5 Fitness Apps
If you’ve been looking for some ways to get in shape–whether mentally or physically–WSS is here to help you out with a compiled list of our favorite health apps.
These five apps are all free and range from workouts and water trackers to a meditation app that will help you destress at the end of the day.
8fit: 8fit allows you to join different fitness programs within the app, ranging from First Steps to Advanced. Each contains ten levels per with ten levels within each program. Each level has six sessions that last up to two weeks, with the beginning program starting at nine minutes going all the way up to 16 minutes with the last program. The app will analyze your data after you take a short survey about yourself at the beginning, and then it places you in a program that best suits you. If you update the app to pro, you can get a customized meal plan, shopping list, log meals and access to lots of different recipes. (Side-note: the app can also track your steps.)
My Fitness Pal (alternative: Lose It!): Exercising won’t put much of a dent in your weight loss plan if you don’t also focus on your diet. My Fitness Pal allows you to track your daily calorie intake by entering what you eat throughout the day. You can scan the food’s barcode, log a recipe from the internet or search My Fitness Pal’s extensive database to find what you ate. In addition to a mobile food journal, the app also keeps a breakdown of your carb, fat and protein consumption to make sure you stay on track with your daily needs.
Calm: Meditation is a great way to take advantage of a quiet moment or focus a busy mind, but to do it successfully takes a lot of practice – this is where Calm comes in. Named the 2017 App of the Year by Apple, Calm allows you to partake in a variety of guided meditation sessions, learning a new way to relax and focus. Rounds range from three minutes to twenty-five minutes, so they may be integrated into any schedule, as often as one pleases. The app also includes sessions regarding topics such as habit breaking, stress management, self-esteem and even deep sleep, in case you are looking to focus on a specific area of improvement. Calm provides an extensive variety of mindfulness tools in one place. (Headspace is another really great meditation app to help you get started.)
Sworkit: Workouts & Plans: There are plenty of excuses out there for not going to the gym – not having enough time, being too tired or simply not wanting to work out in public. Built for the people who can’t – or don’t want to – spend all day at the gym, Sworkit provides workout sessions starting at as little as five minutes, minimizing excuses and maximizing motivation. Exercises can also be personalized by picking and choosing certain exercises so you can avoid anything you might despise. Whether you’re looking for an intense fitness program, or a laid-back approach, Sworkit is the perfect solution for those who can’t quite get on board with frequent trips to the gym.
My Water Balance: Our bodies are in constant need of water, and this app will help remind you to drink up. Men should be drinking around 3.7 liters a day while women should consume 2.7 liters, but depending on your weight, your goal will change quite a lot. Using your information from the Health App, Water Balance will calculate how much water you should drink a day. All you need to do is add how much water you have been drinking throughout the day. By drinking more water, you will likely feel more energized throughout the day and will digest food better, leading to easier weight loss.
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Mary Vander Weg is a senior at West High, and this is her third year with the West Side Story. In her free time, she can be found writing - whether it...
Kristina Rosebrook is a senior at West High and this is her third year on staff. She is the Online and Broadcast Entertainment Editor. If she isn't busy...
Craig Bancroft • Mar 27, 2018 at 12:22 pm
These are way cool!