Smartphones offer access to a myriad of different health and fitness apps to help people achieve their fitness goals, many of which are free to download. In this article, we look at five leading health and fitness apps, providing an overview of their key features.
1. Fitbod
Designed for beginners and advanced weight trainers alike, Fitbod offers a huge range of exercises, as well as a limited free trial. The app essentially serves as a virtual personal trainer, enabling users to set their own fitness goals, whether their aspirations are weight loss, building muscle, or everything in between.
The Fitbod app generates tailored workout plans based on the equipment the user has in their gym. One of the main attractions of Fitbod is that its developer is continually adding new features. While this can lead to the occasional glitch, recent additions include a graph that has proved incredibly useful, enabling users to monitor their muscle strength over time, presenting an invaluable strength training tool.
2. FitOn
FitOn incorporates a vast range of workouts, including cardio, high-intensity interval training, yoga strength, Pilates, dance, and more. It also features workouts by celebrities and influencers such as Jonathan Van Ness, Julianne Hough, and Gabrielle Union, as well as live classes.
The FitOn app’s tracker function enables users to track their fitness activities via Apple Watch, helping them to monitor their progress. In addition, the pro version of FitOn provides access to live workout call sessions, personalized meal plans, and more than 500 recipes.
Supporting real-time in-app messaging with workout partners and friends, FitOn provides a free guide for healthy eating, sugar reduction, improved sleep, and stress reduction. FitOn’s wellness section also provides a host of articles, tips, and information on improving mental health, from health-supporting products for women to probiotics to improving the gut microbiome. FitOn even provides resources for employers to help businesses improve the mental health of their staff, highlighting the many benefits of implementing workplace wellness frameworks, including increased employee productivity, improved employee retention, and reduced costs.
3. Jefit
With a free basic version and an elite version available for $69.99 a year, Jefit is targeted towards strength trainers, presenting access to a database of more than 1,300 exercises.
The app’s training log tracker enables users to track weights and total reps, as well as the specifics of their weightlifting sessions. In addition, the training log tracker allows users to keep tabs on changes in their body composition, monitoring weight and body fat percentage.
Jefit is also equipped with set training programs for users of all fitness levels which provide expert guidance. The ad-free elite version also offers access to featured workout sets, advanced training reports, and more.
4. WeightWatchers
For people who value community support, the WeightWatchers app could prove an invaluable tool, providing the encouragement and motivation they need to reach their weight loss goals. Designed specifically for weight loss, the app invites users to complete targeted quizzes to assess their needs and goals and identify the right plan for them. There are two membership options, with fees starting at $23 a month.
The WeightWatchers app works on a point budget system, with no off-limit foods. Simple to navigate with 24/7 support, the app does not compromise on features, including tracking metrics like meals, recipes, and water intake. Users can simply select ingredients they have in their fridge, and the app will make suggestions from its database of 11,000 recipes. There is also a barcode scanner for packaged foods, eliminating the need to manually enter nutritional facts.
The WeightWatcher app excels in providing community support, which research shows can be integral in any weight-loss journey, helping users to remain accountable, and providing a social aspect for moral support.
5. Noom
With a seven-day free trial and a 4.7 iOS store rating, Noom is designed to promote weight-loss through behavioral change, offering a completely revamped approach to traditional weight-loss methods. Rather than providing a generic meal plan and calorie counting, Noom adopts a psychology-led approach to weight-loss, enabling users to identify triggers and behaviors that lead to unhealthy eating habits. Once a user has established the cause of poor eating habits, they can learn how to replace them with healthier behaviors that do not sabotage weight loss, helping them to achieve their fitness goals.
The Noom app helps to educate users about the importance of nutrition, diet, and physical activity, helping them to apply this knowledge to achieve an optimal body weight. Topics covered in the 10-lesson course cover not only the fundamentals of weight loss, but also touch on issues such as the science of metabolism, mindful eating versus emotional eating, decision-making, emotional health, habit s, and the 10 types of hunger. Using scientifically proven approaches such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioral therapy, Noom offers more than 1,000 interactive lessons in its library to help users learn more behavioral skills.