Exercise coach, meditation guru, calorie counter, hearing amplifier, mood lifter, EKG monitor, always-available walking buddy…with 350,000+ apps flooding the marketplace there’s quite literally a virtual assist for every goal you can envision. Health apps offer software to diagnose, track or treat disease, such as continuous glucose monitors which can be worn on the arm to track blood sugar levels, or biometric rings. Wellness apps are designed to motivate people to make and sustain healthy lifestyle changes, with fitness, food and sleep tracking, mental health support, and more.
The sheer magnitude of choices can appear overwhelming, and we hope the blend of time-tested and newly promising apps below will help you get started. All can be found in your smartphone’s app store (Google Play Store for Android phones, Apple App Store for iPhones). One caveat: while many apps are listed as free to download, they may require a monthly or annual fee to unlock full capabilities. And please remember that these apps are intended only to support and complement – never replace – a visit or call to our office.
Weight management
- Wellos. Created by nutritionists and behavior change experts; contains a robust library of educational content, large recipe database, interactive support from health coaches, and food and exercise logging functions.
- Weight Watchers (WW). A well-known name continues to evolve its offerings with individual or group coaching, food and exercise logging, point system tracking, and access to the extensive WW community.
- Way. Focuses on intuitive nutrition and behavior science to help users develop a healthy relationship with food; 73% of app users think differently about their diet or actually eat differently in the first week.
- Fooducate. Helps you make healthier food choices by scanning barcodes, providing detailed information (including added sugars, artificial sweeteners and trans fats), and assigning grades based on nutritional content; also offers personalized nutrition tips.
Mental health
- Breathwrk. Hundreds of breathing techniques to help you feel calmer, prepare your body for sleep or meditation, focus, increase stamina, and reduce cravings. Uses science-based breathwork practices, including box breathing (inhale, hold, exhale, and hold, each for a count of four), pranayama (yogic breath control techniques), tummo (a mix of breathing and visualization exercises) and Wim Hof (breathing exercises to increase the amount of oxygen in your body).
- Headspace. Founded by a former Buddhist monk, this popular app has mainstreamed meditation with hundreds of sessions designed to reduce stress, improve focus and enhance well-being. Instead of exhorting you to ‘empty your mind,’ Headspace helps you get in touch with your brain and body and cultivate a regular practice of mindfulness.
- Healthy Minds Program. No-frills app that centers on the pillars of awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. Prompts to take a survey for each pillar provide a baseline to improve over time.
- Moodfit. Analytics for tracking mood and activities, with tools to help you change negative thinking patterns.
- MindShift. Interactive app designed to help cope with anxiety using psychotherapy techniques; personalize by categories of concern, such as social anxiety, perfectionism, panic and phobias.
- Happify. Developed by mental health professionals to help improve mood, build resilience and reduce stress using cognitive behavioral techniques.
- The Smiling Mind. Aimed at younger people with simple animations, easy navigation and guided meditation sessions.
Fitness
- Nike Training Club. Completely free, with a wide variety of workout videos developed by professional trainers and athletes covering strength, endurance, yoga, and mobility. Tailor-made training programs based on your goals, fitness level, and schedule.
- Peloton. Although known for its expensive stationary bicycles, Peloton offers a reasonably priced fitness class subscription service, no equipment required. High-energy classes for strength training, cardio, yoga, outdoor running, and more.
- Strava. Great for runners and cyclists, tracking your routes, speed, distance, and elevation; access to personalized training programs to prepare for races or improve performance; a strong social component allows you to share workouts and compete on leaderboards.
- MapMyFitness. Tracks over 600 types of activities, including running, cycling, walking, and gym workouts; enables you to participate in challenges and connect with friends for motivation.
- Sworkit. Stands for “Simply Work It,” with customizable workouts (cardio, yoga, stretching, strength) and instructional videos for all fitness levels; many can be done without equipment.
- Down Dog. Covers fresh, unique yoga practices with a variety of styles; aimed at everyone from beginners to experienced yogis.
- Blogilates. Video workouts with Pilates moves, calisthenics, weights and cardio; includes workout challenges, healthy recipes, a place to log your fitness journey.
- Fitbit. Synonymous with wearable devices, the Fitbit app itself is a powerful tool for monitoring many facets of health (activity, sleep, nutrition, hydration, heart rate, etc.) and can be integrated with other trackers for personalized workouts; participate in challenges with friends and the Fitbit community.
Medication management
- GoodRx. Save money on prescription medications with comparison shopping at over 75,000 pharmacies to find lowest prices in the area, and automatic searches for coupons.
- Medisafe. Turns your smartphone into a “virtual pillbox” that sends alerts to take your medications, imports prescriptions from major pharmacies, and enables you to add prescriptions, vitamins and supplements manually; integrates with GoodRx.
Sleep
- Calm. One of the best-known wellness apps, with over 100 million downloads; offers soundscapes to play as white noise, music playlists and sleep stories to wind you down at end of day. Also includes a full library of guided meditations, breathing programs and master classes on topics related to well-being.
- SnoreLab. Records your sleep so you can understand how much and how loudly you snore on a nightly basis; identifies factors that may contribute to snoring such as drinking or eating close to bedtime, feeling dehydrated during the night, or sleeping on your back.
- Sleep Cycle. An intelligent alarm clock that tracks your sleep patterns throughout the night (deep, light, and REM cycles) to provide insights into your sleep quality, duration, and patterns over time. Wakes you up gently during your lightest sleep phase within a customizable window.
Chronic conditions
- CareZone. An overall health management tool useful for people with multiple chronic conditions; scan medicine labels to create a digital file of medications, track symptoms, appointments, receive reminders to take medications.
- MySugr. One of a number of apps available for those managing diabetes; helps track blood sugar levels, insulin intake, and carbohydrate consumption; generates detailed reports to share with your physician.
- myCOPD. Provides tools to support people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including a symptom tracker and a comprehensive library of educational content.
- Hearing loss. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 introduced a hearing evaluation, and a clinical-grade Hearing Aid feature for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Health Hubs
These centralized hubs sync health data information from various apps and devices to provide an overall picture of your activity, heart rate, glucose, weight, sleep, mood, and more: Withings Health Mate, Apple Health (for iOS), and Google Fit (for Android).
Smart Tools for Staying Healthy at Home
The evolution of AI-powered technology for remote monitoring continues at a rapid pace, as evidenced by these latest FDA-approved offerings…as always, consult with our office to discuss what’s best for your individual health situation.
Smart Blood Pressure Monitors. For those with hypertension or at risk for heart disease, Withings BPM Vision and Omron Evolv devices provide clinical-grade readings of systolic/diastolic pressure and pulse rate.
Sleep Apnea. Withings Sleep Rx Mat, a home device to diagnose sleep apnea, measures respiratory rate, body movement, continuous heart rate, sleep cycles, duration and interruptions, snoring and breathing disturbances. Newer watches from Apple and Samsung Galaxy offer an approved sleep apnea detection feature.
Heart Health. Wearable devices and trackers enable mobile electrocardiograms, continuous heart rhythm monitoring, detection of arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation (AFib), and heart rate variability. Available on Apple Watch Ultra and Series 4 or later, KardiaMobile 6L by AliveCor, Galaxy Watch 7 and Ultra, and Fitbit Sense 2.
Fall Detection & Emergency Alert Systems. Devices that detect sudden movements or lack of motion and trigger alerts to family or emergency services are valuable tools for seniors living alone or people with mobility and balance issues. Available on Apple Watch with Fall Detection, and LifeFone Smart Watch, a subscription service with GPS tracking and two-way calling.