Starting new healthy habits such as exercise, good nutrition, and meditation can be difficult because consistency is key to realizing the long-term benefits. If you want to start a new healthy habit this year, there are several smartphone apps that can help you keep track with reminders, performance data, badge rewards, and more.
We recommend the following 5 smartphone apps for healthy habits within nutrition, physical fitness, and mental health so you can find the best one based on your goals.
Whether you want to lose weight or not, tracking your food in a journal or app can help you make sure you’re getting the nutrition you need for daily life and long-term health. These are the top two we recommend for their free features and organization:
Cronometer is a diary app with robust details about the macronutrients and micronutrients in thousands of foods. You can simply scan a barcode on a package or add your own recipes for breakdowns of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and more. You can set your daily calorie or macronutrient goals and see how close or far you are from those goals each day. Cronometer has a free version and paid subscription. One big benefit of the paid subscription is you can import recipes from websites for easy logging.
This app is an all-in-one nutrition and physical activity tracker. You can log workouts and meals for a bigger picture of your overall health and fitness. MyFitnessPal shares charts and graphs of your calorie or macronutrient intake over time, syncs step counts and activities from your smartwatch or other fitness app, and creates personalized fitness plans with a paid subscription.
There are many great apps for tracking physical activity. Some apps combine social media and fitness logs to make exercise a social activity to help with motivation. In Strava, you can add friends, share pictures, and get basic performance analysis based on the length of your workout — and even more data if you sync Strava to a smartwatch like Garmin or Apple Watch.
But the apps we recommend below are more focused on starting new habits rather than tracking existing habits:
Atomic Habits author James Clear says the success of a new habit is to make it so small it’s hard to say no. Seven is an app that gives you seven-minute workouts each day. If you can stick to making fitness a part of your day even in a small way, it’s easier to stay consistent. Using gamification, Seven encourages users to stick to the 7-minute daily habit by rewarding users with special badges. But if you skip a workout, you lose ‘hearts’ like in a video game. While Seven has some free features, the most benefits and new workouts come from the paid subscription which is around $9.99 per month.
For those who are interested in strength training, Caliber is a great place to start. It has the most free features of the apps listed here, meant to teach beginners how to start weight lifting at the gym or at home. Once you create an account, you select the number of days per week you want to train, the equipment you have available, if any (there are plenty of bodyweight exercises), and how long you want to exercise per session. Then, it will create a plan for you. Each exercise has a demonstration video and instructions on form. Caliber does have paid features and virtual coaching, and it doesn’t include gamification or rewards like other apps — but it does calculate a “strength score” that increases as you improve.
Exercise is not the only important part of health. Mental health needs just as much intention and focus, because stress can affect your long-term health, too.
Headspace is a meditation app with guided meditations you listen to on your smartphone. The app will suggest daily meditations from as short as three minutes to long 30-minute sessions. It also offers weekly programs based on certain goals such as improving sleep, managing stress, and improving mood. Headspace is primarily a paid app but you can receive a 14-day free trial to see if meditation is right for you.
Some apps can distract you from your goals rather than help. So here are our tips for how to use your smartphone for new habits:
Now you’re set with recommendations for smartphone apps for your goals for the new year. As you start your new habits, celebrate every win with family and friends. Starting a new healthy habit is difficult because when motivation wanes, it can be easier to give up than continue. But having friends or family act as accountability buddies and support can be the motivation you need to focus on your long-term health.
*Disclaimer:
The information provided in this blog post is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not a substitute for professional medical consultation or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider for any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
SmartMatch does not endorse or recommend any specific products, treatments, or procedures mentioned in this article. Reliance on any information provided in this blog post is solely at your own risk. We encourage you to discuss any health concerns or questions with your doctor before making any decisions about your health or treatment.
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