By Dominique A. Harroch and Richard D. Harroch
Living a healthy lifestyle is easier said than done. We love sourdough bread, hamburgers, and french fries. With so many food choices, fitness routines, and conflicting advice out there, staying on track can feel overwhelming.
That’s where diet and exercise apps can come in. These tools help you track what you eat, monitor your workouts, and stay accountable—because let’s be honest, we sometimes think we ate healthier than we actually did. It may seem like a hassle and feel time-consuming at first, but tracking actually takes very little time and provides invaluable feedback that helps you reach your health and fitness goals. Your health is worth the time! Tracking eliminates guesswork, allowing you to see patterns, make adjustments, and stay consistent with your goals.
Many of these apps also offer insights into your nutrition, exercise habits, and overall wellness, helping you make data-driven decisions. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, or just improve overall wellness, the right app can be a health game-changer.
To help you find the best options, we developed this article with research assistance and insights from AI, ensuring a well-rounded, data-driven approach to evaluating these health and fitness tools.
Why Tracking Health Data Matters
Many of us underestimate how much we eat and overestimate how much we move (these authors fall into that category!). Apps remove the guesswork, providing a clear picture of our habits. When you track your food intake and daily exercise:
- You become more mindful of portion sizes and food choices.
- You can adjust your diet based on your goals (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.).
- You can spot trends—like late-night snacking or skipping workouts—that might be sabotaging your progress.
- You get data-driven insights that help you stay consistent.
Tracking isn’t just about numbers; it’s about awareness. When you keep tabs on your food intake and exercise, you’re more likely to stay on track, make healthier choices, and achieve long-term success. Many of us snack mindlessly and wonder why we are gaining weight. This approach leaves no room for mystery.
Below are some of the best diet and exercise apps, with evaluations into how they work and why they can help you achieve results.
1. Noom: A Psychology-Based Approach to Weight Loss
What it does: Noom goes beyond just counting calories. It takes a psychology-driven approach to help you build better habits for long-term weight loss.
Key features:
- Daily lessons and quizzes to improve your mindset around food
- A built-in food tracker to log meals and snacks
- Color-coded food system (green, yellow, red) to guide healthy choices
- Personal coaching for motivation and accountability
Why it’s effective: Many people struggle with yo-yo dieting because they focus only on calories, not behavior change. Noom helps reframe your relationship with food, so you can make sustainable choices rather than falling into restrictive cycles.
Downsides: Some users find the daily lessons repetitive over time, and the personal coaching can feel generic rather than truly personalized. Additionally, Noom requires a subscription, which can be pricey compared to free alternatives.
2. MyFitnessPal: The Ultimate Macro Tracker
What it does: MyFitnessPal is one of the most popular calorie and macro-tracking apps. It provides an extensive food database and lets you log meals, track exercise, and monitor progress.
Key features:
- Huge food database with barcode scanner for easy logging
- Macro tracking (carbs, proteins, and fats) to help fine-tune your diet
- Integration with fitness apps and devices like Fitbit and Apple Health
- Customizable goals for weight loss, muscle gain, or maintenance
Downsides: The free version has limited features, and the app has frequent ads unless you upgrade to premium. Some users also report that the barcode scanner and food database occasionally have inaccuracies, which can lead to incorrect logging.
3. Fitbit: A Smart Fitness Companion
What it does: Fitbit tracks steps, heart rate, sleep, and workouts, helping you stay active and mindful of your movement throughout the day.
Key features:
- Activity and step tracking to ensure you stay active
- Heart rate monitoring for better workout optimization
- Sleep tracking to improve rest and recovery
- Integration with MyFitnessPal and other health apps
Downsides: Fitbit devices can be expensive, and some features require a Fitbit Premium subscription. Battery life varies between models, and syncing issues between the app and devices are a common complaint.
4. Strong: The App for Strength Training
What it does: Strong is designed for people who love lifting weights. It tracks your workouts, sets, reps, and progress, making it easy to build and adjust strength-training routines.
Key features:
- Simple workout logging with an intuitive interface
- Progress tracking to monitor strength gains over time
- Custom workout creation to tailor your fitness plan
- Integration with Apple Health for a complete health picture
Downsides: The free version is very limited, and many advanced features require a paid upgrade. Some users also feel the exercise library is not as extensive as other strength training apps.
5. Strava: The Go-To App for Runners and Cyclists
What it does: Strava is a social fitness app that tracks runs, bike rides, and other cardio activities, providing detailed insights into performance and endurance.
Key features:
- GPS tracking for accurate distance and pace measurement
- Social sharing and community challenges for motivation
- Performance analytics to improve your runs and rides
- Integration with smartwatches and heart rate monitors
Downsides: Strava’s best features, including segment leaderboards and route planning, are behind a paywall. Some users also report GPS tracking inaccuracies, which can affect workout tracking.
6. Cronometer: The App for Micronutrient Tracking
What it does: Cronometer goes beyond just tracking calories and macros—it also helps you track essential vitamins and minerals to ensure optimal nutrition.
Key features:
- Detailed micronutrient tracking to optimize nutrition balance
- Barcode scanner and massive food database
- Customizable settings for specific diet plans like keto or vegan
- Integration with fitness trackers and wearables
Downsides: The interface can feel overwhelming for beginners, and manual food entry can be time-consuming. The free version lacks some important features like recipe creation and meal planning.
7. JEFIT: A Comprehensive Strength Training Guide
What it does: JEFIT is useful for people who want structured workout plans with detailed instructions for strength training.
Key features:
- Pre-designed workout routines and exercise library
- Progress tracking and workout analytics
- Social features for motivation and community support
- Integration with Apple Health and Google Fit
Downsides: The app contains ads in the free version, and some users find the interface cluttered. The workout plans may feel too rigid for those who prefer more flexibility in their training.
8. Lose It!: A Simple Yet Powerful Calorie Tracker
What it does: Lose It! makes calorie tracking simple and effective, with an easy-to-use interface and goal-setting features.
Key features:
- Barcode scanner for quick food logging
- Macro and calorie tracking
- Personalized weight loss plans
- Community features for support and motivation
Downsides: The free version includes ads, and some users have experienced syncing issues with other fitness devices. Additionally, some users find the interface outdated compared to newer tracking apps.
How an Apple Watch Can Elevate Your Fitness Tracking
While apps are a fantastic way to track your health, wearable technology like the Apple Watch takes it to the next level. With built-in fitness tracking capabilities, the Apple Watch provides real-time data that can enhance your diet and exercise regimen.
Key features:
- Activity tracking: Measures movement, steps, and calories burned throughout the day, keeping you motivated to close your rings.
- Workout monitoring: Tracks a wide range of workouts, from strength training to yoga and swimming, giving you detailed metrics on your performance.
- Heart rate monitoring: Helps ensure you stay in the right intensity zones for optimal fat burn and endurance building.
- Integration with apps: Syncs seamlessly with MyFitnessPal, Strava, and other health apps to provide a complete wellness picture.
- Sleep and recovery tracking: Monitors sleep patterns, helping you optimize recovery for better overall health.
Why it’s effective: The Apple Watch acts as a personal fitness coach, encouraging movement, alerting you when you’ve been inactive for too long, and tracking progress in real-time. By pairing it with a diet and exercise app, you can ensure that your activity levels align with your nutrition and health goals.
The Importance of a Healthy Diet and How Apps Can Help
Many of us have had that moment when we look in the mirror and feel like we need to lose a few pounds, or perhaps our doctors have advised us to lose weight for health reasons. Maintaining a healthy diet is essential not only for weight management but also for overall well-being. A balanced diet can reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure while also improving energy levels, mood, and sleep quality.
However, making healthier food choices and sticking to them consistently can be challenging. This is where diet and exercise apps come in. These apps act as digital accountability partners, helping you track your food intake, monitor your activity levels, and set realistic health goals. By providing insights into your eating habits, nutrient intake, and exercise progress, they help you make more informed decisions about your health.
With the right tools and consistency, achieving a healthier lifestyle is within reach. Whether you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or simply develop better eating habits, these apps can be an invaluable resource in helping you stay on track and maintain long-term success.
More from AllBusiness:
Copyright (c) by Richard D. Harroch. All Rights Reserved.
Dominique Harroch is the Chief of Staff at AllBusiness.com. She has acted as a Chief of Staff or Operations Leader for multiple companies where she leveraged her extensive experience in operations management, strategic planning, and team leadership to drive organizational success. With a background that spans over two decades in operations leadership, event planning at her own start-up and marketing at various financial and retail companies, Dominique is known for her ability to optimize processes, manage complex projects and lead high-performing teams. She holds a BA in English and Psychology from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. She can be reached via LinkedIn.
Richard D. Harroch is a Senior Advisor to CEOs, management teams, and Boards of Directors. He is an expert on M&A, venture capital, startups, and business contracts. He was the Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on internet, digital media, AI and technology companies. He was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He is the co-author of a 1,500-page book published by Bloomberg on mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies. He was also a corporate and M&A partner at the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He has been involved in over 200 M&A transactions and 250 startup financings. He can be reached through LinkedIn.
Read the full article here
