The Best Health Apps to Jump Start Your New Year

by Samantha Rivers

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, many of you will be making resolutions for 2017. And if you’re like us, those resolutions will likely be related to health and fitness in some way.

As busy professionals juggling a personal life, exercise and your own well being often take a back seat to more immediate matters.

Thankfully, these mobile health apps can help jump start your new year and bring about positive health benefits. It starts with a simple download!

1.  Stop, Breathe & Think

Though exercise and physical fitness are important, too many of us forget the impact that stress and anxiety can have on our physical and mental health. The people behind the Stop, Breathe & Think health apps had this in mind when they created their mobile application.

The app promotes the health benefits of meditation and yoga, and provides a guided curriculum to help individuals incorporate meditation into their daily lives. Individuals can track their meditation progress over time, and choose from a whole host of meditative options to advance their training.

In the process, they can bring about a sense of peace and calm. With Stop, Breathe & Think, the goal is to do just that. The app is free, and available on the web and on iOS and Android devices.

2.  Lose It

With Lose It, you can maintain a healthy diet simply by tracking your calories. Using the mobile app, photograph the food that you eat; Lose It will then track your calories in real time throughout the day. You don’t have to worry about double-checking nutritional information on the back of food packaging, nor do you have to be left in the dark when you order out.

In addition to the calorie counter, the app also includes nutrition and fitness guides to help supplement your weight loss efforts. The application makes it easy to track your progress and has proven to be effective.

Download the Lost It health apps on iOS or Android—it’s free!

3.  Nike+

If you own a smartwatch, such as the Apple Watch or Moto360, then the Nike+ app is perfect for you. The Nike+ program is made up of multiple apps, including Nike+ Run Club and Nike+ Training Club.

These apps make it easy to train for events, monitor your fitness routine, track progress and milestones, and work toward specific goals. Though the app will work on a smartphone, you could argue that it’s really tailor-made for smartwatches.

Why? Because smartwatches seamlessly integrate into your everyday life, making it easy for you (and your watch) to track your activity.

Nike+ is free and available on both iOS and Android.

4.  Strava

For dedicated runners and cyclists, there is perhaps no better app than Strava. But you don’t need to be a diehard cyclist to download and make use of the app.

If you are interested in starting a walking and running routine, or have been looking at purchasing a new bike, this mobile app can help provide extra motivation to get you started.

The app syncs with your device’s GPS to track your miles and routes; you can then compare these routes with other Strava users to gauge your performance. Part fitness tracker, part social network, Strava truly encourages activity.

The Strava health apps are free and available on both iOS and Android devices.

5.  Couch to 5K

Perhaps you would like to start a fitness routine but don’t know where to start. If so, Couch to 5K is for you.

Featuring a 9-week fitness plan (3 days a week, 30 minutes each day) that is designed to get you off of your couch and running a 5K race, this mobile application is ideal for individuals with little running experience.

The guided tutorials and regimented routine eliminate the guesswork from the program, allowing you to focus on what really matters: your health and fitness. The app acts as a motivator of sorts, too, as you know in the back of your mind that any missed session is a step in the wrong direction.

Download the Couch to 5k health apps for $1.99 on both iOS and Android devices.

Get Moving in the New Year!

With smartphones and smartwatches now commonplace, we’re constantly connected. Why not use this to your advantage? There are a multitude of mobile health apps that can help you live a healthier, more active life.

And with companies like T-Mobile now offering compatible wearable plans, you don’t have to worry about data overages or loss of coverage when you’re hiking or jogging. Make the new year a meaningful one – take your first step and download these apps today.

Happy New Year and Happy New You!