A mobile health and wellness app is an app, or a program, that you can download on your mobile device to help you track and manage your health. You can generally find them in your mobile device’s built-in app store. There are thousands of health apps to choose from that focus on all areas of health – from nutrition and fitness to sleep hygiene, water intake and mental health. While many apps are free to download and use, others cost a little bit of money or have options for in-app upgrades to enhance your experience.
With so many apps to choose from, it can be challenging to find one that you like. Here are some suggestions for what to look for in a mobile health app that will help you reach your goals.
How to Pick a Mobile Health and Wellness App
Determine the Features You Want – Look for features that will help you meet your specific health goals and that you can realistically use on a consistent basis. For example, if you are brand new to fitness, consider a fitness app that offers slow-motion video tutorials for various workouts with easy levels for beginners .
Perform a Key Word Search – When searching for apps in your app store, type in specific keywords that relate to the area of health you want help with. For example, you can type in “calorie tracker” if you want help counting your calories or “meditation exercises” if you want to manage stress and wind down from a stressful day.
Select an App that Looks Interesting – Not all apps are created equal. Some are more creative and visual while others are more numbers-driven and cut-and-dry. If you need extra motivation to use your mobile health app, consider something that is unique. For example, Myles is a popular fitness app that helps you move more by tracking how far you walk. But unlike a regular step-tracker, Myles offers a virtual experience that travels your distance in places around the world. Another example is Plant Nanny, a water-tracking app that lets you grow a garden of plants with the water you are drinking.
Review the Description, Cost and Rating – Each app listed should display this information in your app store. Most app listing have pictures of the app experience with examples of how to use each feature. You will want to find an app that fits your budget and has good ratings.
Read the Reviews – An app’s rating is based on its reviews. The more reviews an app has, the more accurate the rating will be because it isn’t reflecting only a couple of user experiences. Reading the reviews will help you see what features others are enjoying as well as what they don’t like about the app.
Popular Mobile Health and Wellness Apps
There are hundreds of mobile health apps to choose from and new ones are being created all the time. But if you don’t know where to start in choosing one and you want to see what’s popular, consider these:
- Headspace (stress and sleep improvement, meditation, relaxation tools)
- Streaks (acts as a to-do list that helps you form good habits)
- MyFitness Pal (nutrition and exercise tracking)
- Plant Nanny (water intake and hydration tracker)
- Nike Training Club (fitness improvement and guided workouts)
