Training for a marathon and losing weight are popular New Year's resolutions - and these health and fitness apps are designed to keep people on track when it comes to exercise and dietary goals for 2019
New gym memberships, strict bed times and frugal dietary plans are staples this time of year – and now there’s a host of health and fitness apps trying to increase the odds of New Year’s resolutions making it past the first week of January.
As data tracking technology has advanced, so too have the apps that use them to augment exercise routines, sleeping patterns and more.
The saying “there’s an app for that” is particularly applicable in the fitness space, with everything from zombie hordes that get people running to tools for the perfect night’s sleep now on the market.
Health and fitness apps
Lifesum
Lifesum aims to stop people getting overwhelmed by wholesale dietary overhauls and daunting fitness routines by emphasising small, measurable changes as the way to better your health.
The app encourages people to pick an objective, whether it be getting stronger, losing weight or improving their nutrition, and provides an all-in-one database where they can track their progress.
Users can enter their exercise routines or use the app’s barcode scanner to track the food they’re buying, and the app will provide feedback and tips based on their goals.
Sleep Cycle
Many apps on the market exist to measure and track sleeping habits, providing users with a handy backlog of how well they’re resting up – but intelligent alarm clock Sleep Cycle comes with an additional feature.
After it has measured an average night’s sleep, it introduces a timer that automatically begins to softly wake the user up 30 minutes before their alarm, during their lightest sleep state when getting out of bed is much easier.
Zombies, Run!
For those who find running a little dull, Zombies, Run! promises to spice things up a bit by providing the extra incentive of fleeing for their life.
The app includes a series of audio book logs that spell out a narrative surrounding the zombie apocalypse, complete with tasks and objectives to complete, centred around getting the user running from place to place.
It uses creepy sound effects to enhance the experience, and will periodically encourage the user to pick up the pace in order to keep out of reach of the ensuing horde.
Happify
In an effort to help people reduce stress and improve their emotional wellbeing, Happify provides its users with tailored routines intended to help its users reach a state of absolute calm.
After downloading the app, they’ll be asked to select an objective that most suits their needs, and it will provide daily activities such as brain games and meditation exercises designed to improve mental health, all of which are verified by relevant experts.
Fooducate
Fooducate pools the features of a number of different apps into one service in order to provide a holistic picture of its users’ health.
It comes with a barcode scanner feature to let them find out more about the food they’re buying, with bespoke nutritional information on hand to keep people informed, as well as healthier alternative suggestions.
The app also monitors sleeping patterns and exercise routines, and will provide feedback based on a user’s objectives to help them meet their goals.
Waterlogged
Focusing specifically on the hydration element of nutritional health, Waterlogged serves to measure a person’s water intake.
Users can take photographs of glasses and bottles of water they’ve had throughout the day, and the app will automatically add them to a daily tally to help users reach the optimum hydration level.
It also features push notifications to let them know when they’re close to completing the daily target, and integrates into wearable tech for seamless and convenient use.
HealthTap
HealthTap attempts to provide people with the answers they need to various health concerns.
Users are able to enter their questions, which are sent to a network of doctors who will provide an answer via the app.
It also houses a wide range of information on common illnesses to help people read up on the ailments they’re most likely to be suffering from.
Unit Challenge
Unit Challenge seeks to “level the playing field” of activity in order to encourage wider participation in exercising.
The app brings together groups such as friends and colleagues, who are given a challenge of achieving the most “units” of exercise – measured according to individual profiles – and encourages them to keep on track with their personal targets.
By developing exercise discipline, it promotes regular exercise by setting achievable goals within a personal framework – as well as an incentive to do more than users perhaps otherwise would.