I’ve had a pretty tumultuous relationship with health for much of my life. My parents were naturally rather fit and small, so they never spent additional time working but lived active lives; exercising wasn’t something you went out of your way to do, it just happened as they lived and enjoyed life.
That was a pretty good theory until I began to pick reading over exercise and never instituted real diet regulations until I was older. It’s never been entirely problematic, thankfully; but it has been very inconvenient.
Luckily, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing my boyfriend’s sisters and mother, and their dedication to health. When they talk about fitness and exercise, they accept and nearly welcome it as an absolute part of life. Which was, to the kid who tried to skip running “The Mile,” revolutionary.
I know that health class and instructors always recommend regular exercise in order to be healthy. But, they have to, right? It’s their job. But these women actually live it.
After a particularly rough semester of stress eating, and then two weeks in the bread-and-beer land of Europe, I was feeling really defeated (my taste buds weren’t--I still dream about the breakfast rolls in Berlin). As I approach my senior year of college, I face a lot of unknowns.
Most overwhelmingly, the biggest hurdle seems to be “adulthood,” that elusive and surprisingly not glamorous era. I realized that, for all my good intentions of the past, this was the rebirth of a healthy change that I needed to get right. If I can’t take put forth the effort to establish and maintain a healthier body now, what other lessons in growing up will I struggle with? To me, pursuing a routine is the next obstacle I have to work through.
As I visual learner, I look for apps when I start something new. I love tools and data and things to fill out.
1. Couch to 5K Free or Pro
This is my current favorite fitness app, and the perfect app to really kickstart my motivation. My heart and lungs have been ill-suited for exercise since middle school. While I learn how to make this change part of my routine, they need to get stronger. This tool, which uses interval training to build up stamina to complete a 5K, is the perfect answer. For three days a week, 30 minutes each day and for the duration of eight weeks, your body is tested and then appropriately rested. It’s a healthy way to build up to longer distances.
2. Fitbit
After the purchase of my Fitbit tracker, I've become incredibly aware of just how much I do and do not move around on a particular day. While there is a range of wrist-frackers that are available for purchase, they all run under the same app through your phone's Bluetooth. Depending on the tracker, a Fitbit app can track and monitor your steps, the flights of stairs you've walked, your heart rate, sleeping patterns, weight changes, exercise (by duration and type) and the amount of food and water that you daily take in. You can participate in challenges with your friends who also have Fitbit frackers, and this provides some great motivation for me to work harder. With a goal of 10,000 steps a day, as recommended by the American Heart Association, it makes getting back into shape easier than ever.
3. Seven
Seven is an app that’s full of seven-minute workouts. The first level that’s available is a full-body workout. There are 12 rounds of workouts; 30 seconds of exercise and ten seconds of rest work all over your body. It’s pretty comprehensive and easy to fit in, which makes it a great addition to this list!
4. Strava
This app tracks your exercise routes and stores your routes. I love it because when I go for a walk, run, bike ride or kayak trip, I can record and upload the details of trip. There’s an option to include photos and descriptions, and you can pick from an extensive list of activities to record. Another great aspect of this app is that you can share your trips with your friends on Strava! Instead of “liking” an activity, you give “Kudos” to friends’ progress. It's a great way to show your friends that you support them on their path to fitness.
5. Breathe
An important facet of health that is often overlooked is the health of the mind. Working out your brain is just as important as leg, arm and core day, and this app helps the user to drift into meditations and exercises that bring peace to the mind. You can choose specific durations of mediation, learn how to appropriately meditate and track your progress within the intuitive interface of the app. By reminding us to "breathe" and take a step back, we can move forward with a clear conscience and avoid making decisions fueled by stress (like eating a pack of Oreos due to deadlines and life in general).
6. Lifesum
I’m not going on a diet, but I do want to be more aware of what I eat and how I can make good changes without sacrificing the food I love. This app has my favorite approach to meal tracking, exercise logging and goal-recording. It’s lovely to look at and it’s also incredibly positive. The tips are feasible and non-judgmental; I never get the feeling that this app is trying to punish or restrict me from food. I have the free version currently, but will consider upgrading due to the positive experience I've had so far.
7. Google Fit
I am such a sucker for Google, and this app is no exception. It’s beautiful and it connects with most of my other health apps, which offers up a concise dashboard of all my fitness activity. It’s refreshing and effective, and it makes monitoring fitness and progress ridiculously easy.
Bonus: Google Play Music is my go-to source for the best workout playlists. It has an incredible list of songs (I don’t think I’ve searched more than five songs that aren’t in the library) and the Google Playlists are the best. My favorite one for working out has been, “Feel-Good Classic Rock,” but I haven’t found a bad one yet.
