CIO — Austin Robertson had a weight problem. For years, the 28-year-old sales manager at a Napa Valley winery tried shedding the pounds. Not wanting to radically change his lifestyle, he dismissed various exotic exercise programs and zero-carb diets.

In January his dad told him about Lose It!, a calorie-counting app for the iPhone that sets daily eating and workout goals based on personal preferences, then charts progress. Robertson could easily input his meals into the app's database, as well as his mountain biking outings. The app would shoot out a daily calorie budget.

[ More app reviews from CIO.com: guilt-free shopping with CauseWorld, Golfshot GPS for iPhone, and voice-to-voice language translation app Jibbigo. ]

"My iPhone is always in my pocket so I can easily and somewhat discretely put in what I was eating," he says. "Lose It! didn't make me have to start doing some workout or eating plan outside my normal daily routine. It just provided clear-cut boundaries and visual incentives."

Six months later, Robertson weighed in at a svelte 185 pounds, down from a high of 236 pounds.

When it comes to health and fitness, the App Store has you covered. From calorie-counting apps like Lose It! to exercise apps to an app that monitors your sleeping, here are five iPhone apps that help people live healthier lives.

Austin Robertson (second from left) stands out among family members at 236 pounds.

Who is this guy? Four months later, Austin Robertson weighs in at 190 pounds thanks to the Lose It! iPhone app.

Lose It!

Lose It! (free) is one of many calorie-counting apps lining the App Store's health and fitness shelves. Others include Tap & Track ($3.99), Calorie Counter Pro ($2.99), Calorie Tracker ($2.99), Nutrition Menu ($.99), to name a few.

The iPhone is well-suited to track calories because it's always within hand's reach. The interface makes for simple and quick data entry. In contrast, Robertson's iPhone-less friends would have to remember what they ate in order to input the data when they fired up their laptop. "It's not realistic," he says.

iFitness

One of the most well-known apps in the App Store is iFitness ($1.99), a fixture among the most popular paid apps in the health and fitness category.

iFitness covers just about every major muscle group in the human body and provides a range of exercise routines, such as beginner programs, weight loss, muscle building, business travel workouts, golf programs and strength training. Tools help you monitor your weight, calculate BMI (body mass index), and more. You can also customize workouts.

Continue Reading