FITNESS/HEALTH APPS YOU NEED!

There are SO many different fitness and health apps being released and advertised all over social media. Personally, I am someone who loves organizing and putting workouts or any kind of fitness plan together myself. I am VERY stubborn and don't want to waste my time downloading and trying different apps that at the end of the day, amount to nothing. In this post I have put together my top Health and Fitness Apps I highly recommend, including apps that have helped me mentally. I hope you enjoy! <3

1. MyFitnessPal

MFP helps you track exercise and diet in order to keep track of optimal calorie and nutrient intake depending on your individual goals. The App is completely free, but you can purchase the premium version which lets you tailor and set nutrition and training  goals more specifically, as well as providing files detailing your progress through following the app.

I first downloaded this App to help with a Nutrition Assignment at college and had to track my meals for 3 days to practice using the App; it's safe to say I've been in love ever since! Something to note is that I don't use the app religiously at this point in time, although it was really helpful for me when I was in a "Cutting" phase and was more mindful of what I ate. I find the App really useful if I'm skeptical of my food/meals' nutritional content, or even if I want to watch calories after a cheat day!

What I really love about MyFitnessPal is that you are able to add friends and see each-others feeds; including the amount of weight you've lost, meals you've tracked all while keeping your current weight a completely private. This tool is such a good motivator, and brings people together to encourage each-other, and bring out the best in one another through a friendly competitive side of fitness & health. 

2. Headspace

Headspace is an online health care company which specializes in meditation. Through their online platform, they provided guided meditation sessions and use cute cartoons to help illustrate the principles of meditation. The App is again, completely free but if you pay and subscribe to the service you will have access to HUNDREDS of different mind exercises, meditations and illustrations to help further build your practice

To be completely honest, whenever I watched a YouTube video I swear this app was advertised. And it was the recommendation of my sister that swayed me into downloading the App. I have only had the App for just over a month but I genuinely don't have a bad word to say about this App. Meditation was such a strange and unknown concept to me before trying Headspace, it was once something I scoffed at the thought of. But surprisingly, now having given it a go, I feel like the way I now think and approach everyday has drastically changed because of 5-10 minutes of meditation each night.

Personally, I listen to my sessions as I'm settling down to go to sleep, or if i have difficulty sleeping. I can see a massive difference in my stress/emotional handling despite the whole process being slightly challenging to get into in the beginning. These changes that I have seen through my short time owning the app, and my strong passion for mental health care as well as physical, is strongly persuading me to pay to have full App access. 

3. Interval Timer - HIIT Workouts

Interval Timer - HIIT Workouts is a very handy app which helps you keep track of your work and rest periods during training. It can be used by everyone with whatever they are doing; swimming, weight lifting, cycling, martial arts e.t.c, this timer will soon prove to be an incredibly valuable addition to your routine. 

Before this App, I used to roughly count my rest periods when working out or even glance up at the clock in the room (that's if there was one!). Arguably, yes you could use your timer on your phone but I was so impressed by the additional features this app includes. It is fully customizable, letting you specify numbers of sets, reps, intensity of each exercise you do and will let you use these sessions again in the future. 

The App also lets you sync playlists/music so that it plays along with the workout. Unlike using the regular timer feature on your phone, you can plan out work and rest periods of your whole workout, press start, and not have to fiddle with your phone until you have completely finished. This is such a simple but completely under-rated addition to a workout , and I highly recommend downloading. 

4. 30 Day Ab Challenge

30 Day Ab Challenge, well, the clue is in the name really :') ! This App contains a 30 Day exercise plan which you follow and it provides you with exercises, rest times and rest days as well. Gradually overtime the workouts do increase in intensity and difficulty and will test anybody by the time they reach day 30. The exercises included in the plan are suited to both males and females.

I have had this App ever since I was in Year 10 in high school, so roughly about 4 years now! I remember when I first started becoming interested in Fitness back then that this was a great transition activity from little exercise to more frequent exercise. Included in this free download is three different difficulties; Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, all of which have 2 levels. These days, I don't do sit ups and ab exercises everyday, but I will still follow this app on the occasion that I do train my core. 

This was the very first Fitness/Exercise App which I downloaded and despite changing phones and electronic devices several times, I refuse to uninstall it. The company that make this app have also made LOADS of different apps which include plans such as "30 Day Cardio Challenge" and "30 Day Squat Challenge". I love how the App will send you daily notifications/reminders to complete your session for the day, I found that really motivated me especially when I had a busy day. This App is perfect for someone who regularly works out and for complete beginners who are wanting to keep healthy and de-stress. 

My hunt continues to find loads of other useful apps which can make my life a WHOLE lot easier and teach me something new. If you have any recommendations then I'd love to hear them!

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I hope the information in this post is helpful to some of you! If you're interested in my posts and what keep up to date with my page, please subscribe to the blog! If you have any further questions about these apps, anything fitness related, or if you have general requests for future posts, please get in contact and let me know via my email, or my Instagram; @shxrt_arse