No matter what anyone says, it’s difficult sticking to a healthy lifestyle. You know it, I know it. Let’s not talk about how many times we backslided onto our old habits despite the best of our intentions. So if there is anything at all that makes it just a tiny bit easier, we’re all for it.
Below is a compilation of apps that will take away some of the pain of living healthy (like meal planning, grocery shopping, workout planning, tracking etc), so you can just focus your attention on reaching your goals and reaping the benefits of a happier body.
1. Workout Trainer
What it does: This is an awesome workout app which has different user-created workouts as well as professional tailored workouts. They also have programmes (in the paid version), but if you’re looking to start out, the free stuff is more than enough to get a sweat on. There are detailed instructions with accompanying images to show you exactly how to do each move so you know you’re getting the maximum out of each workout.
Why we like it: We like that you can tailor-make your own workouts and save them for use later on. The programme makes it super easy for you to squeeze effective workouts into your day, plus you can choose from a variety of workouts from weights, cardio, and focus on certain areas you’d like to build up. Very useful.
What reviewers are saying:
“Exactly what I need! I’ve been using this application and it works perfect for me. Being a busy, full-time employee, single mother, I am able to do the workouts on my own time wherever I am. I love this application!” – Kashina Warren
Available on both the App Store and Google Play.
2. QuitNow!
What it does: An app that’ll help you quit smoking. It helps you to keep track of how long it’s been since the last cigarette of your life, how many cigarettes you’ve avoided, as well as how much money you’ve saved on ciggies. It shows you the health achievements you’ve unlocked by being smoke-free which is a rather good motivation and it also has a social sharing option so you can make your progress public.
Why we like it: While this isn’t magically going to make your cravings for a cigarette go away, the QuitNow app is good to use along with other quitting methods that you’re employing. We especially like the community concept of the app, where you can get support from other members to help yourself get past the cravings.
What reviewers are saying:
“This app is great for giving me a clear, visual reminder of my progress. Whenever I get a craving, I just check the app and see how far I’ve come and it helps melt the craving away. I recommend using it in concert with other methods.” – Hijal De Sarkar
Available on the App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone and Blackberry.
3. Food Planner
What it does: Food Planner takes the arduous process of meal planning and makes it into just a few simple clicks. The app is a meal plan, grocery list, inventory, and recipe collection all rolled into one – and you can also sync it across multiple platforms (your smartphones and your computer)!
Why we like it: Remember, failing to plan is planning to fail. I’ve tried time and time again to eat healthy, but when it comes to meal planning, I’m a disaster at it and do it last minute. You can guess what happens then — lots of last minute meal decisions that aren’t scoring As in your health report card. This app makes it super easy to meal plan just for the day, for the week, or even for the month. You can import all your favourite recipes into the app, save daily and weekly meal plans for reuse later on, and share this with your family / partner so there won’t be double-bought groceries!
What reviewers are saying:
“I’ve tried several other meal planning/grocery list generation apps. This is the one that works best for me. The ability to clip recipes from the web and to easily add my own favorites is essential to me. I also appreciate the ability to easily add tags, from the app, at the time of import. My weekly meal planning time expenditure has gone from more than an hour to 5 minutes. We’re eating better, spending less and it works even with special dietary needs. We’re happy!” – Laura Lin
Available on both the App Store and Google Play.
4. Moves
What it does: This app tracks everything you do in a day and visualizes it in a timeline so you get to see how much you’ve moved at what time, and where. It also tracks your daily walking, cycling and running.
Why we like it: Seeing how little you move in a day could really help you to look at your life in a new light. As this app visualizes your daily activities, you can use the information to modify your routes or habits so you are constantly moving more. Remember, sitting too much is killing you. If you’re not comfortable with it recording every little movement of yours, you could use it while on vacation to track where you’ve been and have a nice record of it too! Warning though, it does drain quite a bit of battery.
What reviewers are saying:
“Not sure how accurate this app towards step counting, guess it’s part of device hardware responsibility. I like to walk a lot and sometimes you find a nice shop, restaurant or bar which is worth visiting again, this app would point it on the map automatically and you can easily find it few month after. I wish there was ability to share those places via social services and review them.” – Nazariy Slyusarchuk
Available on both the App Store and Google Play.
5. Healthy Recipes – SparkRecipes
What it does: If you’re just looking for a reliable recipe database, this is it. There are over 500,000 healthy recipes here so you never have to crack your brain to find something new again.
Why we like it: There are reviews on the recipes so you know which ones have worked for others, and which ones didn’t. There are also many helpful reviewers who contribute their own modifications on the reviews section so you can always test out different variations of recipes. The nutritional information available on each recipe makes it easy to track what’s going into your body.
What reviewers are saying:
“Love this app. I can plan all my meals for the week including sides without going to a hundred different sites. Easy to navigate and easy make recipes.” – Heather Carranza
Available on both the App Store and Google Play.
6. Calm
What it does: Calm is a beautiful app which offers up a meditation programme along with 7 guided meditation sessions from 2 mins to 30 mins. You get to choose from 10 different nature background scenes and sounds too! Ir’s incredibly helpful during a hectic workday or when you keep tossing and turning in bed and can’t fall asleep.
Why we like it: Living healthy isn’t only about eating nutritious food and working out. You have to take care of your mind too. Calm makes it easy to de-stress through guided meditation with beautiful background sounds to help you relax.
What reviewers are saying:
“Just completed 7 days of calm.. And like the guide would say; I feel “a bit softer around the edges”. I struggle with stress and anxiety a lot, and I use this site and app to help. If you have similar issues, I recommend trying if this works for you as well :)” – Siri LA
Available on both the App Store and Google Play.
7. Coach.me
What it does: What’s the point of setting goals if you have no idea how to reach them? Coach.me (previously known as Lift) helps you to achieve your goals by providing real advice, motivation and prompting from the community of users and coaches.
Why we like it: While the app is still working out some kinks, it does help you monitor your progress towards your goals, build and form new habits so you don’t backslide. As the app is built around the social aspect, you’ll have a supportive community cheering you on.
What reviewers are saying:
“No one ever congratulates you because you flossed three days in a row, right. But your followers in the Lift community will. Use this app to build accountability for good habits.” – Joy Fulton
Available on the App Store and Google Play.
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