The Best Wellness Apps On Android For Health And Fitness

Whether your goal is to get fit, improve your physical health, or work on your mental well-being, it's never a bad time to start working on it. Feeling healthier and more at peace with yourself can only bring benefits, so it's always worth trying out. Fortunately, once you've made your decision to take that first step, there are plenty of resources to help you on your path to wellness, including some of the best Android apps currently available.

When it comes to implementing lifestyle changes, oftentimes the hardest part is getting started. You may be at a loss for what to do, where to begin, and how often to do it. If you're planning to start exercising or eating healthier, turning a resolve into a habit can be especially difficult, and falling off the wagon is discouraging. 

This is why it's a good idea to start taking advantage of free and paid apps that can help guide you on this road to a healthier life. These apps can help you get into the right headspace, give you workout plans, and help you start making better choices with your meals. More importantly, they also provide you with encouragement and a simple way to hold yourself accountable.

You don't need an expensive Peloton bike (or a cheaper alternative) to get fit. One of the best ways to get some cardio in on a daily basis is simply to go for a walk. Whether you're walking your dog or exploring by yourself, the recommended number of steps to take daily for an adult is around 10,000. Not only does that help you burn some calories, but it might also make you sleep better and improve your overall cardiovascular health and stamina. Unless specifically told not to, there's usually no reason not to go for a refreshing walk — but it is pretty hard to stay motivated and actually head outside, rain or shine. This is where Strava comes in handy. 

Strava helps you plan your cardio, share your results with other users, and even compete against them. It's not just for walking, either — you can use it to map your walks, jogging sessions, runs, swimming, and even bike rides. As long as your GPS is enabled, Strava will track your route, help you stay on track if you planned it out beforehand, and count your steps as long as your device supports it. 

The app has a pretty strong social aspect that makes it easier to stay motivated. You can share your workouts with friends, participate in challenges, and explore local events that help you stay active. You can get it on Android in the Google Play Store. If you're more into running, you could try out Nike Run Club. While Strava encompasses a lot of different forms of cardio, Nike's app focuses on walking and running, so if that's your main jam, give it a go. It's free to use.

Adjusting your eating habits and trying to find the right balance can be difficult to tackle on your own. Whether your goal is to lose weight or gain it, it's easier to succeed when you have the right tools to help you on that journey. Fortunately, these tools can be right at your fingertips with the correct apps, and one of the most well-recognized apps is My Fitness Pal (MFP).

My Fitness Pal helps you track your calories and log all your meals. When you sign up for the app, you can input your personal information and let it estimate your recommended calorie count based on your height, weight, age, and activity levels. You can also track your macros, setting goals for the amount of carbs, protein, and fat you want to consume on a daily basis. The app will set this up for you if you don't want to tweak it.

The MFP database has countless products and ready meals already added, so you can easily log all of your food intake as well as exercise. You can even scan barcodes to add directly without searching for products. This is helpful in staying accountable and getting a good overview of your diet. MFP has a free version that contains the most important parts of the app, but you can also pay $79.99 per year for the premium plan to unlock some extra features. Alternatives to MFP include FatSecret and Lose It.

If you're sleeping well, your entire body works better. Not getting enough sleep might undermine your weight loss efforts, and it certainly makes you feel worse during the day, so it's important to sleep enough. However, sometimes issues with sleep may happen without you even knowing, such as snoring and sleep apnea. While an app can't really detect the latter, it can alert you of the former, and do a lot more than that. One such app is BetterSleep.

BetterSleep helps you track your sleep and detect any issues if they arise. You can let the app know when you go to sleep and when you wake up and it will keep track of your sleeping times for you. It also helps you fall asleep if you tend to have trouble with that. It has a robust library of sleep sounds and music that you can try out. In addition, the app can teach you breathing and relaxation techniques to make falling asleep easier.

You can also let the app record you while you sleep. That sounds borderline creepy, but it's only the sounds, and it can actually be helpful if you want to see a doctor for any reason related to snoring or various sleep disturbances. The app records sound and marks it, letting you know when you've coughed, snored, or talked in your sleep. All of this can prove to be helpful data for a sleep specialist.

Your mental health plays a crucial role in your overall wellness. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's all too easy to grow depressed, burned out, or anxious. While such problems can be helped in numerous ways, many mental health specialists agree that practicing mindfulness and meditation can contribute to lessening the symptoms of these common problems. If you want to get into meditating but don't know where to start, check out Headspace.

As the name suggests, the app helps you get into the right headspace and de-stress after a long week. It introduces you to meditation and mindfulness through guided exercises and courses. The exercises cover a wide range of everyday issues, including general anxiety and worry, battling stress, and building resistance to daily problems. It even features access to emergency sessions if you're experiencing a mental health crisis.

Aside from meditation, Headspace also helps you fall asleep by introducing exercises made for just that. There are also mood-boosting workouts and yoga as well as various soundtracks made to enhance each module, including focus music and sleep sounds.