In times when life has practically moved entirely online, apps that help maintain your fitness have become the standard. The most popular ones show us how to lose weight through exercise or diet. But are there any programs that teach small gestures that would have a big impact on our health and beauty in the long run? Here are seven apps that will help you start implementing new, good habits today.
➡ Drinking Water – Aqualert
Regularly drinking water brings many benefits to the body. However, many people forget to drink an adequate amount of fluids throughout the day. They will surely be pleased to know that there are at least several different applications designed to remind us regularly to reach for a glass of water. Using discreet notifications displayed on the phone screen, they take care of our body's hydration levels. Aqualert, available for both Android and iOS, allows you to set daily goals and monitor their progress. After drinking water, you mark the amount by clicking on a glass or bottle of the appropriate size and observe how much you have left to reach your goal. After entering data about your gender, body weight, and activity level, the app will calculate how much water you should drink per day. The clear interface makes using the app incredibly simple, and the internal badge system motivates you to persevere.
See also: Apps that will take care of your health
➡ Quitting Smoking – Smoke Free
Mobile applications can be a significant support when quitting smoking. Smoke Free offers an individual approach to the user – upon first launch, it asks for data necessary to determine each smoker's personal profile. The app allows for precise calculation of the amount saved on cigarette packs and visualization of the projected annual savings. Current statistics in the app are also a great motivation – the number of cigarettes you would have smoked, hours free from nicotine, or the time your life has been extended. Moreover, Smoke Free offers a badge system that helps you stick to the difficult decision of quitting addiction. For an additional fee, there is an option to download special scenarios that will turn quitting smoking into a real mission.
➡ Food Diary – My Fitness Pal
My Fitness Pal is one of those apps that make losing weight enjoyable. The program can scan barcodes and display the content of key nutrients, including calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, sugar, fiber, and cholesterol. The meal calculator allows you to add, analyze, and save your own recipes. The impressive product database allows for quick calorie calculations, and synchronization with the cloud ensures the security of each user's data – you don't have to worry about your progress history or favorite meals disappearing. An additional social feature allows you to turn weight loss into a shared adventure.
➡ Pedometer and Heart Rate Monitor – Krokomierz i Odchudzanie Trener and Monitor Tętna
There are many apps that measure steps and blood pressure. Krokomierz i Odchudzanie Trener stands out from the crowd thanks to its synchronization with My Fitness Pal. Combining these two programs provides comprehensive monitoring of nutrition and activity. The app automatically tracks steps and displays statistics – not only yours but also those of your friends. This allows for mutual support and motivates you to lose weight together. A related app, Monitor Tętna, is used to check your pulse. By placing your finger on the screen, you allow it to download data and save it to your history. This is a simple and proven way to check your heart rate not only during exercise but also daily, if needed.
➡ Healthy Eating – Wiesz, Co Jesz and Zdrowe Zakupy
There is no shortage of standard apps for counting calories. However, new are the databases that allow us to decipher the ingredients of the products we consume. The Polish-language apps available for Android and iOS, Wiesz, Co Jesz and Zdrowe Zakupy, clear up doubts about the content of our plates. The built-in label and barcode scanner allows for quick searching of an article, for example, while shopping. After finding the product in the database, the apps display a full list of its ingredients along with a clear description, thanks to which we can learn about its harmful and beneficial factors. Wiesz, Co Jesz also has the option to purchase nutritional profiles or create your own, as well as check if the meals consumed are consistent with your diet, allergies, or food intolerances. This is an excellent solution for people who, for health reasons, have to be careful about what they eat.
➡ Checking Cosmetic Ingredients – Cosmetic Scan
Analogous to product ingredient databases, there is a database for ingredients used in the cosmetics industry. The most popular app of this type is Cosmetic Scan (available on Android and iOS). The barcode scanner efficiently searches most products found on the shelves of Polish stores, and the clearly presented ingredient analysis allows for a thorough understanding. Thanks to it, we can learn which ingredients in the cosmetics we use may, for example, clog pores, be allergens, or cause irritation. The app also marks ingredients suspected of carcinogenic properties, those banned in the European Union, or those not recommended for pregnant women.
➡ Monitoring Sleep and Improving its Quality – Sleep Cycle and Twilight
Mobile technology has also found answers to sleep problems. Firstly – monitoring. Apps like Sleep Cycle use sound analysis to determine which sleep phase you are in at any given moment. For the app to work correctly, the phone should be placed near the bed or on it, to allow it to recognize and interpret body movements. When the time you set for your alarm approaches, Sleep Cycle determines the moment you enter the lightest sleep phase and wakes you up during it. This makes waking up extremely gentle. But what about falling asleep, which can also cause considerable trouble? Other apps come to the rescue, for example, Twilight, which neutralizes the impact of blue light emitted by mobile phone screens. The cool color of the LED display, which we often look at before bed, inhibits melatonin production and causes problems with falling asleep. Night lighting (in yellow or red) is present by default in many phones. Phones without this option can support themselves with the Twilight app – available for download on Android phones.
By increasing consumer awareness, many mobile applications help in making smart choices about the products we consume daily or apply to our skin. Others promote good habits, such as drinking water, and combat problems, such as waking up and falling asleep. Technology is moving in a good direction – it makes everyday activities more rational and valuable.
And you, do you have any favorite apps that help you take care of your health and beauty? 🙂
