Best Health and Fitness Apps for your Lumia
Now is the time to jump-start your health-related goals with these Windows Phone apps for you and your Lumia.
Unless you’re an elite athlete or bodybuilder, chances are you want to be in better shape in 2015. I know I do! After indulging in a little too much holiday cheer, I want to jump-start my healthy-eating and fitness habits.
Yes, “losing weight” and “eating healthier” are perennial New Year’s resolutions. But in 2015–a year that’s still shiny and new–you have even more help to get you where you want to be healthwise.
First, Lumia smartphones sporting Windows Phone 8.1 (such as the Lumia 635, Lumia 830 and Lumia 1520) have SensorCore, a feature that among other things, helps to better track your health and fitness activity.
Second, there is a wealth of Windows Phone apps that count your steps and calories, track your mileage, log inches and pounds lost, provide nutritional info of the food you consume, and crunch all of this data to show how far you’ve come and how you can improve.
Some essential health-related apps
Fitbit is one such app. I use this free app every day (check out our story about it) and I’m always motivated by competing with other Fitbit users in step challenges such as “Daily Showdown,” “Workweek Hustle,” “Weekend Warrior.” I use the basic Fitbit Zip tracker, but there are other Fitbit devices to choose from.
Are you a style maven? Check out the sleek, minimalist Misfit Shine tracker and free Misfit app (read our story about the app).
I pair the Fitbit app with the newly updated MyFitnessPal app (here’s our story), which helps me log what I eat and drink every day as well as my daily exercise and nightly zzz’s. The app also breaks down the nutritional quality of my diet (note to self: Increase protein intake).
Want to build lean muscle but don’t have the funds to pay for a personal trainer? Check out Gym Pocket Guide.
Powered by the folks behind Bodybuilding.com, this app (free trial, $1.99) provides user-friendly programs to help you shed weight and build muscle; a workout library with more than 100 exercises complete with videos, explanations and images; and even a rest timer. You can also create and save a customized workout plan.
You can also get your own personal fitness coach with the new GOQii app for Windows Phone. Pair it with the GOQii band to track your fitness and get motivation and support from an online guide.
And here’s a special for our readers in India: If you purchase a new Lumia 830, Lumia 930 or Lumia 1320 from a company-branded retail store, you’ll also get a new GOQii band with a three-month subscription plan. The limited-time offer is available in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad.
No story about getting healthier with the help of your Lumia is complete without mentioning the SensorCore-enabled MSN Health & Fitness app. It’s an all-in-one free fitness and nutrition app that tracks your activity as well as gives tons of health-related information. Here’s a quick story and Vine video about it.
Want even more app recommendations to become healthier? Here’s our story about Track Runner, a free SensorCore-enabled app for those of you serious about running. Interested in more SensorCore-enabled apps? We’ve got you covered.
And if you want to turn getting healthy into a game (and who doesn’t!), check out Run Rabbit Run. The more you exercise, the more fit your animated rabbit becomes. Read our story about it. How skinny is your rabbit?!
If you have health or fitness-related resolutions for 2015, download these apps on your Lumia. Then, share your resolution on our #MakeItHappen page–who knows, you may win one of 10 Lumia 830 smartphones and a Fitbit tracker.