OK, we get it — the title’s scaring you. All that talk about sweat, exercise, and our favorite part, “the best” …we understand. You’re terrified. See, you’re sitting at your computer reading about a bunch of Android freaks getting their sweat on with a bunch of apps designed for the purpose. Now, you might not be scared. You might not be terrified. You might be sitting there and thinking to yourself, “Hey, that sounds like a great idea!” If that’s what’s bubbling through your brain right now, trust us — you’re in good company.
That shiny new Android phone you have in your pocket doesn’t have to just be a glorified paperweight as you flip through channels on the couch. If you’ve been hoping to burn off a few extra pounds — and we’re all carrying a few extra these days — these Android apps will definitely get you started in the right direction.
1. CardioTrainer
CardioTrainer makes a lot of top Android lists all the time, but there’s definitely a reason for that. After all, CT is a paid app and that means that it really has to be worth something in order to be mentioned so highly and praised so much. First and foremost, this app is all about keeping you on your toes when it comes to your workouts. If you’re trying to walk, jog, or even break into a full out run, you will need this app. It challenges you to basically compete against the greatest challenge of all — yourself! There are some people that just have to make sure that you’re racing against the clock, but it can be hard to race against yourself. Using CT should make it a lot easier to beat your own times. In addition to the race feature, you will also be able to tell how far you are from your overall goals. At just 2.99 for the app, you’re not going to be out a lot of money, but you will have a bigger lead on getting your fitness goals in line!
2. Endomondo Sports Tracker
This app is very much like CardioTrainer, except it does a bit better job of tracking other types of exercise. You get historical reports of the exercise that you’ve done in a way that really gives you as many details as you can handle. The integration with Google Maps is really a nice touch, giving you all the ability in the world to really take on just about any goal that you have in mind. You can track time, distance, altitude, and speed — all factors that can help you develop the perfect workout each time, every time.
3. Fast Food Calorie Counter
Before you get up in arms about tracking food, hear us out — you have to track your calories. Let’s repeat that one more time: you have to track your calories. What you eat really does make a difference when it comes to your fitness goals. If you don’t feed your body the right things, you won’t have the energy to exercise! So this means that you aren’t going to have to face a life of salad and carbless snacks. You really do have the ability to eat what you want, when you want to eat it. However, just so you don’t fall off the wagon when it comes to your diet goals, you need an app like Fast Food Calorie Counter. Instead of wondering what’s in that fast food you’re about to eat, you can always just pull out your phone and look at what FFCC has to say about it. It’s a pretty large database of fast foods, and the database grows a little bit more each and every day. So when you know that you will need to get things taken care of within your diet, all you need to do is make sure you keep FFCC handy.
4. AllSport GPS
If you want even more features from your exercise tracker, you need AllSport GPS. This is a more expensive app, but you get a lot more functionality. You will be able to share your workouts online, which is definite improvement over other applications. It’s been proven that if you have other people involved within your fitness program, the more likely you are to actually stick to it.
5. First Aid Assist
Safety and fitness go hand in hand, so why not pick up something like First Aid? As the name might tell you, this is an app that can help you handle proper First Aid no matter where you are. The app includes clear, crisp instructions and plenty of diagrams. Even if it stopped there, it would be a good app to have on hard. However, it goes one step better — there are even videos that demonstrate actual First Aid procedures. Download this app — it really might just save the life of someone you care about.
6. Pandora for Android
How can you have a guide on Android fitness apps without having at least one music app on the list? If you aren’t using Pandora for Android yet, you really should. This is a site that basically gives you random music that meets your own existing tastes. For example, if you’re very much into Britney Spears, it’ll serve up tunes that match the characteristics of Britney Spears songs — as well as songs by Brit, of course. It’s a good way to find new music that matches what you already like — don’t be surprised if this app shows you a few new tunes to check out!
7. Beer Gut Fitness
When we stumbled across Beer Gut Fitness, we couldn’t help but laugh. Basically, this app does a tracking feature, but in a different way. It basically tells you when you can help yourself to a frosty mug of beer. When, might you ask? Well, after you’ve burned off enough calories, of course! You’ll have to enter in your information, and the app takes it from there. It’s a cute way to give yourself a little more willpower.
Are you still with us? Great! We know that there are plenty of different apps out there that can really add something special to your workout program. However, it’s pretty hard to get them all listed. So do us a favor — if you find a new app that really gets you working up a sweat or helps you really hit your exercise goals, let us know in the comments. C’mon, don’t be shy — we can all use a bit of help. We’ll even beg if you want us too — help us out, please! If you’re content with the list we have today, let us know that too — we’re flexible like straws, baby.