The Five Best Mobile Apps for Keeping Fit and Healthy
Staying healthy is incredibly important. According to statistics released by the American Heart Association, over 250,000 heart-related deaths in the US are caused by inactivity. Likewise, here in the UK, the NHS recommends being ‘physically active’ to help prevent heart attack, and states that: ‘Regular exercise will make your heart and blood circulatory system more efficient, lower your cholesterol level and also keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.’
Of course, there are also additional benefits. Exercise can help to shift excess pounds and in turn, boost self-confidence. It also promotes the release of endorphins, which help boost mood and alleviate symptoms of depression.
Lack of Motivation?
However, finding the motivation to get fit can be difficult. Staying on track, monitoring results and coming up with a good fitness plan can all prove problematic; which can lead to people giving up.
Here are some great apps that you can download to your mobile device; to help boost your levels of fitness and boost determination to succeed.
The Five Best Apps for Getting Active
- YogaStudio (iPad, iPhone, iPad mini). Cited by The Guardian as ‘a very useful app for yoga beginners and veterans alike’, YogaStudio allows you to download easy-to-follow yoga classes to your mobile device. Select from beginner, intermediate or advanced, and customise your classes with positions best suited to your ability.
- Bupa Fitness (iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPod touch). This free app helps you to improve your fitness with targeted work-outs and even a personalised 4-week fitness plan. Exercises are designed for all age groups and work on four key areas of fitness: balance, strength, core stability and flexibility.
- iFootpath (iOS and Android). Walking is a great way to keep fit, especially if you require a more gentle form of exercise or are recovering from surgery. The app features a wide range of walking paths across the UK, and allows you to download the route to your mobile device. You can follow your progress with live satellite GPS and even share your walks with others.
- Instant Heart Rate (iPhone, iPod touch). One of the best ways of finding out how hard you’re exercising is to take your pulse. However, it’s sometimes difficult to keep count, especially if you’ve just been running and are out of breath! This simple app allows you to measure your heart-rate, simply by pressing your index finger to your mobile device’s camera. The closer you are to the ‘red zone’, the harder your body is working.
- Nike+ GPS (iPhone, iPod touch). If you’re serious about running, this app is widely recognised as the finest in terms of monitoring performance. Simply type in the amount of miles you want to run for, then start running. Once you’ve completed a few runs, you can record your progress by opening up a Nike+ account. You can even follow your route on a map.
Finding Great Fitness Apps
Of course, there are many more fitness apps available on all devices; and finding the right one for you may be a process of trial and error. Do your research, ask friends and family for recommendations, and put them to the test.
* http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/107/1/e2.full
* http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Coronary-heart-disease/Pages/Prevention.aspx
* http://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/tools-calculators/fitness-app
* http://www.ifootpath.com/
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