Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
So you remember that I am in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program, right? I know, after the whole craziness going on lately I haven’t been super talkative, but I’m recuperating. I am a very emotional person and there are times when hurting because other people hurt is not a convenient characteristic, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. At any rate, I thought I would wow and awe you with a post about the very best and very worst Android apps for health and fitness that I have been using on the Motorola Droid RAZR HD that I am testing out as part of the program. So without further ado…
The Best (in no particular order)
- MapMyRun – I absolutely love using MapMyRun and I even sprang for the VIP version so that way I can have help on routes. For someone who is geographically challenged (trust me, you don’t have to be around me long to figure that one out!), but who can read a map, having a tool like this makes running outside way more fun. Of course, I still manage to miss my turns on planned routes, but that’s mostly because I try to memorize the map and hello – my memory is not my finest point!
- Songza – Do you ever find preloaded apps on phones that you actually try AND like? For me, this was a first. Songza came preloaded on my phone and I was very intrigued by it. Actually, I was initially going to just delete it like other preinstalled apps, but I took a minute to check this one out first and I’m glad that I did! Songza has an awesome Concierge feature that helps you to choose a music playlist. Here’s what my Concierge screen says now –
So you just pick whatever you feel like, turn on your map and run!
- Sworkit – One of my fellow bloggers (Emily from Fit and Free with Emily) in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program mentioned this app when we were in the meeting in Chicago to receive our devices – and let me tell you, she was right. It is a total winner. Sworkit is this really neat app where you enter what kind of workout you want to do (strength training or yoga, cardio & more), and then you can pick a specific workout or my personal favorite – anything goes, and enter how much time you have for your workout. The app leads you through with instructions, a timer, and even has breaks scheduled for you to catch your breath. It’s awesome and a great way to fit a workout in whatever time you have available!
- MyFitnessPal – I’ve used MFP on the PC for a while, but being able to use it on my phone is even better! I can track my calories and exercises on the fly and since I already have my normal meals entered into it, I can do it quickly and without too many taps. I love how MyFitnessPal tracks water too because that is one area in which I am not always awesome – and it’s crazy because it’s just water! Totally not difficult to drink, ya know? So yeah, big fan of this one too.
The Worst (also in no particular order)
- Candy Crush Saga – if you have not already started playing this game, DON’T! I kept seeing (and hearing in person!) about this game and how my friends are playing it. I had started playing it a while back on my laptop and stopped because – hello, it’s candy and that’s like the opposite direction from where I want to be! But in the end, I gave up and started playing it again, which was easy because it’s a super cute app on my phone… which is where the trouble comes in. This game is totally addicting! Instead of spending 15 minutes trying to beat a level, I should totally be hanging out with my pal Sworkit!
- Pinterest – I love Pinterest. I may be a Pinterest addict. It’s amazing for spending a few minutes to find great ideas for DIY projects, crafts, food, recipes, activities with kids, home decor, gardening, workouts, hilarious quotes and pictures… is there anything you can’t find on Pinterest? But let me tell you what else it is – like Candy Crush Saga, Pinterest is also very addictive. Again, while I could spend 15 minutes pinning sweet gardening ideas and organization plans, my time would probably be better spent putting on my running shoes and getting my butt out the door!
- Ruby Blast – Another addictive games that my friends are playing. I just had to install it! These games help me to stay awake on days when my boys refused to sleep at the same time during the night, but on your average ordinary day they are time wasters that totally have a place – just not BEFORE workouts! I have a rule that I really need to follow more often to workout first and then goof off on my phone!
- Facebook – My husband makes fun of me for this one because I can be walking around the house, making dinner, and then I get sidetracked by Facebook and suddenly a burn dinner. Yes, this has happened this week. In fact, it happened today. Oops… But yes, Facebook is one of those that I should have parental locks on until after I’ve burned so many calories in a day!
Undecided – Best or Worst? You Decide!
- Hootsuite – I couldn’t quite decide if this should belong in the best list or the worst list. On one hand, I love that Twitter keeps me in the fitness loop and I have a great support system on Twitter thanks to the Mamavation girls who check up on me and make sure I’m still moving. However, it is just like how I use Facebook and I can totally waste time on it too!
In Conclusion
While I highly recommend that you check out the apps listed under BEST, I can’t give you a recommendation one way or the other on the worst apps. I love them all, and I do think that there is a time and a place for them, but until I have my routines better laid out it’s probably best for me to steer clear of them until after my workouts. Having all this power and connectivity at my fingers is definitely thrilling and addicting, but it also makes me wonder about how I’m spending my time and if I wasn’t doing better at time management before I had the tech. I think this is a lesson I should probably learn early that way when it comes time to guide my children I have half a clue! I know they will be more exposed to technology than I was at their age, so I should prepare, right?
If you were expecting a list of which Android health and fitness apps to not install on your smartphone, I apologize for not addressing that in my worst list. When I come across an app that doesn’t do it for me, I usually just go ahead and delete and don’t take the time to remember what it was – after all, there are enough things bouncing around in my mind already! But I can say that if you try the ones on the best list, you probably won’t be too disappointed because they are awesome, unless that’s not what you’re looking for, and then you’re totally on your own until I come out with another list!
Trident is asking people to talk about when they were last swept away by fun, especially the fun that’s sparked by the new flavors! For me, it’s really difficult to be swept away by fun because that means letting myself off my own reigns a bit! Somewhere between high school and parenthood, I started to become more reserved and to hold more of myself in. I realized this when a couple of friends of mine were encouraging me to share more of myself with my other friends – they both say that I have a great personality, and lots to offer, but that I hold it back. When I tried this Trident gum, it reminded me of the last time I really chewed gum often, and that was in high school. I definitely was carried away by fun back then!
Two of my favorite moments when I was carried away by fun both involve walking on the roof of a building, so maybe I shouldn’t spill all the details? One was with a group of friends and we watched a movie. The hard part that time is that I had to climb a tree that night, and I had forgotten that I donated blood the same day, so my arm really hurt when I was climbing! But I was able to overcome and got up the tree to watch a movie on the roof. Ah, those were the days! The other time that popped into my head was when I watched the moon with a friend and learned about the corona around the moon. It was super fun! We had a great time that night, and I think that some of the events were even caught on film – like jumping into a dumpster… but that’s not really the important part of this post, is it?
