The popularity of health technology apps has risen, which seems logical if you take into consideration that almost 75% of US adults own a smartphone, and 89% of the total mobile time is spent in using apps. Health apps are causing a huge change in relations between patients and doctors, giving the patients more control over their medical decisions. They are empowering people to gain more knowledge and have a say in their health, taking on a more active role than previously.
The research found that in 2018, the global mobile health market is projected to be valued at 28 billion dollars, and it is estimated to reach $102 billion by the year 2023. According to one study, 66% of Americans would rather use a medical app than a doctor to manage health problems.
When it comes to fitness apps, the reason for their increased influence is clear. Smartphones have an abundance of sensors, and when paired with the right apps prepared by the best app design firms and a little self-determination, can be just as efficient as having a trainer guiding you through your workouts. Why waste your hard-earned money on expensive exercise equipment when you already own a smartphone?
Whether you’re looking for motivation, trying to find a way to eat healthier or track your miles, there’s already an app for that somewhere in the app store. We took the time to look around the Google Play Store and find some of the most helpful and entertaining apps related to health and fitness.
Fitbit.
Fitbit is a tracker for your all-day activity, exercise, sleep, and weight, and it even lets you compete with your friends.
Throughout the day it measures your steps, the distance you walked and the calories you burned. Fitbit also records your sleep at night and it helps you set a weekly sleep goal, review your sleep trends over time and create bedtime reminders.
There are numerous other features that Fitbit offers, such as: monitoring heart rate, measuring hydration, logging food, and setting and managing goals.
In order to constantly track your progress, Fitbit trackers sync your stats to computers and mobile without needing to plug in.
Google Fit.
Google fit lets you choose from a list of 120+ activities to track, including yoga and badminton. The activities are measured against the user’s goals to give a comprehensive view (daily, weekly, or monthly) of their fitness. It also aggregates info from other apps to track fitness, nutrition, sleep, and weight:
My Fitness Pal.
My Fitness Pal is a calorie counter as well as a diet and exercise journal. It generates a calorie goal suited to the rate of weight loss or weight gain you’re trying to achieve, and you can see a macronutrient breakdown for every meal you log inside your diary.
The app has a feature that allows you to decide whether or not to add exercise calories back into your daily calorie goal, and if you want them added as carbohydrates, protein or fat, which is helpful if you’re trying to skip out on carbs.
Jinglow.
Jinglow is a mindfulness recording studio that can go anywhere with you. The thing that makes Jinglow different from all the other mindfulness apps in the Play store is that it allows you to record your own voice and then pair it with whatever background sounds you choose.
Another feature that Jinglow offers is guided meditations that include meditations for processing emotions and progressive relaxation, breath work, moving meditations and body scans.
Jinglow also provides a library of positive affirmations to boost your self-confidence, white noise to help you sleep, and ambient music and inspirational beats to meditate to.
Calm.
Calm has an introductory program that offers the basics of meditation called 7 Days of Calm. It also has a collection of Sleep Stories that help you with your sleeping troubles and it includes children’s tales, scientific articles, nature essays and more. The Daily Calm feature they provide is a 10-minute session that explores new themes every time and is an excellent way to develop a daily routine that involves meditation.
Flo Period and Ovulation Tracker.
Flo Period and Ovulation Tracker give predictions about fertile days and ovulation based on your cycle data, more specifically the information you enter about last periods and symptoms. The predictions can be helpful if you have an irregular cycle, if you’re trying to get pregnant or if you just want to know when your next period is.
