The Best Free Apps to Help You Get Fit and Healthy

SHAPE magazine

Your smartphone is a perfect tool for getting and staying in shape. Think about it: It's always with you, it lets you listen to music during your workout, and it provides you with many powerful (free!) apps at your fingertips. A fitness app can lead you through workouts without paying the high price of a personal trainer, and using a calorie-counter app is as simple as sending a text. Together, they're a quick and easy way to start getting in shape. Check out five of the highest-rated apps to help get fit and lose weight , according to research from Appitalism.com.

1. Endomondo Sports Tracker:

Available for: Android, iPhone, BlackBerry

Designed for runners, bikers, and anyone with a workout that gets them out and about, this sophisticated app uses GPS to track your routes and make the daily jog fun again. The app records your run, giving you a Google Maps view, lap times, and browsable workout history. Get motivated by pep talks from your friends and notifications every time you break a mile. If you take your runs really seriously, you can upgrade to the $3.99 paid version that integrates with Facebook and Twitter and can pull in data from popular heart-rate sensors and pedometers .

2. The "Eat This, Not That!" Game:

Available for: iPhone

A game to help you lose weight? It's more likely than you think! It's like "The Price is Right" for food . The game shows you two similar products, and you guess which one is more nutritious and less fatty. It's surprisingly addictive, but also teaches you the surprising food tricks that can make for better meals. The next time you go to Quiznos, order a grilled-chicken sub instead of tuna salad, and save yourself one thousand calories (seriously!). You'll be glad you played.

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3. Jefit:

Available for: Android

If your exercise goals are cardio or Pilates, this isn't the app for you. If you hit the gym religiously and need the most in-depth exercise tracking and training around, say no more. This app is for the true gym rat. It boasts hundreds of exercises that can be selected from an anatomical map; helps create power-packed Super-Set workouts; logs your progress photos so you can see the toning taking place, and more!

4. Nike training club:

Available for: iPhone

If you want an instructor-led fitness routine but aren't comfortable with the cost and awkwardness of a personal trainer, this app can fit the bill. This free app gives you dozens of workouts from Nike's professionals, pro athletes, celebrity trainers, and more, and considers your requirements and abilities to pick them. Plus, these workouts are specifically designed for women.

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5. Fooducate Nutrition Scanner:

Availalbe for: Android, iPhone

That protein bar you're nibbling on certainly looks healthy… but could there be something better? Scan a food's UPC and Fooducate goes beyond the nutrition facts to tell you more about your munchies (if the sodium level is dangerous, for instance, or if the vitamins come from nature instead of chemicals). It even grades the food relative to alternatives and helps you pick a healthier selection. A great companion to a nutrition plan, and a fun way for the non-dieter to improve his or her menu.

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