10 Motivating Health & Fitness Apps

If you are looking to get in shape or get inspired to up your current exercise routine, these 10 motivating fitness apps will help.

We all know that good nutrition, drinking water, and working out are the ways to a healthier and happier life. Though we also all know how tough those things can be. That’s why these apps are so helpful. From workouts to water trackers there is something for everyone on this list.

10 Motivating Fitness Apps

DDP Yoga Now

The DDP Yoga Now App features the original, life-changing DDP Yoga workouts with a rapidly growing library of new workouts for all fitness levels and ages. Have you watched the video of Arthur, the disabled war veteran who was able to walk and even run, thanks to his commitment to the DDP Yoga program? So inspiring!

This program is fantastic because it was originally designed as a rehabilitation workout for athletes who had suffered years of injuries due to high impact sports. DDP Yoga combines the very best of yoga, traditional fitness, sports therapy, and dynamic resistance. It allows you to get a good cardio workout, increase flexibility, strengthen core muscles, and experience almost no joint impact.

With the DDP Yoga Now app you can get live streaming workouts with Diamond Dallas Page, utilize the rapidly growing library of workouts, use the custom workout mode which allows you to track workouts, watch motivational videos and stories form the Team DDP Yoga community, and earn points within DDP Yoga Now and get opportunities to meet or talk to DDP himself.

This app is a motivational tool that tracks your progress every step of the way with the library of workouts, nutritional tips, recipes, and inspiring stories.

8fit

The 8fit App includes workouts, meal plans, and even a personal trainer. When you get started with 8fit, you state your goal whether it’s weight loss, to gain muscle, or recomposition. Then you measure your fitness level with a strength test. Next, custom workouts and a diet meal planner are created for you. The workouts take 15-20 minutes and can all be done at home. You’ll also find nutrition plans, tips, and guides and a meal planner with healthy recipes.

The app also includes foods to eat and food to avoid as well as step-by-step information on planning meals and creating a healthy grocery shopping list. The workouts include fat burning exercises as well as muscle building workouts. There are even interactive videos along with research backed education.

The app is even Apple Health compatible where you can report your weight and calories burned during workouts. It also is Apple Watch compatible where you can sync your interactive workouts on your watch.

There is a free edition where you can fully experience 8fit Pro without an upfront cost. Once the trial period ends you can purchase the paid Pro version.

7 Minute Workout Challenge

The 7 Minute Workout App is perfect for those who are busy, and who isn’t these days?! The theory behind this app is some exercise is better than no exercise and it’s important to exercise even in a small amount on a regular and consistent basis. Researchers have selected 12 exercises that are preformed for 30 seconds with 10 second rest intervals. The high-intensity training with little rest is what makes this app different than others.

The exercises are simple to perform and do not require any equipment. The app also tracks your results and also makes working out fun by allowing you to unlock rewards as your continue exercising. There is a weight tracker and and an activity tracker. You can get guidance on the exercises by both male and female trainers through video, audio, image, and text.

You can also purchase bonus exercise packs to mix things up and the app is compatible with the Apple Watch.

Couch To 5K

The Couch To 5K App has been around for awhile, in fact in 2012 it won the Appy Award for best Healthcare & Fitness App. One of the reasons it’s been able to stick around and has been so successful is because it makes exercise doable and is so motivational.

This app is designed to get you up off the couch and running. Commit to just 20-30 minutes three times a week, for nine weeks, and you’ll be ready to finish your first 5k (3.1 mile) race.

Some of it’s features include: a training plan designed by Active.com trainers, human audio cues to guide you through each workout, the ability to listen to your favorite playlists with an in-app music player, calculate your distance and pace as well as map your route with free GPS support, log your workouts and share your progress on Facebook, get support from the largest running community on Active.com Trainer, repeat workouts and track your best performance, treadmill support allows manual entry of workouts, and graphs for workouts to compare distance and pace.

One of the most unique features is that you can choose from a variety of trainers including:

• Constance – a Couch to 5K Alum
• Runicorn – a real party animal who will entertain and encourage you at every mile on your magical journey
• Sergeant Block – he’s as “hard Corps” as they come, follow the training program or he’ll make you drop and give him 50
• Johnny Dead – he’s a fiendish, brain-chasing zombie, he’ll captivate you and keep you motivated but he might lose a limb along the way
• …and more

This app is $3.99 and is Apple Watch compatible.

Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal

The Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker App by MyFitnessPal has impressive reviews in the iOS app store from other users. It deems itself the fastest and easiest-to-use calorie counter. You can track all major nutrients: calories, fat, protein, carbs, sugar, fiber, cholesterol, and more. It has the largest food database with over 6,000,000 foods and with quick food and exercise entry you can keep track of calories in and out. You can use the barcode scanner to track a food just by scanning it’s barcode. There’s also a built in step tracker.

You can also receive personalized goals based on your individual diet profile or enter your own goals. You can gain insights into where your calories and nutrients are coming from and how to make healthier choices, and you can view charts of your progress over time for motivation.

It was also selected as Consumer Reports #1 Diet as well as PC magazine Editor’s Choice Selection and was the #1 Health and Fitness App for 4 years straight.

The app is free and you can track your diet and exercise in less than 5 minutes a day. It remembers your favorites, adds multiple foods at once, and can save and add entire meals. There is even a recipe importer, you can visit any recipe on the web and easily import it and track it with a tap. It also can connect with over 50 devices and apps include Apple Health, Fitbit, Jawbone UP, Garmin, Runkeeper, and more.

My Water Balance

The My Water Balance: Daily Drink Tracker & Reminder App, like the one above has rave reviews on iOS. The app was designed to help you drink water regularly  and will calculate your daily water intake. You can also get notifications to drink more water.

The app features: a water requirement calculator, reminders, stats in graphs, motivational awards, and useful tips. You can add different drinks such as coffee, tea, and many more. You can also enter your gender and weight and the app will calculate the volume of water you should be drinking.

This app is also Apple Watch compatible and you can add your consumed drinks right on the Watch. It is free but there is a full version at $4.99.

Nike+ Training Club Workouts & Fitness Plans

The Nike+ Training Club Workouts & Fitness Plans App features a polished collection of visual workouts hosted by celebrity athletes like Serena Williams. You can use it at home or at the gym. Each lesson can be done on it’s own but there are also month-long structured programs as well.

The app includes 130+ free workouts feature Nike Athletes and Trainers including:

• Serena Williams and Kevin Hart
• Rory McIlroy
• Ashton Eaton
• Alex Morgan
• Carli Lloyd
• Ellie Goulding

There are personalized training plans guided by Nike Master Trainers and the videos are easy-to-follow and take you through every drill. You can exercise anywhere with a variety of strength, endurance, and mobility focused workouts. Workouts range from 15-45 minutes and there are beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels as well as low, moderate, and high intensity. There also are bodyweight only, light, and full equipment options for exercise. You can also choose time-based or rep-based workouts.

Map My Run

Map My Run GPS Running & Workout Tracker is another app that is an oldie but a goodie. You have to admire apps that have been around for years and are still going strong, raking in the positive reviews. In fact this app was named “One Of The 10 Best Lifestyle iPhone Apps Of All Time” by Mashable and was featured in the NY Times, TechCrunch, Wired, and Time.

With this app you can track and map your workouts. You can get audio feedback on every GPS -tracked run and view the route you took on the map. You can also choose from over 600 sports to keep a full log of all of your activities. You can use the Routes feature to find nearby places to run, save your favorite paths, add new ones, and share them with others.

This app also helps you analyze your performance on every mile. You can gain in-depth insights on every workout with stats that include pace, distance, duration, calorie burn, elevation, and more. You can also set personal goals and adjust them as you improve with each run.

You can also stay up-to-date with friends and motivate each other, share your workouts through Facebook an Twitter, and join Challenges to compete with others and win prizes.

This app connects with other apps and wearables including the Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Jawbone, and you can connect it with MyFitness Pal as well for a comprehensive look at your calorie intake and burn.

Steps Pedometer App

The Steps Pedometer & Step Counter Activity Tracker App is motivating because the background colors change as you reach your daily goal. It tracks how far you walk and how many steps you take in a very simple way.

Set a goal and as you walk, the colors change to show your progress. There are no extra gadgets needed, no noise, and nothing to distract you. It also offers calorie tracking which you can purchase for $1.99 that is customized for your body and activity and you can track and share your full activity history.

The app is always on and tracking so there’s no need to press start and stop buttons.

This app is Apple Watch compatible and you can check in quickly from the Watch.

Stretching Sworkit

The Stretching Sworkit Increase Flexibility & Pilates App you can use the free workouts to improve flexibility and avoid injury. You can pick workouts that fit your schedule. There are 3 unique workouts: Full Body Stretch, Head To Toe Stretch, and Pilates Essentials.

The routines guide you through video exercises demonstrated by professional personal trainers.

You can also sync your completed workout lengths, calories burned, and workout type directly into Apple’s Health app. This app is considered a mini-app, the Sworkit App includes Strength, Cardio, Yoga, and Stretching tracks and more. It’s as easy to use and motivating as the Increase Flexibility & Pilates App.

These 10 motivating fitness apps can inspire you to get in shape or keep track of calories or water intake or runs. We all have our phones on us every where we go these days and the apps in this list will help you reach your health & fitness goals wherever you go.

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