5 Fitness Apps You Need to Keep Your Health Goals

I am guilty of being a serial New Year’s resolution failure. The only resolution I have ever kept was to start a blog. This year, I am using five fitness apps to keep my resolution to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle.

One of my worries is I will never commit to a healthy lifestyle and will have health issues in the future. Diabetes and dementia run in my family. Therefore, I know I have to begin to make healthier choices now to create habits for the future.

In the new year, I want to stick to a healthier food plan. I am fortunate enough to try out Jenny Craig for the first couple of weeks of the new year to kickstart my resolution.

In terms of being healthier, I want to shed a few pounds, get some more sleep and fuel my body with better nutrients.

With the following five fitness apps, I  feel confident that I will have a chance to fulfill my goals.

These are the apps you should be downloading NOW:

Lifesum

This is a free calorie counter app, but if you purchase the upgrade it is much more than that. I made the decision to upgrade this past month, and I am loving it.

With the basic plan, you get to count calories, track water and steps, and log workouts.

However, with the upgraded plan, you get to take the diet plan test. The test will then show you the best diet to fit your needs. The tracker will then become a counter for your specific diet. For example, I was put on the keto diet. My tracker is now focused on my fat intake, and for every meal that matches my macronutrient needs, I get a smiley icon.

You also get access to recipes that fit your diet.

I also love this app because it has the best water tracker that I have used.

Runkeeper

This is my all time favorite run/walk tracking app! My first favorite thing is that it works with Spotify to play music when you move! I love Spotify’s custom running playlist because it keeps the tempo going.

Second, I love how it tell you the miles and time of your activity aloud. I have gone on walks with friends, and I keep it on loud to make sure we aren’t talking to much to slow us down. Plus, when I have headphones in on my own, I never have a reason to check my phone.

Also, it tells you an overview of your workout and keeps track of your goals. I am trying to walk more in 2017. I am moving house at the end of the month, and I will live near a park, so hopefully my Runkeeper will be full of activity.

Workouts

After you have done cardio, if you want to focus on your abs, legs or butt, this app is great! You can choose how long you want your workout, what body part and and what intensity.

When I first lost a ton of weight in 2014, I used this app twice a day to fulfill my workout needs at home. I would do a 5 minute cardio, 5 minute ab in the morning, and a 10 minute butt and a 1o minute leg in the afternoon.

Since you can customize the workout to your level, you can really challenge yourself and get a lot of sweat out in a short amount of time.

Steps

For those of you who are always trying to get your steps in, but don’t want to buy a Fitbit, this is the app for you. I found that this is the most accurate when it comes to iPhone pedometers.

My goal for the next year is to hit 10,000 steps at least five days of the week. Looking at my current stats, it means I am going to have a total routine change, but I think with the new house and park nearby, it will be a success.

Sleep++

I know this doesn’t fall perfecting under the category “fitness apps”, but sleeping is so important for your overall health and energy.

Currently, I am averaging about 4-5 hours a sleep a night because my beautiful baby puppy is a monster. She wakes me up at 6 a.m. every day.

I could go the smart route and go to bed around 9-10, but I can never actually make myself fall asleep. I’ll lay in bed and play on my phone, or I’ll just lay there and think.

Using this app, I am able to track my sleep and better my habits by improving my sleep methods everyday. Once Fiona is a grown dog, I will able to get my sleep back, but until then, I have to teach myself to go to bed early and stay asleep.

BONUS: Headspace

If you’re like me and find it hard to get out of your own head, Headspace is such an amazing meditation app. It walks you through meditation as a beginner, and you only grow in how well you can focus.

I love it, and it only takes out a few minutes of your day! You get to watch yourself progress into a master meditator!

What are your favorite fitness apps or health apps to keep yourself on track with your goal?