My Favorite Fitness Apps

Wow, it's so amazing how much technology has advanced over the last few years.  iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, the list goes on and on.  Life is so much easier with all of this information right at our fingertips!  I no longer use pen and paper to write my grocery lists, my to-do lists, or even my workout logs.  I think it's funny to see the looks on my kids' faces when I tell them that there was no internet when I was in high school, and that we had to use books called encyclopedias to do our research with!  They are so amazed!
The information out there is endless, and included in this information is my favorite topic, Fitness!  There's a huge variety of fitness apps available, and a lot of them are free (the paid apps are only a couple of dollars or less)!  It amazes me how much information is available with the tap of a finger.  Fitness, fitness, fitness, oh how I love that word!  I have an iPhone.  A lot of the iPhone apps are also compatible with the iPad and iPod Touch.  Below are a list my 7 favorite fitness apps.  These are the apps that I recommend to my friends and clients, based on their needs and lifestyles.  These are also apps that I have used at some point and had great success with.  Although I don't currently actively use all of these apps, I keep them in my phone as a reference, and sometimes revisit them for information.

myWOD


This is the perfect companion for CrossFitters.  It includes a list of the most commonly used WODs that you can select from, or you can manually enter your own WOD.  With this app, not only can you record your WOD results, but you can also record your Max Weights, and Records.  I paid $1.99 for this app.




Fooducate


I love, love, love this app!  This is my grocery shopping companion.  This app has helped me in my weakest moments in the store.  You know, those moments when you see an item on the shelf that looks so yummy, and you say to yourself "oh, it won't hurt if I treat myself this one time".  It's during those moments that I click on Fooducate and scan the item that I'm drooling over.....and after about 10 seconds of reading the results, I place the item back on the shelf and walk away.  It's funny how your craving for a certain food immediately disappears once you read what those 15 letter ingredients actually are!  This app scans the food item, gives you all of the nutritional information, tells you the Weight Watchers Points Plus value, but then goes a step further and grades the item giving you an explanation of the grade along with warnings for particular ingredients in that item.  This app was free!

Restaurants from Unified Lifestyles

This is another go-to app for me.  I use this app when planning a dinner date with my husband or kids, or when making an unplanned stop at a restaurant.  It has hundreds of restaurants listed in alphabetical order, and gives nutritional information for items on their menu.  It also provides a map of where the restaurant is located!  This app was free when I downloaded it!




Dotti's Food Score


If you're counting Weight Watchers Points Plus (or the original Points Value), then this is a must have app.  Dotti's Food Score lists hundreds of restaurants in alphabetical order, it also has a search bar, and lists the Points Plus AND original Points Value for many items on their menu.  This is the perfect companion to help stay within your points range when going out to eat.  I paid $1.99 when I downloaded this app.


iTrackBites

For those of you who want to follow the Weight Watchers Points Plus (or original Points Value) plan, but can't afford the sign up fee and/or monthly meeting fees, this app is perfect for you!  It calculates your daily allowed points, your weekly allowed points, and your activity points.  You are then able to calculate and log all the food you have eaten.  It also includes a pocket guide, favorites list, and keeps track of your weight loss progress!  I paid $1.99 for this app.



MyFitnessPal


Calorie counter and diet tracker.  You first create a profile and input your current weight and your goal. MyFitnessPal will calculate and make a daily calorie recommendation from the information you provided.  It then allows you to log your daily calories, telling you how many you have left, or by how much you have gone over your daily goal.  It includes a VERY LARGE food database.  One of the largest I've seen!  Restaurants are also included in this database!  MyFitnessPal also includes a scanner to conveniently enter and calculate nutrition information for you.  You can also log and calculate the estimated calories burned during your workout.  Remember, not all calories are treated equally!  I've found that a lot of other important nutrition facts for food are not included in the database.  Always make wise choices!  This app was free!

RunKeeper


This was another go-to app of mine, before a sick knee put me on a break from running.  You choose your activity type; running, cycling, swimming, etc....of course, I chose running!  It then allows you to set a pace goal, and choose the playlist you want to listen to when working out.  You can set the frequency of pace and distance updates, and according the the frequency you set, an voice will sound giving you the distance, time, and pace, as well as how close to your goal you are.  I've tried other running apps, and this is the most accurate one I've come across.  This app was free!

These are my favorite fitness apps, based on my personal experience and opinions.  If you have a favorite fitness app that is not listed here I would love to hear about it.  Post your fitness app review in the comment section.  I will try it out as well and leave my feedback!