The journey to a healthier lifestyle is a challenging one that can sometimes leave you feeling lost and confused about how to proceed. Fortunately, you don't have to pay big bucks for a personal trainer to point you in the right direction. Instead, finding the perfect workout, dieting tool, or motivational pep talk is just a tap away when you have these top fitness apps loaded onto your smartphone or mobile device:
- MyFitnessPal: If a restricted diet is part of your overall health plan, then MyFitnessPal is a must-have. This app makes it easy to keep a daily food journal, look up nutrition information, track calories, and log your workouts while on the go. MyFitnessPal also produces colorful graphs and charts to help you visualize your weight loss progress.
- Couch to 5K: Have you recently purchased a treadmill, but don't quite know where to start? The C25K app can help. Designed for fitness novices, this app will get you off the couch and guide you towards completing a 5K run in as little as nine weeks.
- iTreadmill: Physical activity doesn't only occur in the gym. Every step you take is worth tracking, which is what iTreadmill does for you. It's an incredibly accurate pedometer that records steps, tallies total distance, and calculates average speed -- even when your phone is tucked away in your pocket or bag.
- Nike Training Club: Ready to add strength and conditioning exercises to your cardio routine? Then the Nike Training Club app is for you. It offers more than 100 full-body and targeted workouts that can be completed in user-defined time blocks ranging from 15 to 45 minutes. The app also features demo videos with step-by-step instructions for each exercise.
- GoodFoodNearYou: Don't let travel or eating out with friends derail your diet. The GoodFoodNearYou app uses GPS coordinates to recommend diet-friendly restaurant options in your immediate vicinity. Simply tap on a suggested eatery to pull up nutrition info for the healthiest items on the menu so you can stick to your food plan wherever you are.
Do you agree with these picks? Did we overlook your favorite fitness app? Leave a comment telling us what's on your phone!