Runtastic Running & Fitness
Part of the reason smartphones are effective exercise assistants has to do with the built-in GPS. Runtastic has taken advantage of this stock feature and made it the cornerstone of a very effective application. The app tracks all movement-based fitness activities, such as running, jogging, cycling and walking. Runtastic’s tracker monitors the progress of each workout and displays the data for the user in the form of calories burned, distance travelled, elevation changes, duration of the workout and more. It maps the workouts in real time and comes with an exercise diary as well as a Google Earth viewer that allows the user to see his or her routine in 3D.
Calorie Counter by MyFitnessPal
This one may present itself as a basic calorie counter, but there’s a reason it has been racking up glowing user reviews for so long: it works. Calorie Counter boasts a database of over 3,000,000foods, all of which can be logged into a custom meal planner that tracks all relevant nutrients. It also comes with a barcode scanner, recipe calculator and a social media feature that allows the user to track progress with friends. It even offers 350 exercises as well as a cardio and strength training tracker.
Bodybuilding Workout
This app is still in the beta stage, but it’s already making noise in Google Play. That’s because it delivers on basic strength training exercises, which most experts agree is a great place for beginner fitness enthusiasts to start. It comes with a database of 80 exercises geared towards each individual muscle group. It’s got a workout tracker and interactive graphs that allow the user to know the progress they’re making as they go. Users can even customize workouts to their particular skill level. It makes a great addition to a typical gym routine, such as with Fitness 19.
Diets for Losing Weight
This option is more than a list of healthy diets, although as a diet database it is certainly comprehensive. At the moment it boasts 30 different diet plans, and it is adding more constantly. It comes with a number of helpful features, including calorie calculators, evolution graphs to help users track weight loss/gain, menus, meal notifications, eating timetables, favorite diets lists and email sending of the user’s shopping list. There are so many options, in fact, that anyone, no matter the personality type, should be able to find a diet that suits their lifestyle.
The market for free health and fitness apps is a crowded one, so there is bound to be more buzz-worthy options popping up in the near future. But the above-listed apps, despite the competition, should prove useful to fitness-minded smartphone users for some time to come.