Happy 2019!  A new year means a fresh start, and with that comes a new set of resolutions.  One of the most common resolutions involves one’s health, whether that is to “eat better”, “lose weight”, or “get fit”.  However, it’s a well known fact that most people fail to reach their new year goals.

What’s something that often stops projects–and resolutions–in their tracks is a lack of a clear plan.  Getting healthier is always an admirable goal, but it also can be overwhelming for those that don’t quite know how to go about such goal.  Thankfully, there are a number of apps to use that can help you get organized to make 2019 the year you hit that healthy resolution.

MyFitnessPal

The key to losing weight is quite simple in theory–eat less calories, and you’ll burn fat.  But, how much less food should you eat?  Do you know how many calories that spaghetti you made is?  Calorie counting can be really overwhelming, but MyFitnessPal can make it so much easier.

You simply plug in your stats and how many pounds you want to lose (or gain!) a week, and the app does the calculations for you.  Then, you pick the foods you eat from its extensive database (the largest of all the apps of its ilk), and viola, you’ve taken the first step in getting your diet in shape!

Google Play   Apple App Store

MapMyFitness

There are dozens upon dozens of workout tracking apps, but MapMyFitness is one that gets a bit of a special mention.  By the same makers as MyFitnessPal, syncing the two apps for accurate measurements of calories you burn is an immensely helpful feature for someone overwhelmed with the healthier lifestyle.

MapMyFitness tracks walks, runs, and cycling trips via GPS, giving you plenty of information about how far you went, how quickly, and how many calories you burned.  Additionally, MapMyFitness has a datatbase for things like local trails and fitness events, to make sure you never run out of things to do.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitocracy

If you’re not as worried about syncing your apps together, and like to ‘gamify’ things, then Fitocracy is right up your ally.  Fitocracy has a nice database exercises that you can search, and as you do them you earn points.

Points level you up and earn achievements, adding a competitive element with friends if you so choose.  It’s a bit of a more fun way to motivate yourself to work out.

Google Play   Apple App Store

C25K

All the fitness tracking apps are great, but they don’t help if you’re not sure what to do in the first place!  If you’re interested in running and cardio, but don’t quite have the endurance yet, one of your best bets is the Couch to 5k (or C25K) program.

The program is designed to get completely sedentary people up and running a 5k in only 90 days, by a staggered run/walk program three days a week.  It’s an extremely helpful program, and there is a whole slew of apps that can help you with this particular program.  The one I chose for this list is both free and has a nice looking interface, though most of the apps do serve the same purpose.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Stronglifts 5×5

If you’re not one for cardio, maybe weightlifting is more your cup of tea.  One of the best beginners’ programs for lifting heavy things has to be the Stronglifts 5×5 program.  It’s deceptively simple–you only need learn five exercises, and you’re only in the gym three times a week.

The app gives you all the information you need on what exercises to do and on what days, and there are many success stories out there with how much this program help others get stronger and lose weight.  The creator of this program wanted all the information about Stronglifts to be free to all and easily accessible, and that extends to this official app.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Headspace

People tend to not realize how important their mental health is to their physical health!  Stress can cause hormone inbalances, to hold on to water weight, and even a terrifying smorgasbord of health issues.  One of the simplest ways to set aside some time to yourself, a way to calm down and unwind from our busy lives.

This is where meditation comes into play.  When meditation is properly practiced, it gives the mind time to slow down, unwind, and simply let thoughts slip by.  But meditation is not always easily learned… but thankfully with meditation apps at our fingertips, there’s never a better time to try.

Headspace is my personal favorite–while it does require a monthly subscription, Headspace teaches you the foundations of meditation and how to practice it, as well as many different varieties of guided meditation.  There are programs to help you sleep, deal with anxiety, and plenty of other series well worth the fee.

Google Play   Apple App Store

Fitness and Health Apps to Kickstart Your New Year’s Resolutions

Gadgets designed to help people stay active and healthy are becoming more and more popular, and capable of doing some pretty cool things. Gone are the days of trying to keep track of how many calories you’ve eaten or how much exercise you’ve gotten in a day — now, as they say, “there’s an app for that.” Here are some of the best fitness gadgets out there making it easier than ever to get or stay in shape.

Buy this gift for someone into fashion as well as fitness

Releasing on November 6, 2015, the Misfit Shine 2 is the followup to the original Misfit Shine; an extremely popular wrist wearable that was very affordable. Keeping the same round design of the device, the disc can be inserted into a necklace as well as worn on a wrist. The device can also be clipped onto clothing at night to track sleep data.

MSRP: $99 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: n/a

Check Ben’s for Deals on the Misfit Shine

Get this gift for the person who just likes to stay active

The Fitbit Charge Wireless Activity Wristband is similar to the Flex model but includes an actual LED readout screen and an altimeter. The newest offering from the most well-known of the activity tracker brands out there, the Fitbit Charge keeps track of calories eaten/burned, activity and even sleep. You can also step up to teh HR model, if you want heart rate tracking.

MSRP: $130 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $86

Check Ben’s for Deals on the Fitbit Charge

Buy this gift for the person serious about getting healthy

The Withings WS-50 WiFi Scale is a high-tech scale that measures weight, body fat, composition, heart rate, and even indoor air quality, and also allows you to automatically upload and track your progress (via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi) using the included Health Mate app. The older model (WS-30) has almost all of the same features if you want to save a bit of money.

MSRP: $150 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $120

Check Ben’s for Deals on the Withing Scale

Buy this gift for the kid who spends too much time playing video games

The GeoPalz iBitz Pedometer  is a small clip-on activity tracker that syncs with a game/app that requires kids to have to actually exercise and eat well to keep a virtual “pet” alive (sounds kind of like a real-life Tamagotchi — anyone else remember those things??). It also tracks your kids’ steps throughout the day and exchanges them for prizes, awards and online game time.

MSRP: $35 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: $10

Check Amazon for the iBitz Pedometer

Buy this gift for a casual that’s just trying to lose the holiday weight

There’s a reason Fitbit took two spots on our holiday list, they make awesome fitness trackers! The Fitbit Zip is not a wristband, but rather a tracker that can be clipped onto your clothing or slipped into a pocket. It tracks steps, distance and calories burned; perfect for anyone that wants to shed a few pounds after all those delicious holiday dinners.

MSRP: $60 | Lowest Price on Ben’s:$30

Check Ben’s for Deals on the Fitbit Zip

Buy this gift for the person super serious about running

People who are into running can be, like, really into running. For these people, the Garmin Forerunner 620 GPS Watch w/ HRM-Run monitor1 is as technical a running watch as you’re going to get. This GPS watch, when used with the HRM heart rate monitor, tracks and calculates a ton of things that quite honestly, I’m not familiar with (vertical oscillation, recovery time and VO2 max estimate, to name a few) but I’m sure runners are. If you’re not as concerned with some of those things, you can get an older, less high-tech Garmin Forerunner GPS watch on sale for $100 to $150.

 MSRP: $450 | Lowest Price on Ben’s: N/A

Check Amazon for the Garmin Forerunner 620

Fitness gadgets worth buying this holiday season