MyFitnessPal
Free
myfitnesspal.com
By far one of the most popular calorie-counting apps on the market, MyFitnessPal is your go-to choice if you’re looking to adopt healthier eating habits. Its USP is simple: log your meals and count your calories each day and you can lose weight – safely and sensibly. You simply select the meals, snacks and drinks you’ve consumed throughout the day from a database of over 5 million foods and the app totals up your daily count.
Based on manually inputted data, including weight, height, activity levels and goal weight, the app gives you a daily target calorie count. It also calculates calories burned from your daily activity and connects to a wide range of activity trackers and health and fitness apps, such as Fitbit and Runkeeper, automatically syncing your activity data and adjusting your calorie count accordingly.
Your progress is presented in a simple graph, which captures your progress and trends in your eating habits. You can also see a breakdown of the macronutrients you’re consuming, and it warns you if your foods are particularly high in any one macronutrient, such as fat. It will make you think twice before reaching for that extra biscuit…
Nike+RunClub
Free
nike.com
When Nike upgraded its popular app to the latest version earlier this year, users despaired as some of their favourite features had been cut back. However, for those giving it a second chance, the new app still retains some of the old app’s best and most advanced features that, unlike most, all remain free. These include personalised coaching, with bespoke training plans based on your goals and current experience, and a leaderboard system.
Runkeeper
Free
runkeeper.com
One of the most trusty running apps out there, you know you’re safe to leave your GPS watch at home if you’ve got this app turned on. For accuracy, it’s spot-on, recording consistent data, including pace, distance travelled and calories burned. You can also add extra details afterwards, such as your average heart rate and the shoes you ran in. With an upgrade to the paid version, you can get more detailed insights into your performance and also set training and weight-loss goals, and the app will provide you with a workout plan and instructions to help you achieve them.
Keelo
Free (with in-app purchases)
keelo.com
If you’re looking to complement your running with some HIIT workouts, Keelo is a great option. The app offers workouts to suit your fitness levels, all of which have videos to follow, to help you get your form right and ensure you’re doing the correct amount of reps. And most workouts are bodyweight-only so they’re perfect for at home.
Strava
Free
strava.com
One for the competitive athlete. Once you’ve logged your activity via the app, which will give you all the data you need, you can upload to the Strava social feed, where you can also see details of your friends’ workouts and compare and compete. You can also choose to take on a particular segment, completed by other athletes, and see how you perform against them. You can join local clubs or create a club for your team, where you will get your own club leaderboard and can interact with club members.
