9 Free smartphone apps to get fit
Sensor-packed smartphones are as good as their wrist-worn
alternatives. All you need are the right apps to unlock your phone's
fitness-tracking potential
You
don't necessarily need the help of a wearable or a smartwatch to track your
steps and monitor your ac tivity -modern-day smartphones have all the sensors
and hardware you need to keep an eye on how much (or little) exercise you're
getting.
Here
are nine apps to help track your fitness and no extra devices required.
1 Human
Human
is an activity monitor and calorie counter built around the idea of doing 30
minutes of exercise a day. It automatically picks up your walks, runs and
bicycle rides without you having to do anything.What's more, adding friends or
colleagues and getting active as a team is very simple and well integrated. One
of Apple's `best of App Store' picks for last year. [iOS only]
2 Moves
Moves
promises to keep a watch on your exertions from your pocket or even your bag,
so you can track your activities without having to think about it. Again, the
three main options are walking, running and cycling. The app also scores points
for its clean and clear interface. It's possible to review your routes on a map
as well.[Android and iOS]
3 Map My Fitness
Workout
Trainer There are a bunch of Map My Fitness apps, tracking runs, hikes, cycle
rides, even dog walks, but we're using this one as an example. It logs all the
major activity types, using the sensors in your smartphone and keeps tabs on
everything from your speed to the number of calories you've burned. The data
analysis and community tools are good too. [Android and iOS]
4 Strava
Strava
is one of the most popular apps for runners and cyclists and it's not difficult
to see why: comprehensive tracking of your routes, speeds and distances, as
well as a pile of social features so you can test yourself against friends,
relatives, or coworkers.The app can even show you routes that are popular with other
users.[Android and iOS]
5 Runtastic
The
recently revamped Runtastic can cope with all kinds of sports and fitness
activities, with running, jogging, walking and cycling automatically logged
from your smartphone. It's one of the better options for letting you log and
analyse your performance over a long period of time and like Strava there's a
strong community behind the app. [Android and iOS]
6 Endomondo
One
of the most well-established and best-loved fitness tracking apps out there,
Endomondo again focuses on the three main activity types: walking, running and
riding your cycle. Altitude, speed, duration, calories, heart rate and more can
all be piped into the Endomondo system and there's the option to manually log
your workouts.[Android and iOS]
7 RunKeeper
Particularly
strong on social and history features, RunKeeper combines a slick and simple
interface with automatic monitoring of your runs, walks and cycle rides. A
bunch of training plans are included, so it's easy to set goals -though sticking
to them is up to you. RunKeeper also syncs neatly with plenty of other apps and
services.[Android and iOS]
8 Google Fit
Don't
forget that both Google and Apple offer free apps for monitoring your activity
built right into Android and iOS. Google Fit is the more spartan of the two but
it does have some advantages, such as a web interface. Walking, cycling and
running is monitored automatically and you can add a host of other activity
types manually as and when required. [Android only]
9 Apple Health
Apple
Health is certainly a comprehensive tracking app: It's difficult to think of
anything the integrated iOS app can't keep tabs on if you want it to, and it
syncs with a bunch of third-party programs and devices too. It's perhaps
lacking in flexibility and (of course) crossplatform compatibility, but many
iPhone owners won't need to install anything else besides this. [iOS only].
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gizmodo.in
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ETP24NOV15
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