5 fitness apps that track Everything
Getting healthy and staying that way used to require a gym membership, a basic understanding of nutrition, or some combination of the two. That was before iPhone apps existed. Now they can do all the thinking for you, a fact that should make you feel truly #blessed. So instead of trying to count calories in your head or actually using those mile markers along the edges of a running path, just download these apps and watch the holiday pounds melt away.
- Nike+ Training Club. You’ll be ready to start in your own #WCW or #MCM selfie if you trust your running routine to the Nike+ Training Club app. It takes the technology of the Nike+ running app a step further, transforming it into something of a virtual personal trainer. You can download workouts designed and led by professional athletes and Nike trainers, then let your friends know which ones you’ve completed by exporting the results to your Facebook or Twitter. Keep track of your progress right in the app by following your ever-rising number of workouts, minutes spent training, calories burned, and NikeFuel earned.
- We all have that one member of our squad who dropped a ton of weight with seeming ease. If you ever asked his secret, it was probably counting calories. It’s really the most reliable way to get rid of extra poundage, and MyFitnessPal can help you do it easily. MyFitnessPal’s enormous food database contains virtually everything you could ever eat in a day, and the app also boasts a recipe importer. So the next time you find a recipe on Pinterest, you can import all of the ingredients (and their respective calorie counts) when you just enter the web address into MyFitnessPal.
- Fooducate Counting calories is one thing; discerning junk from healthful food is another. Even your go-to stores like Trader Joe’s and Wegmans stock foods full of added sugars and fats, so let Fooducate help you figure out what’s actually Short of bringing your one annoyingly health-conscious friend grocery shopping with you, Fooducate is the best way to sniff out crap hiding in your “health food.” Just scan the label of anything you pluck off the shelf, and Fooducate will give you a grade based on parameters like the added sugar, preservatives, and trans fats found in the food. It’ll even offer you an alternative foods with higher scores.
- C25K. If you’re anything like the average 20-something, then you’ve probably purchased countless Groupons for 5k runs, only to sleep through the race when it actually arrives. If you start training now with the C25K app, you’ll actually be able to follow through next time. C25K stands for Couch to 5K, which is exactly the journey that this app takes you on. Even if you’ve never run a mile before, C25K can get you race-ready in a matter of weeks with its simple, gradual training schedule. As long as you don’t start skipping runs, you’ll build your endurance in just eight weeks with three, 30-minute runs per week.
- CARROT Fit. If you haven’t been called “meatbag” in a while, CARROT Fit can help with that. This app takes tough love to a new level, hurling off-the-wall insults at exercisers to keep them motivated and get the LOLs rolling. Its tagline—”You will get fit — or else”—really sums it up better than we could. Follow the quick workouts to climb the fitness ladder with your own personal virtual frenemy.