Smartphones: How I use my phone to manage my weight!

Smartphones. Most of us have them nowadays. I certainly can't live without mine! You can do A LOT with smartphones nowadays. So much, that the darn thing can even help you lose weight! How you ask? Well...with apps, duh! Smartphones have so many applications to chose from that if you just search through the app store for whatever is on your mind, you are bound to find SOMETHING! Just test it out for yourself, and you shall see!

So NOW I will share with you a few applications that exist in the app store for phones like the Andriod and the iPhone, that can help you lose weight, track your weight goals, track what you eat, calorie count, track your running and more.

Fitness apps

Fitness apps are my absolute favorite apps out of all the apps out there. Fitness apps allow you to track the distance of your walk/run, track your calorie count, some have music players, heart rate monitors, audio cues, goal plans, and many more perks! To name a few of these apps, there is iMapMyRun, RunKeeper, Runtastic, Nike+GPS, Endomondo and many more. You can even use your GPS on your phone to track your run/walk yourself but then you won't have a burned calorie count, and all the other fun stuff that comes with these apps. There are a good amount to chose from out there but the one I use right now is RunKeeper. I like it because it does not have advertisements like many other apps do and it also has customized interval workouts where I am provided with audio cues as to what to do next (go faster, slower, for how long, etc.). I really like that my phone is able to have an app like this because I used to buy stupid cheap pedometers, and now I don't have to, I just use my phone! I have also researched how accurate this app is, and it is pretty accurate but a problem you might find with this and the other apps is that they use your phone's GPS tracking device and if you lose your GPS signal, your run/walk may be a little off. But for the most part, for a free app I don't think this is a big deal.

Calorie Counting Apps

So, if your on a diet it's important to write down what you eat, I'm sure you've heard. An easy way to do this is by keeping a calorie counting app that allows you to do this on your phone. Also, if you are trying to maintain your weight, or even gain weight, a calorie counting app can help you out as well. I love calorie counting apps and have used them since the blackberry days, but now there are many more options available to each app. Some of the best apps I have come across in this category are Lose It!, Calorie Counter, Myfitness Pal and a few more. I currently use Lose It!, but I can't say which one is the best of these because to me, they are pretty much all the same. I am not trying to lose weight, I just like to write down all I eat so I don't overeat and end up gaining weight, but it is awesome for trying to lose weight as well. I enjoy these apps mainly because you can track what you eat, add your activity for the day, add goals, you put in your weight information and it tells you how many calories you should eat for your weight and height, and you can find most of the foods you eat in the app. If you can't find the food, you can always look up the calorie count and serving and just add it manually, yourself. These apps include supermarket foods as well as any type of restaurant foods. I think keeping track of what you eat is key to being healthy, so if you have a smartphone I advice to get one of these apps!

Recipe Apps!

Yep, I know you guys all love recipes. So there are a few apps but I think the best ones are RecipeSearch and Foodily. The latter is amazing because you can search for recipes written by bloggers, so you can support your fellow bloggers! Also, as most of us like easy recipes with minimal ingredients, Foodily offers easy-to-do recipes. RecipeSearch, is like a social network for recipes. You can bookmark your recipes, share them, organize them in different categories, and more. Both are great options.

If you work out, you know you need music!

Believe it or not there is an amazing app called FitRadio just for your workouts. This app has music just for your workout motivation, so you don't have to keep changing the songs when a slow, boring, un-motivating song comes on, and you don't have to deal with commercials. You can chose the DJ's you want to listen to on this app as well, I recommend DJ Chris, but you can chose what you like. There are also other music apps such as Pandora, but I think the best one to use for working out is FitRadio. Pandora and other music playing apps, end up playing songs that don't go well with working out, and have a lot of interruptions which is why FitRadio is perfect when your working it!

Yoga Apps!

There are so many yoga apps on smartphones, its ridiculous. There are yoga apps for each part of the body you want to work on, I was so surprised when I saw how many there are. A good app is called Daily Yoga Workout Planner. It has different settings depending on what kind of workout session you want. I love this app, it even shows you the moves, and the awesome thing about this app is that the workouts are from certified professional yoga instructors who talk you through everything. If you like yoga, you need this app!

I love apps. There are apps for everything. Most of these apps actually allow you to also share on social networking sites such as Facebook, but I don't use that option for any of the apps. If you want to you can though, hey maybe your Facebook friends will motivate you, who knows?

There are a crazy amount of apps out there, millions. These are just a few that I think are beneficial for weight maintenance, weight loss, or even if your trying to gain weight. If you know any good ones that I haven't mentioned, leave a comment and share it please! I love me my apps!