10 Best iPhone Apps for Healthy Living

One of the hottest iPhone workout apps is P90X ($5), which basically manages and tracks your workout schedules, sets, reps and even nutrition. You get the fit test and ab workout with the app, but you’ll have to purchase individual workouts for $7-a-pop, such as plyometrics, kenpo, yoga, back and biceps, cardio, chest and back, etc.

There are lots of calorie-tracking apps in the App Store, but this is our favorite. For starters, MyFitnessPal is free. The app delivers progress updates to and from your network of friends who also use MyFitnessPal. Peer pressure keeps everyone motivated. Best part of the app: a bar code scanner for store-bought food items.

Experts say Americans are sleep deprived. So get a good night’s sleep and a gentle wake-up call with Sleep Cycle ($1). Just launch the app and place the iPhone near you when you sleep. The app monitors your rhythmic sleep pattern that fluctuates between dream state (or light sleep) and deep slumber. Then the app will gently wake you inside a 30-minute time period of your choosing when you’re in light sleep, as opposed to shocking you out of a deep slumber. It’s a healthier way to wake up.

Speaking of sleep deprivation, we’ve heard Navy SEALs endure five and half days of continuous training without sleep during their “Hell Week.”Weekend warriors who want to train like an elite special forces trooper should check out Navy Seal Fitness ($2). Tell us what you think. We’ll be on the couch watching sports.

Not all apps for good health preach workouts. HeartWise ($1) keeps track of your blood pressure, resting heart rate and weight. The app provides charts, trends and analysis, and reminds you to periodically take readings. You can even send your blood pressure data to your doctor. After all, what’s more important than a healthy heart?

Are you a roadie or mountain biker? Doesn’t matter. If you love to push the peddles, you’ll want the Cyclemeter ($5) GPS bike computer app. Cyclemeter tracks your time, location, distance, elevation and speed on maps during the ride and organizes charts and graphs of multiple rides over the long haul. You can also share your progress on social networks.

For runners, we suggest iMapMyRUN+ ($2). The app keeps track of your distance, calories burned, elevation, pace, nutrition and even your heart rate (although you’ll have to purchase an accessory). A voice gives you updates on your progress. You can listen to music while the app runs (no pun intended) in the background.

If the body fuels the mind, as the cliche goes, then food fuels the body, especially foods filled with protein and nutrients. Superfood HD ($1) serves up more than 200 recipes using superfood, such as figs, avocados, even aloe vera (which we prefer to put on cuts and burns). These foods are rich in phytochemicals and nutrients that promote health and ward off disease.

It’s one thing to just hit the gym and pump iron. But the real gym rat knows what they’re doing and how to do it properly. This means having an understanding of the human body and performing exercises correctly that target certain muscle groups. Or just get Fitness Buddy ($1), an app that will show you everything you need to know.

If you’re looking for 50 Relaxing Classics ($10) on the App Store, you won’t find it. You’ll have to look for it on iTunes because it’s a music album. Great classical songs like Fur Elise and Canon in D will simply melt your stress away. Why is this on our list of healthy apps? Because stress is a killer.