You’ve probably heard all of the warnings about how screen time is affecting our lives, how we’re being changed by our phones, etc. But phones and other mobile electronic devices can be useful. Today’s technology is rapidly progressing, and the phrase “there’s an app for that” has never been more true. This is especially the case with the number of apps that are free to download. So if you’re going to use smartphones, why not use them as tools to help you maintain your health and well-being? Here we have gathered some free mobile apps that you can use to keep track of your health.
Fitness
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is an all-in-one fitness app that you can use for many purposes. You can track your calories as you try to lose weight or start a new diet. You can keep track of your exercise patterns. There are also many companion apps you can download to do and track specific fitness tasks. This app has been praised by Consumer Reports and PC Magazine.
Strava
Strava is a fitness tracking app popular with cyclists and runners. It logs exercise sessions via GPS and helps plan routes for biking or jogging outdoors. When you’re done with an exercise routine, it will display your exercise stats, from speed and duration to pace and calories burned. Strava can also assist with tracking exercise beyond running and cycling, such as gym training, yoga, kayaking and rock-climbing.
Food
Fooducate
Fooducate is an app that keeps track of your daily nutrition. It has detailed access to information on the specific foods you’re consuming and will track calories for you. It’ll even give you a grade on how well or poorly you’re eating and help you determine where you need to change your habits. It also has teaching resources that provide information on what foods to stay away from and which foods to try more often, depending on your dietary habits.
Waterlogged
It’s important to drink water. Waterlogged will help you track your water consumption, graphing it for your personal needs. You can even set up water-drinking goals and track your progress in overcoming them. If you have a hard time remembering to drink water, Waterlogged can help you set up a new habit.
Personal Health
Headspace
Headspace is a guided meditation app. With life and work becoming increasingly stressful, it is good to take an opportunity to be more self-aware and learn to be at peace. This is where Headspace comes in. It has hundreds of themed meditation sessions on topics like sleep, anxiety, focus and stress. It even has “SOS” themed exercises in the case of a sudden rush of anxiety or stress.
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle is a highly rated app that tracks your sleeping patterns through technology on your phone such as accelerometers and microphones. It logs the details of how deeply and how long you sleep. It can be set up to wake you up at a time when you are in a light sleep phase so that you wake up feeling well-rested, not irritable or foggy-headed. It can also help you set up a sleeping routine so that you can get used to going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
Nudge
Everyone can benefit from a personal coach. Nudge provides that. Beyond tracking your progress through different activities, it will give you practical and simple tips on how to start small and work up. It securely stores all of your information and can be synced with a number of fitness tracking wearable devices. Nudge is designed to become customized to your personal needs, so that no matter what new habits or lifestyles you’re trying to form, you’ll have something to help you along.
Clue
Clue is an app for women used to help maintain and track sexual health. It assists with menstrual cycle information and education on what to expect at different times of the month, hormone levels, cravings and how to stay sexually healthy. It can even keep track of specific details, like giving reminders about when to take birth control pills and giving notifications about ovulation. This is an app that can help women be more aware of and educated about what’s happening within their bodies throughout the menstrual cycle, and how to best take care of themselves in the midst of it.
Phones and mobile devices are valuable tools, even if we do tend to spend too much time on them. But these apps provide opportunities to build your lifestyle into something better, something that will help you stay healthy. At the Community Access Network, we care about helping you maintain your well-being. So if you need to visit a doctor or get advice on how to start new diets, exercise routines and other healthy lifestyle choices, contact or visit us today!