A little over a year ago, I picked out a selection of phone apps that would help someone get in shape, with apps designed to help facilitate exercise, meditation, healthy behavior, and good sleeping habits.
There's only one app on the list that I'm still using, and it's a free fitness app called Sworkit Lite (there's a paid version too).
It may seem like picking one fitness app to recommend out of the more than 100,000 health-related apps is an arbitrary decision, but it turns out my personal preference is backed by science: A team of sports scientists recently analyzed 30 popular free fitness apps and found that Sworkit Lite was the most closely aligned with the American College of Sports Medicine's training guidelines.
Those guidelines say a workout should include aerobic, strength and resistance, and flexibility components; it should follow evidence-based guidelines for frequency, intensity, and types of workouts; and it should include safety measures to help make sure beginners start at a safe point.
No app was perfect, the analysis found (and most were terrible). People with different goals will have different needs, and of course the best workout is whichever one you actually do. Other apps may be better, in fact, at motivating people to move.
But for me, Sworkit makes exercising easy and fun. It's basically like a playlist for fitness that you can just follow along. And now we know that its routines are expert-approved.
Here's how it works — and why I've stuck with it.
The initial interface is simple and clean.
When you open up the app, you can choose whether you want to focus on strength, cardio, yoga, or stretching.
All the exercises are bodyweight-based, so you don't need any additional equipment for any of the workouts. While I wouldn't use this as my only fitness option, it's a nice way to get a varied workout that can be done at home or on the road.
There are also options for either a quick five-minute workout or a custom workout.
If you choose the five-minute workout, the app will select a series of cardio and strength exercises and have you do them for 30 seconds each.
While five minutes isn't a lot, it's enough for a quick morning wake-up routine at least. Even a small amount of exercise can have a huge impact on your life, especially if you keep your intensity level high.
The five-minute workout is also a good warm-up option before a yoga session.
If you opt for the strength routine, you can choose what type of workout you want.
The full body workout is a great go-to option here. While I like to go for a run or a bike ride or a climb when I can, this is a nice alternative for particularly hot or freezing days.
It's easy and well-defined enough that you can make yourself do it, even if you are just relaxing around the apartment.
You can work up a good sweat and push yourself hard enough that you get the mental clarity that's one of the best benefits of exercise.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider