5 fitness apps the developer of BodBot recommends you try today
When it comes to apps, there’s one group of people who know them better than anyone. The people who make them.
That’s why we’re launching a brand new series, here on Conversations, where we ask some of the best app developers around for their recommendations in their area of expertise. To kick off our series, we talked with Sergio Prado, one of the developers of the fantastic fitness app BodBot. BodBot is an online personal trainer, nutritionist, and coach that has grown rapidly – recently passing half a million users – due to its unique approach to fitness/health data. Whereas fitness trackers focus what’s been done, without providing intelligent guidance on what to do next, BodBot generates a model of your body, looks at what you’ve done and tells you explicitly what you should do to improve your health and fitness.
We love it and we’ve no doubt you will do too.
As for the man who made it, alongside co-founder Eddie Laux, Sergio is a man on a mission. Throughout his childhood, he was massively underweight: 120 lbs at 6’0″ when he was 17. Through research and strength training, he put on almost 70lbs of muscle over the years after high school. After graduating from Harvard University in 2009, he worked as an engineer on Windows Phone 7. Now’s he’s working on BodBot to bring his experience and fitness knowledge to everyone. So which 5 fitness apps does the developer of one of the most successful apps within the genre recommend? Read on to find out!
Plant Nanny
What it is
A water intake tracker with a fun twist: what you drink helps water a digital plant that grows as you keep up with your water intake.
Why I love it
It takes a fairly straightforward, simple type of app and makes it cute and fun. Not “OH MY GOD I HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME”, but it does keep things interesting. And cute. Did I mention it’s cute?
Who it’s perfect for
People who are looking for simple but relatively high-impact improvements to their health. Just making sure you’re well-hydrated has a ton of benefits, from cognition to physical performance and much more.
Bing Health & Fitness
What it is
A resource – primarily article – rich app around many areas of health and fitness.
Why I love it
Learning more about health and fitness is always a good idea, and Bing Health & Fitness curates useful articles for its users to help them become better educated on the topics. It also has some useful tools, such as a symptom checker and a database of medical conditions and procedures. All in all, the app is great resource to help you make better decisions about your health and fitness.
Who it’s perfect for
Anyone who’s interested in health and fitness…which works out well, given the app’s name.
HealthVault
What it is
A central repository for health data (allergies, prescription history, etc), particularly intended for use by healthcare providers and family members.
Why I love it
Keeping track of all your health data is tricky, especially if you switch doctors regularly. HealthVault is an easy way for you to have all that data on hand for you, your healthcare provider, and your family to make informed decisions about your health.
Who it’s perfect for
People whose health requires them to receive healthcare frequently or switch doctors regularly.
Period Tracker
What it is
An app that allows women to track relevant information about their menstrual cycle.
Why I love it
Well, given my own biological configuration, I can’t say that I love the app myself, but I do certainly see the value. It’s a fairly simple way to track a reasonably important part of a woman’s health.
Who it’s perfect for
Women who want to make sure they’re on top of their reproductive health.
Pregnancy Plus
What it is
An app that has a wide range of resources for expectant mothers, from information about their baby’s development to food/exercises they should keep in mind during their pregnancy.
Why I love it
As with the Period Tracker, I don’t love the app myself but can see it being useful for expectant mothers. It has collects plenty of potentially helpful information in one central place and with a simple user experience.
Who it’s perfect for
Expectant mothers who are interested in learning more about their pregnancy.
A fine selection from a man who knows. But which are the ones you think most useful? Let us know in the comments below.