Training calendar

To help keep track of your training and schedule fitness activities into a busy week, a training calendar is essential. Not only will your calendar help you remember to make time for exercise and keep on top of fitness appointments, but it will give an overview of how much (or how little) you are training so that you can track your progress and up your game if necessary.

Alcohol is part of many peoples lives but, as we all know, it needs to be enjoyed in moderation. Handy apps which explain your alcohol limits according to your BMI and lifestyle as well as calculating your consumption of alcohol units can be your best friend if youre dieting, keeping track of your health or want to know your bounds. Often, people dont realise the extent of their alcohol consumption so apps like this should be an essential.

Research suggests that walking 10,000 steps a day can significantly improve your wellbeing by burning calories, improving energy levels and maintaining a healthy heart. However, many of us fall short of this mark. A pedometer can help track how many steps you are taking, your speed and the approximate number of calories burned. It can also help motivate you to walk more as you see the steps clocking up.

Setting goals is great for your mental health and happiness and, depending on your objectives, can be great for your fitness levels too. To help you manage and achieve your goals, make sure you download a goal-tracking app where you can list and be reminded of your goals, share them with others for some moral support, analyse your progress and ultimately cross things off your list. These apps are great for increasing motivation and boosting your sense of achievement.

Getting a good nights sleep is essential for good health, with research suggesting that sleep can help you live longer, boost your memory and reduce stress. However, many people struggle to switch off after a stressful day and find that their sleep patterns suffer. Luckily, there are a variety of apps available to help you prepare for a restful night, including meditation apps, apps to help you customise a sleeping soundtrack and tools for analysing your sleep habits.

It can be tricky to keep track of your calorie consumption when youre aiming to lose weight, but with a handy calorie counting app youll be in the know about how much youve consumed, where you can cut back and which foods are taking you over your limit. By totting up the calories contained in the foods you eat you can adopt improved eating habits and maintain a healthy weight. A useful app like this may be simple but is a must-have.

With so many different ways to exercise it can sometimes get a bit overwhelming and confusing. Questions like how can I properly stretch my hamstrings? and what is the most effective way to tone my stomach? can be answered with your own virtual personal trainer app. Images or videos explaining how to carry out certain exercises or stretches will enable you to get the most out of your gym or home workout safely and with confidence.

Achieving an optimum heart rate when you are exercising is a great way to maximise the benefits of your workout, so being able to easily measure it using your phone is a big help. This clever kind of app allows you to place your finger over the phones camera, which will then measure your pulse. Simply subtract your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate, and then aim for 60-80% of this heart rate when you are working out to reach the optimum level.

Run tracker apps use the GPS in your phone to keep a record of a whole host of running stats, including distance, route, average speed and elevation. You can then upload this data to a computer, so you can keep a record of your running progress over time and store the maps of your favourite routes.

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10 must-have health & fitness apps