Losing Weight Using a Fitness App
Are you trying to lose weight but feel like you lack support? What if you had support right at the palm of your hand on your smartphone? Today’s fitness apps offer the support, tips, and knowledge necessary to lose weight and feel great all from the comfort of your own home.
All of the major app stores have hundreds of fitness apps to choose from depending on your personal preference. Whether you want to just track calories, track your fitness habits, monitor your food intake, or a full-fledged app that does it all, there are options available.
Before you choose just any fitness app that you find – learn about the features you may need.
Goal Setting
Goals give you something to work toward and something to celebrate. Even if you aren’t normally a goal-setter, if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a great habit to start.
You want an app that customizes the goals to your needs as no two people have the same goals and/or desires. For example, one person may want to lose 50 pounds while another may just want to build endurance. Those two goals have completely different ways to achieve it.
Apps that tailor the information it provides based on your goals are best. Someone that wants to build endurance will need a program that gradually builds upon his/her abilities whereas a person that wants to lose 50 pounds needs a structured diet, exercise plan, and support.
Tracking your Food Intake
We can set goals all we want, but without tracking, it’s hard to see how we’re doing. Tracking your food intake is a great way to ensure that you are eating what you should and not eating what you shouldn’t. It’s amazing the difference you feel when you see in writing what you ate for the day.
If calorie counting makes you crazy, find an app that allows you to scan or automatically upload the foods you ate. With your camera, you can scan the food and the app should automatically have the nutrition information for you, making it easy to track your food.
Track your Exercise
Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. Sure, you could eat right and possibly lose a few pounds, but regular exercise will yield greater weight loss and fitness results.
Each app tracks the information differently:
- Some apps require you to enter the exercise information manually
- Some apps track the information automatically through your phone or smartwatch, such as the Apple watch
Think about what you need – are you likely to enter the information or do you need it automatically done for you?
GPS Tracker
If you’re a runner, biker, or walker, you may want an app with a GPS tracker. The right fitness app will track your routes, speed, and times. Some also have a social aspect that allows you to buddy up with a friend, family member, or co-worker. Together you can motivate one another or even bring a little competition to the game by trying to beat one another’s times or distances.
Nutrition Facts
Do you know what’s in the food you eat? Are you getting enough nutrients? Do you want to track your macros?
Usually, you can scan the barcode of a food and have its nutritional information in seconds. You can also get the nutritional information of fresh foods just by typing in the name and learning what vitamins and nutrients they provide. This may also help you choose the right portions.
Social Support
If there’s one thing that most people find hard about losing weight, it’s the support or lack of support. Sometimes family or even close friends don’t provide what you need because they aren’t on the same page.
Finding those that you can connect with online, though, can help. Many fitness apps have a social aspect that allows you to connect with others in the same position as you, which may help you sidestep pitfalls, learn from your mistakes, and even help others while you help yourself.
Personal Training
Some fitness apps even provide a variety of workouts that make it feel like you have a personal trainer in your pocket. The free apps have basic workouts for anyone to choose from, but they are often categorized by type, abilities, and goals.
If you need something more customized, many of the ‘paid for apps’ offer a more customized approach, giving you workouts that cater to your needs based on your abilities, body size, and goals. This is a great option for those that don’t like the pressure an in-person trainer provides, but that needs someone telling them what to do in order to lose weight.
What do you Need?
When choosing the right fitness app for your weight loss or health journey, really think about what you need/want out of it. Jot down the following:
- What are your goals?
- What type of support do you need?
- Do you thrive on community support?
- Do you want to track your food?
- Do you want to know your macros/nutritional intake?
Knowing what you need will help you choose the right app. For example, if counting calories is important to you, you can narrow down your options significantly.
Since going to the gym isn’t a possibility for most people right now, finding ways to get your fitness on at home while still getting the support you need is important. There are many ways to make this happen without spending a lot of money but still receiving the level of support you desire to reach your fitness goals.
