The Best Apps to Guide Your Health and Fitness Journey

There is always a need for an expert when it comes to matters of health and fitness. It is essential to have a fitness trainer and a nutritionist to help out. In this digital age, there are applications that can effectively take the position of both the nutritionist and the trainer. These applications have helped me to stay fit by keeping me dedicated to my training schedules and provided me with a helpful diet guide to follow. Here, I list some that have been helpful to me, all of which I feel would be resourceful to anyone on a health and fitness journey.

 

8fit

This application is free to download for Android and iOS. It offers meal planning and on-demand workouts. The application set for me personalized exercise sessions and a diet to follow. All that was based on the results I wanted to see. 8fit is always issuing instructions, reminders, guidance, and suggestions. The application has videos that are a good aid to workout. I am required to log what I have eaten so that the application can have a better analysis of my progress. There is also a pro version plan which has a subscription of $25 per month, $60 for 6 months, and $80 for an annual plan. The pro version gives custom meals, shopping lists and makes all workouts accessible.

 

Centr

Centr enables planning of training sessions, eating healthy, and doing workouts. The application is used to lose weight, get fit or build muscle. Training goals should be set during the registration process. Some workouts in this application have coaches. These coaches demonstrate workouts and help through them till they are complete.

 

Other workouts are self-guided with a provided sample video and a timer. This application is available on Android and iOS mobile phones. It can also be accessed through a browser. There is a subscription fee of $119.99 per year, $59.99 per quarter, and $29.99 per month. The app provides a free trial valid for seven days.

 

FitOn

FitOn offers users a workout-on-demand. Workouts are given according to the specifications of the user. They are based on the level of intensity wanted, intended training time, and type of workout desired. The application has butt, abs, thighs, yoga, and stretching workouts. The app enables heart-rate monitoring on the screen when training, through the help of a heart rate monitor. It has a leaderboard that enabled me to compete with my friends. This made training more fun and challenging for me. I was able to train with some of the best trainers through video tutorials. It is available on Android, iOS, and browsers. The pro version of this application costs $69.99 per year. Pro subscribers are given personalized meal plans.

 

Fitbit Coach

This is a free to download workout-on-demand application. It can be used on Android, Windows, iOS and the web. The application is equipped with workout videos that can be done at home. The free version of this application offers a limited number of workouts. The premium account is worth $79.99  per year and$ 9.99 per month. I loved this application because it gave me a human trainer to walk me through my training session.

 

Forte

This is a workout assistant that allows the streaming of training sessions. I was able to steam and join workout classes through forte.fit I was amazed by this since I was able to attend a real workout class through the internet. Forte also allowed me to search for available classes. Each class has the time and date listed on the site. There are also details of the length of the class and equipment required to train. Forte requires members to pay a monthly fee of $39 or an annual fee of $288.

Wellness Trends on My 2021 Must-Try List

2020 was one of the most challenging years in history, not just for my loved ones and me but also the entire world. Most of my plans were ruined, and worst of all, I had to cancel most of my wellness routines, retreats, and vacations. It isn’t even over yet – We’ve two months to go – but I figured it is a good time to look ahead this month.

I had to begin working out at home just like everyone else. If I wanted to go to a yoga studio, I had to deal with significant changes at the few yoga studios that reopened. I was also forced to shift my focus from skincare to sanitization, which also came with the perpetual wearing of masks. These occurrences compromised our mental well-being, forcing us to develop some healthy coping mechanisms to get through the year. Some of my friends and people I have spoke to have got a mentor, or coach I guess, similar to psychologist and life coach Dr. Andra Brosh, to help them with their mental wellness and their journey. Personally, I adopted several wellness habits that have stuck with me, and I want to share them with you.

Talk and Walk Therapy

With all the time we spent indoors in 2020, the couch is not the best option for most of us in 2021. Together with my loved ones, we have made a compulsory habit of heading outdoors at any chance we get. These walks have proved to be quite therapeutic. We just make sure we take our masks with us on these walks, just in case we have to pass by any other walkers, however, this normally isn’t a problem. We actually had to purchase a new kids face mask the other day for our child. It’s important to replace them every now and then. Additionally, the onset of the pandemic forced most therapists to stop seeing their clients in the office due to safety concerns.

Teletherapy has become a popular trend, and I obviously will be trying it out not just for my safety but as a means of improving my mental wellness. To break the boredom that comes with this trend, I have chosen to also do the walk and talk sessions with my therapists on the road and nature trails. This helps me feel connected with both my therapist and nature.

Touchless Spa Services

With the coronavirus still around, we can no longer pop up to the spa and get a massage like we used to do in the past. The need to relax and recover from general stress and fatigue, on the other hand, still exists. We, therefore, have to think fast about how to get these services. This is where the touchless spa services come in so handy to give the same experience without any extra contact.

Some of the most effective options to consider when going to a touchless spa can include compression therapy, cryo body sculpting, cryotherapy, float tanks, salt caves, infrared saunas, IV drips, and hyperbaric chambers, among many others. These are some of the best spa services anyone can get amid the covid-19 pandemic, where the human touch is a risky affair, but people still need to decompress and enhance their mental wellness.

Mindful and Intuitive Eating

Mindful and intuitive eating is another excellent wellness trend that I cannot miss out on in 2021. More people are slowly turning away from restrictive diets, mostly those that demonize certain macronutrients such as carbs. If we eat too much that’s often a sign of stress, that’s why people often turn to edible sweets containing CBD to help keep them calm and away from comfort eating.

Together with my family, I will embrace food in all its forms through the popular upcycling food trend. The latter refers to the process of turning any veggies termed as ugly and wasted food scraps into amazing meals and snacks. This is a great step towards living healthier, more sustainable, and conscious lives.

Digital Detoxes

There is a lot of negative energy globally, ranging from the news, TV, and social media. One of the most important lessons that 2020 taught us is that we have the individual power to choose what we consume. We also have the ability to set boundaries on our digital consumption. As we step into 2021, I will consider digital detoxes and their impact on the collective consciousness.

A digital detox can be as simple as devoting just a day, weekend, or week to living our lives free from TV, social media, or phones. This creates more personal time without any digital distractions. We can also use this time to bond with our loved ones, meditate, take long nature walks, read a book and work on creative projects. Disconnecting from all the noise around you is the perfect way of reconnecting with yourself and taking time to understand what you are feeling.

You should try out other wellness trends in 2021, including simpler skincare routines, flexibility in goal setting, and cold therapy. I wish you all the best as you take care of your health and wellness in 2021.