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Apps that I like
Here are a few fitness apps that I like. I am either currently using them or have used them in the past. Notice the date by each review as apps change very frequently.
MyFitnessPal
Review date: Dec 2023
I was looking for an app to track what I eat: calories, carbs, protein, etc. The best app I found to do this is MyFitnessPal, www.myfitnesspal.com. [#myfitnesspal]
Tracking everything you eat is a pretty onerous chore. MyFitnessPal does everything it can to make this task a little easier. Here are some of the features that stood out for me.
- The app is well-designed and very easy to use.
- Their food database is HUGE. I was almost always able to find the nutrition info for food I was eating.
- I also liked the daily or weekly reporting of what I was eating.
- If you miss a day, you can go back in time to fill out your information.
My favorite, VeryWellFit, provides me with some nice app research and a great starting point. Here are some of their survey articles that review all kids of apps.
- Fitness apps - From Mar 2023, "The Best Fitness Apps of 2023", www.verywellfit.com/best-fitness-apps-4173707
- Weight loss apps - From May 2023, "Best Weight Loss Apps", www.verywellfit.com/best-weight-loss-apps-4775862
- Diet apps - From July 2023, "Best Diet Apps", www.verywellfit.com/best-diet-apps-4774469
- You can search the VeryWellFit website to find reviews on all kinds of different apps: running, weightlifting, keto, etc. Pretty cool, www.verywellfit.com/search?q=apps
Planet Fitness
Review date: Jan 2024
There are lots of good workout videos on the Planet Fitness app. [#planet_fitness]
It also lets you quickly check-in at your local Planet.
Tabata Stopwatch Pro
Review date: Dec 2023
There are lots of phone apps out there that will time your workouts. Apps are particularly useful for short-term, intense workouts with lots of repetition. These have many names: interval training, Tabata training, and High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Of these apps, I like Tabata StopWatch Pro the best. [#tabata]
Workout timing usually has three components: workout time, rest time, and number of sets. Example: Do pushups for 30 seconds; rest for 30 seconds; repeat this cycle 4 times.
Here are two timing apps that I've used:
- I like Tabata Stopwatch Pro the best. It's free with ads. I really like that it's very simple to use. Inexplicably, I also enjoy that the app talks to me: "Get ready", "Exercise", etc. Website: parabolicriver.com/tabatastopwatchpro
- The Seconds Pro Interval Timer app also works well. Like the Tabata app, it's free and it talks. With Seconds, you can create multiple timers and name them. I would rarely use this extra layer of functionality (and complexity). Website: www.intervaltimer.com
