No matter where you are in your life, the importance of health and fitness will never go away. Taking care of your body and mind is essential to keeping the rest of your life in order; if you are happy on the inside, that happiness will radiate to the outside too!
To keep your insides happy, a healthy diet, good sleep schedule and a regular fitness regimen are key in order for everything else in your life to fall into place.
As anyone who has ever attempted any kind of diet will surely know, it is nearly impossible to stay completely faithful to your diet or fitness plan. Life, work and school always get in the way, and before you know it, your health is taking a backseat to all the other aspects of your life.
Other than having a personal trainer, which can be demanding and expensive, the best way to keep on track is by using your phone to its full advantage. Nowadays, there is an app for pretty much everything, but there are some that have actual value in that they can help you to structure your life in a healthier manner.
So, whether it be for sleep, fitness on the go or general health, these four apps will help you to keep your life on track regardless of your hectic schedule.
1. Relax Melodies
When people think of healthy living, they typically just think of food and exercise; however, there is more to it than just that. This app targets the heart of a healthy lifestyle, the thing that underlies everything we do in our daily life—sleep.
Without sleep, you are not yourself. You are not at your best and you cannot begin to think of improving yourself until you are fully rested. This app will help make sure that you get the sleep your body so desperately needs.
There are over forty different relaxing sound and music settings that will help you to drift off into the best sleep of your life. You can search for songs or specific sounds, or you can download your own music from your phone.
2. Fooducate
The best way to start your new healthy lifestyle is to make sure you keep track of what you are putting into your body. This app makes that process so easy that anyone can use it at any time of the day.
The app has the ability to scan a barcode and tell you the nutritional value of the product, giving it an actual grade from A to F based on how natural and processed the food is. Seeing foods that you are planning to eat be represented in a grade format is a creative way to understand what you should and should not be eating and why.
The app also comes equipped with an alternative list—a way to find healthier alternatives of foods that got a lower score. That way, you will be able to satisfy any craving you might have in a healthier way, taking away any guilt you might experience.
The app also has a feature that acts like a blog in which it recommends products and healthy recipes that are all Fooducate approved!
3. SworkIt
When an app is featured on “Shark Tank” and has approval from a team of sports scientists, you know it’s worth taking a look at.
SworkIt, which stands for “Simply Work It,” is all about getting you strong and in the best shape of your life. You start off by choosing a type of workout like cardio, strength or yoga. From there, you can chose a custom workout in which you can decide the amount of time you want to spend on the routine, or you can chose the five-minute workouts that the app has ready for you to use at your disposal.
Each exercise, regardless of the type or length you specify, is accompanied by an animation of the exercise, therefore ensuring that you perform the moves correctly so that you get the most out of your workout.
The best part about this app is that it is all based on bodyweight workouts—meaning no equipment required. That way, you don’t have to drag yourself to the gym or track to get in shape, but instead you can just find some space, and get in shape in the comfort of your own home.
4. MyFitnessPal
This app is a personal favorite of mine, because it makes it so easy to keep track of your eating and exercising habits.
To start off, it will ask you your current weight, your weight goal and how quickly you want to achieve it. These detailed questions will tailor the app to your personal needs and will determine how many calories per day you should be consuming in order to reach your goals.
By using this app daily to log breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, you’ll be able to make sure that you stay on track with your diet goals. You can search products or restaurant menus and add items to your daily food diary to have the most accurate log possible.
To make sure your healthy habits are well rounded, the app lets you log exercises as well. By searching for whatever exercise you performed, the app tells you how many calories you burned, and it adjusts the number of calories remaining for that day. The app also keeps track of your daily steps taken; so, it’s almost like having a Fitbit built right into your phone!
Another benefit of this app is that there is a Facebook-like newsfeed of daily blog posts. The articles are all about healthy recipes, recommended workout routines and stretches that will keep you from injuring yourself during a workout.
The best part of all of these apps is that they are all free for Androids and iPhones, making it even easier to get healthy and in shape. These apps will give you the push you need to change the way you live your life. Even if you don’t meet your goals right away, don’t get discouraged! As long as you use these apps as your guide and keep pushing to be the best version of yourself possible, you will already be on your way to a healthy and happy life.
