you want to lose weight, stay fit and – most importantly – maintain your health ! Of course, staying motivated or finding tools to keep track of the job isn’t always easy. That’s where we come in. Let’s take a look at just three of the best free exercise apps out there for Android devices. As you might have guessed, there’s no dearth of such apps on the Play Store. Hence picking just three out of them took us a while. We’ve tried to steer clear of household names (households with too many Android devices that is) like RunKeeper and chosen some others that are as good, or perhaps, better. Tip for iPhone users: Check out our list of 3 cool apps for turning your iDevice into a personal training tool.
1. Fitocracy
Fitocracy makes it easy to track your exercise at the gym and elsewhere, and even allows you to submit your workouts to their server, where it is stored for future reference. The real magic though isn’t in its ability to easily track workouts. It is that Fitocracy turns the whole affair into a game of sorts. The app gives you points for your workouts, which you can use to level up. Beyond boring old exercises, Fitocracy also offers up Quests and Challenges that are based around specific things like walking around the block (for starters) or more advanced running sessions and beyond. It also rewards you for keeping up with goals through the use of an in-app Achievements system. Badge rewards include lifting a certain amount of weight, cycling a milestone distance and so forth. Looking for more of a social experience to keep you motivated? Fitocracy offers the ability to start a Duel. What’s that? Basically it is a competition between you and another member/friend. There are also easy ways to invite friends to join Fitocracy and plenty of other social features thrown in. If you are looking for one part exercise and one part interactive game, Fitocracy could be the perfect fit for you.
2. Lose It!
Unlike Fitocracy, Lose It is designed to keep track of both your daily exercise and how much you are actually eating. While not everyone can keep up with counting calories, it is a highly recommended way to get started on your diet because it allows you to better see what you are eating and areas where you can cut back. As you can see, the Lose It app has a very clean, easy to use interface. It’s main screen shows your calorie budget and where you stand for the day. It’s also very easy to figure out how to add meals and track your daily activities. Entering various exercise types is easy, as you simply pick out the activity and then enter in the amount of time spent. The app will then tell you how many calories you actually burned. As for tracking what you eat? Not only is the process easy, there is a huge selection of different food items to choose from. Unlike many similar calorie tracking programs, it even offers a way to scan the barcode on select items for a quick and easy way to look up health and caloric information. Ultimately if pure weight loss is your goal, Lose It could be perfect for you. Sure there are no bells and whistles, and no game-tie-in experience – but it’s an easy -to-use, effective tool. Pure and simple.
3. Runtastic Pedometer
Maybe you are not looking to make your fitness experience a game, or perhaps you’re not interested in tracking calories or activities. For those just looking for a tool to help them on their running adventures, Runtastic Pedometer is an excellent choice. While the Play Store is littered with countless pedometer apps, Runtastic sets itself apart from the pack because it does more than just track speed and distance. Right from the beginning you are presented with a well laid-out app that allows you to sign up through email or Facebook to get started. Once in, starting a running session is easy and once finished it allows you to provide extra details about your run/walk. These details are important because you can look back on them later to figure out what might have affected your time, or to see how you have improved throughout your fitness journey. In addition to allowing detailed notes, the tracker also allows you to share your Pedometer results with your favorite social network. This is a good idea because it allows you to get feedback and motivational support from friends and family. As you’ll see in the screenshot below, the Runtastic Pedometer also has Pro features like counting calories burned and recording your step frequency. Activating these features will only set you back $.99.
Conclusion
These are far from the only great fitness apps out there for Android, but they were chosen for a reason. Not only are all three of these great tools, but they can actually be used in conjunction to get a more rounded experience. By combining all three tools you can track runs, track your daily activities and calories and turn the experience into a motivational game. Tip: Looking for some simple workout routines? Check out the excellent Sworkit app. Not interested in using all three? Any one of these tools could certainly prove to be the perfect stand-alone fitness solution for you. Any particular Android fitness tool that you think is worth a mention? Let us know in the comments below! The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
