Life is getting busier by the moment and we seldom have time to visit the gym or step out for a walk. We might be getting more productive but our lifestyles are increasingly sedentary and lack of activity results in growing number of health issues.
All is not lost though, our smartphones while are an essential part of our busy work schedules, entertainment and communications; can also be effectively used to monitor and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here is our pick of some of the best apps that help you take care of your health.
My Fitness Pal: Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker
(Free for IOS and Android)
If you ever went on a diet or joined a gym you would probably have maintained a journal of sorts even if on a single piece of paper. Well, Myfitnesspal app is a great fitness/diet journal with a great interface allowing you to make quick and easy entries for what you have had in your last meal and record your exercise. The best part is that it comes with a built-in barcode reader which allows you to scan your food packaging so that you don’t have to enter the calorie and other nutritional information. Myfitnesspal also connects with a variety of other fitness apps.
Nike+ Training Club
This is one amazing app by Nike. Don’t feel like going to the gym just click on the app and start training by choosing from over 100 workouts created by the master trainers at Nike. The fun part is that you can create your profile, add friends and compete against each other, surly a great motivational factor.
You customize the app by specifically downloading the workouts that suits you and basically have your own personal workout program. People who have used this app vow by its results and most of all you can show off your achievements by sharing photos and workout results on various social networks.
WebMD
(Free for IOS and Android)
This app provides health content reviewed by practicing physicians. The interactive tools provide a great way to asses and treat your health conditions. The symptom checker and medicinal recommendations are amazingly accurate. WebMD has an extensive database with information on medicine, supplements and vitamins and also provides information on side effects of various medicines.
It is a great first aid tool allowing you to easily navigate, learn and provide essential first aid in case of emergencies. You can maintain your personal health record in WebMD which can come handy in case you ever require your medical history.
Moves
(Free for IOS and Android)
With your phone in your pocket Moves will automatically detect your everyday activity such as walking, running or cycling. It has one of the most interesting interfaces with a timeline for your daily activities along with where the activity took place, yes it keeps a track of the places you frequent the most every day.
The pedometer keeps a track of how many steps you took and the best thing is that though this app has to run all day to keep tracking your activities and uses GPS, yet battery consumption is minimal. Moves is the itunes editor’s choice app.
Health Mate
Looking to lose a bit of weight or just want to live a healthier life Health Mate is the app for you. The app helps you maintain a log of your weight and keeps on motivating you to put in more effort to lose it and achieve your goal. You can track your physical activity by linking Health Mate to its partner app Runkeeper.
Health Mate encourages you to put in at least 30 minutes of physical activity in a day to achieve your goals. It also monitors your sleep cycles as getting a good night’s sleep is essential for a healthy life and most of all losing those extra pounds.
Note: It is important that you consult your physician and nutritionist before taking any medicine or supplement and do not solely rely on the diagnosis provided by various health related apps.
Learn how to calculate calories in Pakistani food by clicking on the link.
