Apps for Health & Fitness | Yoga & Meditation Apps

Health and Fitness Apps

In the current and advancing state of the modern technological world, smartphones and tablets now have apps which are used in almost any aspect of business, fun, and even health. Every day, more of these apps are created. Mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, operate with applications, or “apps”. Beyond the usual use of a phone, making calls, modern smartphones also allow users to check emails, text, browse various platforms of social media, stream entertaining videos, and keep track of aspects of daily life.

Some of the major brands involved in the continued updating of smartphones and tablets and their applications, for example, are Apple (iPad, iPhone, iTunes, App Store), Windows, Google Play, Samsung Galaxy, and the Android market. Many devices come preloaded with health apps which were developed by the same brands which produced the tablet or smartphone. There are also apps available in app stores that help monitor a healthy lifestyle, and some that assist with keeping track of the patient’s daily upkeep of diet, exercises, stretches, and working out.

For GPS tracking and other performance statistics, users can try MapMyFitness. Fitrocracy is helpful for keeping track of calories burned and setting up regular exercise routines. Many apps are free. My Fitness Pal is a site for fitness community which is used to keep track of diet and calories. Fooducate assists with helping its users make healthy choices when grocery shopping. HIIT Interval Training can help adjust exercise routines. The Fast Food Calorie Lookup can assist people who eat on the go and want to know what they are putting into their bodies when they order from fast food businesses. Endomondo can also help to map out exercises.¹

Yoga and Meditation Apps

There are several applications which are specific to aiding the patient in their engagement in certain types of exercises, such as yoga. Many of these apps are also available free of charge, including Simply Yoga, Yoga 101, Yoga Face, and iYoga+. There are also apps that are reasonably priced for other exercise and diet assistance. Apps are generally not very expensive, and they are tied to the account of the user, which means that they can be redownloaded even if the user has to remove them from the device.²Certain apps only operate on certain platforms and devices while others are made available by their developers through multiple app stores.

Mental health is just as important as physical health. There are applications that can help with meditation, for example. Even a few half-hour sessions of meditation can relieve pain by allowing the user to bring their emotional response under control and relax their mind. Available apps include Buddhify, Smiling Mind, The Mindfulness App, and more. Meditation can improve mood and focus. Even just using a phone to play some soothing music or ambient sounds might allow for some personal time to aid in the at-home maintenance of mental health, in addition to other forms of self-care and treatment a patient might need.³

Accessories for Mobile Devices

Some of these types of apps use accessory devices that attach to the user to monitor, log, or otherwise help the person achieve fitness, exercise, and health goals. Two such accessories are the Nike Fuel Bands and the Fitbit. There are wristbands, armbands, and sleeves that can track heart rate, activity, and sleep. There are also bike-mounted accessories.⁴ Smartphones can also monitor health. Devices, such as Tinke, can give the user a little report of things such as heart and respiratory rates, as well as the state of the user’s blood oxygen levels.⁵ Health information, as well as pictures, can be shared with health care providers.

A patient’s doctor might even have some recommendations for apps that the patient could try as clinics and hospitals continue to advance their methods of treatment and monitoring in the modern world. Already, there are ways for doctors to quickly share their patient’s health reports and tests results with them online in order to waive any unnecessary trips back to the doctor unless further testing or treatment is required.

Chiropractic and Massage Apps

Some apps are even instructional, such as ones used for teaching minor massage techniques. Massage Techniques is one such app which is meant for this purpose. Another is called Muscle Trigger Points. Some of the apps for massage are references and contain information about the human anatomy.⁶ Chiropractors are also able to benefit from and take advantage of the new technology. 3D4Medical.com has 3D medical images in a database, and apps for anatomy and the muscular and skeletal systems. They also have images and animations for the shoulders, hips, and knees. All of this new technology should make it easier for doctors in any medical field to learn more quickly and study their patients more thoroughly for more effective methods of treatment.⁷