For many people, each New Year brings a host of fitness-and-health-related resolutions. If you are like most people, the end of January also often signals the end of those resolutions as you fall back into old habits. But you might just need a little help to get over this hurdle, and there are a number of applications out there designed to help you. Whether you want to shed a few pounds, build some muscle tone or are recovering from a long illness, some of the great health and fitness apps below can help keep your eyes on the prize.
Top-ranked Great Health Apps for the New Year
1. Fitocracy
Nothing makes difficult tasks easier like a game, but fitness games rarely hold your interest for more than a few weeks. What separates Fitocracy from the rest of the crowd is a combination of RPG leveling mechanics and a strong social aspect. This Web application gives you points each time you perform a physical activity, and when you reach enough points, you level up. The game also features a robust community so you can work out with, or compete against, other people. There are even some premium features available if you want to purchase a subscription, but the basic service is completely free.
2. iHealth
This app, available for iOS devices, helps people suffering from chronic diseases manage their illnesses. iHealth is designed to give people the tools to monitor their overall health including tracking medications, a customizable list of medical measurements, and a feature that generates a measurements report for your doctor or specialist. The app can be a powerful tool for people managing a prolonged illness, recovering from a kidney or liver transplant, or who need a way to keep track of daily medications and treatments.
3. Pocket Trainer
Working out on your own can often be a little challenging and repetitive, so Pocket Trainer aims to add some excitement and variety to your regimen. The app allows you to specify how much time you have, what you want to work on and even what equipment you have available. It then creates a customized workout complete with videos and descriptions of the exercises. With over 300 exercises to choose from, you’ll never get bored with working out again. Pocket Trainer is available for all four major smartphone operating systems, and can also be installed on your computer. It is one Android as well, download it here.
4. All-In Yoga
It’s easy to write yoga off as just stretching, but a complete yoga routine not only gives your body a serious workout, but it relaxes your mind as well. All-In Yoga, available for iOS devices, provides you with 300 different poses that are separated by level and type, allowing you to create your own custom yoga workout based on just the poses you feel comfortable doing. The poses are modeled by an actual person, so you can be sure that you are performing them correctly.
5. Fooducate
No amount of exercise will matter if you keep putting calorie-laden foods into your body, so the Fooducate app, available for iOS and Android devices, is designed to help you ensure you are getting the correct nutrition. With this app you can scan the barcodes of the food you want and the app will assign the food a grade based on the food’s nutritional merits. Fooducate will help you sift through the advertising jargon on the package and be sure that the choices you make are healthy ones. If you’re on a food plan after surgery or recovering from an illness, this app can help you make better choices—but you should still consult your physician when making changes in your diet.
Also read: Are you a foodie? Here’s Heaven-sent advice for you!
Conclusion
No single application will be a magic bullet that ensures you stick to your resolutions, but the additional information, social aspects and daily reminders can help you remember why you decided to get healthier in the first place. Any of these five healthy apps will provide the extra support that you may need to stay on target throughout 2014.
We all need good health to enjoy our wealth, because as the old saying goes, “health is always wealth”, so these great and powerful health apps will serve as guide to help you improve and maintain your healthy lifestyle.
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