There’s something about signing up for another half marathon that makes you evaluate your own current health and fitness level — and immediately want to make changes. I’m again signed up to run the Detroit Half Marathon in October, and have set a goal to not only lose a few pounds but to also incorporate cross training into my fitness plan.
So how does one keep track of all that? With mobile apps, of course. Here are my current favorite health and fitness apps.
1. Lose It
I downloaded this and, about a week later, saw results. Seriously, this app is life-changing. I always thought that my family ate healthy (after all, we try to eat a clean diet and the only liquids I drink during the day are water and coffee), but logging everything into this app has changed my mind. It’s great for keeping track of how many calories you consume and burn off each day, as well as grams of protein and fat. What’s more, it’s great for setting weight or fitness goals – just plug in your current weight and goal weight, and choose between losing 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 or 2 lbs, and it’ll tell you your daily calorie budget to achieve your goal.
2. Run Keeper
This is my Garmin. I’ve been using Run Keeper for two years as an app to track my running progress. Various running plans are available on the free version, including plans for half-marathon and marathon training, but I usually just manually plug in my own program.
3. Couch-to-5k
4. Road ID’s Crumbs app
This one’s great for people who run alone. Just set up a profile and enter in up to five contacts who can then track your progress on a map. The app can also send an alert to your contacts if you’re stationary for more than five minutes or for a duration that you set.
