Staying healthy is a major concern for many entrepreneurs, and especially those with particularly busy and demanding schedules. As IncomeDiary contributor David Aston explains, “It’s no coincidence that a lot of entrepreneurs have health related problems. As entrepreneurs, we often treat our bodies terribly in exchange for success. We work long, unsociable hours, on little sleep, fueling our bodies with crap food – just so we can get back to what we were doing.”
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Too much stress and too much time at a desk can produce big-time health concerns in the long run. Luckily, mobile apps are a great way to stay on top of your fitness goals and get moving in a healthy way! But would you believe that there are more than 16,000 health and fitness apps currently available on the market?
So, I’ve removed the guesswork and created a short list of some of the best health and fitness apps out there, in random order.
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Map My Run
The current version of Map My Run boasts a five star rating from iOS users, and is available for download on both iOS and Android devices. It was also recognized by About.com as the Reader’s Choice Best Running App for 2012. Map My Run allows you to track more than 600 different kinds of events (including the usual suspects like walking, jogging and running). You also have the option to post your activities to social media accounts. Best of all, they synchronize your information on their website, so you can check out your stats, in detail, any time.
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MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is one of the premier calorie counter and diet tracking apps out there, and is available for download for both iOS and Android. This app boasts a huge food database that helps users monitor food intake based on calorie and nutritional information. On top of that, it’s easy to navigate, providing a user experience (UX) any developer could learn from. If you haven’t yet given MyFitnessPal a look, it’s perfect for supporting your weight loss goals, eating healthier or just monitoring calorie intake.
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Fitbit
Fitbit can be likened to an all-in-one tracking tool for health and fitness. Its features cover pretty much every phase of monitoring your health, weight, diet and exercise — and it has the ability to track a whole day’s activity (steps, calories burned, distance covered and even your sleep time!) Fitbit also allows you to input food intake to help monitor calories and other nutritional information. Last but not least, it also allows you to set a goal (like a target weight,) and then helps you monitor the essential metrics that will help you achieve it.
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Digifit iCardio
In essence, Digifit iCardio’s main goal is to monitor the heart rate of a user while performing an activity. In other words, it’s going to make you feel super lazy for sitting 12 hours a day…and yes, I’m guilty of this, too! iCardio is also great because it can track workout distance, route, pace, time and other essential information in monitoring the progress of the user in any given activity or sports. You can also sync information with other gadgets (including Fitbit and Jawbone Up) making the capabilities of this app especially impressive.
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Weight Watchers Mobile
When you hear the words, “Weight Watchers,” you probably imagine a middle-aged woman trying to get out of her “fat pants.” But the Weight Watchers Mobile app offers just about everything you need to stay sleek and svelte, including an interactive chart that allows you to track and check the status of a selected weight-loss program. It also helps you select meals from wide variety of healthy food choices and recipes provided in the app. Add in a barcode scanner that allows you to scan food items and the ability to monitor exercise activities, and you have a very solid app from the old pros at Weight Watchers!
There you have it! If you need a little help getting your butt in gear, these fitness apps are a great place to start. Did I leave any out? Let me know in the comments below.
This article has been edited and condensed.
Jimmy Winskowski is a digital strategist who specializes in helping startups and small businesses take the next step. He has a passion for tech and for helping you be more productive, happier, and healthier at work. He is sharing his insights on behalf of 97th Floor, a full service digital marketing agency. Connect with @jwinskowski on Twitter.
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