I bet you can’t lose five pounds in three weeks!”

“Oh yeah, I bet you can’t run a 5k in under 30 minutes!”

Pact is a free app that helps you and your friends set goals through wagers and bets. The money part is optional, of course, but it always makes the wagers more fun, especially if you have a few friends with like-minded goals. It’s free for Android on Google Play and Apple iOS.

Endomondo

Endomondo is one of many fitness-tracking apps that can be used to help you keep motivated and fit. It’s also one of my favorites. The app tracks via GPS how far you’ve gone and how long it took you after each session. It will list your average speed versus your maximum speed, the estimated amount of calories you’ve burned during your workout and how much water you’ll need to rehydrate. It’s available free for Android on Google Play, Apple iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry.

Strava

That said, Strava is pretty darn good, too. Similar to Endomondo, Strava also helps you track your activities, from running to cycling to other outdoor recreation. This app is particularly good for those who like healthy competition and want to challenge themselves again over people in the community or those who have run the same route you have.

It’s also available free for Android on Google Play and Apple iOS

Fitbit

If you like your tech gear, Fitbit is great for engaging users through wireless active wear that connects to your phone. All you need to do is put the electronic tracker on and it will track your steps and activity throughout the day. It’s also a decent app without the tracker, as you can use it to count calories, log your weight and record other health information, including glucose levels and blood pressure.

The Fitbit app is available free for Android on Google Play, Apple iOS and Windows Phone.

Couch to 5k

Couch to 5k is a fun, popular and easy app to use to help you reach your 5k goals. If you have a race planned for this year and have never raced before, this is a great app to help you on your way. It’s available for Android on Google Play and Apple iOS for $1.99

Zombies, Run!

Another excellent running app is Zombies, Run! At $3.99, the audio adventure and game makes running an invigorating and fun exercise. Depending on your own personal fitness, the app begins with a story (through ear buds) that mixes interval running and walking, the narrative being about survival and getting away from the zombies. As you get better, the pace and speed increase with different missions and difficulties. At times bursts of sprinting zombies nearly assault you! (Not really.)

What’s great about this app is that you can add music that suits your own tastes or use the music provided. It’s available for Android on Google Play and Apple iOS.

Calorie Counter

Nutrition is key to staying fit. Enjoy that slice of pizza or chunk of cake, but don’t overdo it. If you’re looking for help to keep track of your calories and what you’ve eaten over the course of a day, an app such as Calorie Counter will help.

This app is also a great way to see your own eating trends and the foods you favor. It helps you make adjustments and tells you what you need to stay away from. It always varies from person to person, but there are various ways to cut out bad foods from your diet, whether you’re weaning yourself by slowly cutting it out, or going cold turkey and slashing it out completely.

Calorie Counter is available for Android on Google Play and Apple iOS.

Water Your Body

Staying hydrated is one of the most-underrated elements of staying healthy. Water is one of the easiest and most-accessible commodities available to us in North America (I won’t go into how it’s so easily wasted as well).

Staying hydrated is an important factor in working out and leading a healthier lifestyle. And, believe it or not, consuming water is a fast way to get healthier. Most people don’t realize how dehydrated they are until the dizziness strikes. This app helps you keep track of how much water you’ve consumed, and when you might need more. It’s available free for Android on Google Play.

All these apps are great and all, but the only way to get the most out of them is to use them — and frequently. Here’s to a healthier 2015!

For BMod, I’m .

Featured image credit: © william87 / Dollar Photo Club

All screenshots: Cassandra Chin

Cassandra Chin

Author: Cassandra Chin

Based in Toronto, Cassandra covers fitness, apps and books for BreakingModern. Follow her @cchin01

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