10 great fitness and weight-loss apps

Smartphones and tablet computers have opened up a whole new world of on-the-go possibilities. Nowhere is that more true than in the field of health and fitness.

No longer are we tied to a gym or a rigid workout schedule. No more waiting for a personal trainer to tell us how well – or how poorly – we are doing. Mobile devices and fitness apps put all that information right there at our fingertips.

So if you want to know how far you ran or biked today, or you want to keep tabs on how many calories you consumed, then turn your smartphone or iPad into your workout buddy. Here are 10 great apps to choose from:

Endomondo Sports Trackers Pro

Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro uses GPS tracking to let you know exactly how your workout is going. You can pre-set a time or calorie burn as your goal and Sports Tracker Pro will help you beat it. You can also challenge friends, go against their personal best times, and even get encouragement along the way. With Sports Tracker Pro, you can download or plan different routes. Add headphones and the “audio coach” will help you pace your run, bike ride, or workout.

Sports Tracker Pro is available for all popular smartphone platforms.

Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry
Price: $3.99/$4.23

Fitness Buddy

Described by apptudes.com as “The Swiss Army Knife Of Fitness Apps,” Fitness Buddy features over 1,000 exercises for every part of the body. Each exercise is accompanied by detailed instructions, photos and animations, and the user-friendly interface allows you to track each exercise and know exactly how you are doing. There are also 45 full workout routines tailored to specific goals – build chest, tone butt, lose weight, etc. There are also specific routines designed for women. And you don’t need to have access to a full gym: Fitness Buddy will provide a workout routine based on the equipment that you have available.

Fitness Buddy costs just $0.99 under a limited time offer.

Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $0.99

Daily Burn – Calorie, Workout, and Fitness Companion

This is the companion app to Daily Burn, one of the biggest – and best – fitness communities on the Web. Once you join Daily Burn, your fitness and health goals and performance are automatically synced to the app for complete on-the-go analysis and tracking.

Daily Burn helps you find both a nutrition plan and a workout regimen to go along with it. The built-in “Foodscanner” app uses the iPhone camera to read barcodes and supply you with complete nutrition and calorie information, while the Training Plan feature helps you set goals for weight loss, cardio training, muscle building, and more.

Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: Free

Lose It!

One of the top-rated weight-loss apps, Lose It! allows you to set goals and establish a daily calorie budget to meet them. You stay on track by logging food and exercise totals, which can be synced with a loseit.com account.

Lose It! places lots of emphasis on sharing with friends for extra support and motivation. Lose It! claims that the average user has lost more than 12lbs, and more than 85% of their active users have lost weight.

Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android
Price: Free

CardioTrainer Pro

A great app for tracking any fitness activity, including running, walking and biking. CardioTrainer uses GPS tracking to monitor workout performance, and includes voice reminders and encouragement, as well as a music player for additional motivation. CardioTrainer Pro is an add-on to the free CardioTrainer app, which needs to be installed first. The Pro version features advanced interval training and other exercises, and includes all future updates and enhancements free-of-charge. Comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Platform: Android
Price: $9.99

Daily Ab Workout

Daily Ab Workout is part of the Daily Workout Apps series. It contains two 5 to 10 minute daily ab routines for men and women. Each routine takes you through twenty ab-sculpting exercises. The routines are demonstrated by a certified personal trainer and target all major abdominal muscles. You can set up daily reminders and a randomize feature varies the routine so it doesn’t get monotonous.

The paid Daily Ab Workout app is ad-free and is available on both Apple iOS and Android platforms.

Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android
Price: $0.99

Nike+ GPS

A GPS tracking app for the man or woman who just likes to run. Nike+ GPS tracks your route, records your pace, and constantly pushes you to match and beat your personal best times. You can run indoor or outdoor and there are no sensors required.

Nike+ GPS allows you to broadcast your accomplishments to friends through Facebook or Twitter. You can hear cheers every time a friend “Likes” or comments on your run, or you can set up some healthy competition using the Nike+ Tag feature. The personalized PowerSong feature blasts your favorite music as you go for new time or distance records.

Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $1.99

Cyclemeter GPS Bike Computer

Similar to Nike+ GPS but for bikers! Cyclemeter GPS Bike Computer tracks everything you need to know about your bike ride, including time, location, elevation, and speed. You can map your routes, chart your times, and keep a calendar of performance over weeks, months or years.

There are up to 25 configurable announcements to help you track your ride, and you can even get audio updates of how far you are ahead or behind your friends or previous best times. A virtual map can pinpoint your progress. Fix your iPad or iPhone to the handlebars for the ultimate in-race companion!

Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $4.99

Ultimate Weight Watchers Diary

The perfect Android app for people following Weight Watchers programs. The Ultimate Weight Watchers Diary has a built-in points calculator, points tracker, barcode scanner, body weight and measurement tracker, activity calculator, and more. The easy-to-use graphing feature allows you to see your progress at a glance, and the export and e-mail features allow you to share the good news with friends and family.

Platform: Android
Price: $4.89

Daily Yoga

Another in the Daily Workout Apps series, this time for yoga. The app contains 20, 40 and 60 minute level one and level two yoga routines. Each pose is demonstrated by a certified personal trainer and the app includes audio instructions for the entire program.

If you can’t get to your regular class or just have time for a quick workout, then Daily Yoga is the perfect solution.

Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $2.99

Do you have a favorite fitness or weight-loss app? Share it with The Online Mom!