Come'on Get Appy!

Just like most Americans, I am practically surgically attached to my smart phone.  I rarely have it out of immediate reach;  it's my alarm clock, entertainment, calendar, camera, GPS, flashlight, iPod and most recently, my fitness sidekick. 

According to a 2011 article in The New York Times, about 1,288 applications for iPhone and Android devices combined are released every day.  Also, as of last summer, there were a total of over 13,000 health related apps available to consumers.  If these numbers tell us anything, it's that health and fitness smart phone applications are not only here to stay but definitely worth taking advantage of!

Personally, I have six health and fitness related apps on my phone: 
       - Nike Training Club
       - MyFitnessPal
       - SELF Workouts
       - Gold's Gym Spotter
       - Workout Trainer
       - Interval Timer

These apps (mostly free, but I can't exactly remember which ones were and weren't...) fall basically into 4 categories: calorie counter, workout guides, goal trackers, and timer.  Here are my favorites...

MyFitnessPal - Calorie Counter/Goal Tracker
                                                            

       MyFitnessPal is seriously one of my favorite tools!  Basically, you input your height, weight, your weight goal (such as loose/maintain/gain ____ lbs per week), your activity level and exercise goals (workouts/week and minutes/workout).  Based on this information, MyFitnessPal will calculate what your daily caloric intake goal should be.  Then, once you have your caloric goal, you simply input your meals and workouts each day.  To do this, you tap the "add" button then type in the food item.  The MyFitnessPal database consists of thousands of different items, brands, servings, ect.  And my absolute favorite feature, you can add foods to your diary using the built-in barcode scanner! Simply scan the barcode of the food product and automatically the item information will pop up! Super easy!   Additionally, for you cooks out there, you can also create and save your favorite recipes.  Just input the ingredients/quantities and servings, and it will calculate the nutritional facts for your creation, as well as save it for later use under "MyRecipes".  The "MyFoods" tool can be used to save foods you frequently eat for quick adding.

Nike Training Club - Workout guide/Goal Tracker

       LOVE this app! It is so easy to use and efficient. You open the app, and it brings you to a screen where you choose what your goal is for the day: get lean, get toned, get strong, or get focused.  Then, you pick your level: beginner, intermediate or advanced.  From there, it gives you a list of various workouts that fits your level and goal.  Once you've selected which workout you want to complete, the workout components will load in a list format.  Click on each component for pictures and videos on how to properly perform the move. Once you've finished the workout, it will save it to your account, so you can keep track your progress.  You also earn points for each workout completed that can be used to unlock exclusive features. You can even set your workout to albums/playlists from your own music library! Super cool guys!

Interval Timer - Just what the name implies...

       This app is pretty straight-forward, but in my opinion, that's a plus.  I hate it when programs that are so full of frills you can't make heads or tails of it!  Anyhow, you can input the name of whatever workout routine you will be doing interval training for that day, for instance, "Sunday Mornings Jog".  The program is pre-set for a 30 minute, 10 set interval routine, including a warm-up.  However, you can adjust the lengths of each interval as well as the number of interval sets.  What I love about this, is you don't have to worry about fumbling with a stop watch while you're sweating it out to keep track of intervals - not fun. An additional feature I like is that you can set the routine to music from your own library, just like in the Nike Training Club app.  This is my most recent addition to my fitness apps, and so I know for a fact this app is free!

Do you use any fitness apps to keep track of your goals and progress?  If so, leave a comment below about which one(s), and why you either like or dislike it.  Also, I encourage you to download any of the above mentioned apps and let me know how you like them!