Have you ever downloaded a really useful app and then wondered how you ever got by without it? I love getting new apps that are handy and really make life easier or more organized, and I especially enjoy learning about what other people are using! I’m not talking about social media, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, email, etc. but rather the useful ones that make you more productive, healthier, or on top of things. Here are my current favorites!
Fitbit
My all-time favorite fitness app! As long as you’re wearing a Fitbit, the app will show you your steps, floors climbed, distance, calories burned, active minutes, resting heart rate, current heart rate, and sleep. You can also track dozens of exercises, including walking, running, biking, elliptical, rowing, circuit training, dancing, rollerblading, swimming, a variety of sports, and many more. (Once you’re done, it’ll show you your distance if applicable, minutes spent on different heart rate zones, calories burned, steps taken, and more.)
Within the app, you can keep track of your water intake, calorie intake (it’ll pull data from other food/calorie trackers if you connect your accounts), and weight trends, and there’s also a new feature for female health tracking. You can also see all of this data organized over time if you’d like to analyze your progress or habits from the past week, month, three months, or year. Although you do need a Fitbit tracker to access most of the features within the app, you can connect an iPhone with the app and use it as your step counter via MobileTrack.
MapMyRun
This has been my go-to running app for several years, and I’ve pretty much tried them all at least once. While I love Fitbit, MapMyRun has a few running-specific perks. You can track all of the stats from your run, get audio feedback while running (like your pace, distance, time, etc.), find new routes to run, connect your account to numerous other fitness apps (such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, and MyFitnessPal, to name a few), track the miles you’ve put on your running shoes, and even lots more features if you upgrade to a premium membership (I’ve never felt it necessary to do so and have always stuck to the free one). The app is overall very easy to use and I highly recommend it for tracking runs and walks.
Sweat
This is the app I’ve started using for resistance workouts! You can use it to track your water intake, make a grocery list, follow a meal plan, and more, though I typically use it for planning and scheduling my workouts, tracking my overall fitness progress with photos, and reading through some of the community forums. You can see each of the workouts you’re supposed to complete for the week, including 3-4 resistance workouts and 3+ low intensity cardio workouts, as well as some recovery stretches and foam rolling exercises you can throw in. Each resistance workout is 28 minutes and has videos that automatically play on screen to show you how to do each move. You can also click on it for a description of how to do it and to find an alternative move.
There are also several different workout programs that you have access to within the app, including the one I do (BBG) which requires minimal equipment and can be done at home, yoga, two gym-based programs that utilize machines and free weights, and a postpartum regimen. The app has a huge following on Instagram and a very supportive community. So far I’m really enjoying the program, and I’ll definitely write more about this in the future.
Life360
Logan and I use this app to track each other’s location via GPS. We also both have it set to notify us when the other person arrives at home. This is handy when one of us is at work or school; we don’t have to worry about whether the other person made it home or not. It also gives me peace of mind when I am working late or get called into work in the middle of the night—Logan can simply track my location through the app whenever he wants and know exactly where I am. Another feature I really like about it is that it tells you the battery level of the other person’s phone, and it will send you a notification if it’s about to die. This app is also compatible with iPhone and Android, which is handy since we have both!
Walmart
Although you can use the app for everything from online shopping and ordering, to locating stores, to managing prescriptions and registries, I only use it for the Savings Catcher feature. When I get home from grocery shopping, I scan the QR code on the bottom of the receipt with my phone and submit it, and over the course of several days it checks the items for lower prices from other retailers in the area. I only ever get back a few cents to a dollar or two, but over time this adds up. You could think of it as the more you spend, the more you save. I don’t grocery shop exclusively at Walmart, and I’m only ever shopping for the two of us, but I have $30 in my Savings Catcher account from about the last 9 months.
Alarmed
I use this app for reminders. You can set a reminder for everything from appointments to recurring daily/weekly/monthly events. Not only will it pop up with a notification on your phone (and Apple Watch), you can also set it to keep reminding you every 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes if you don’t mark it as done. It’s very easy to use and I have it set to remind me of all kinds of things. On the home screen you can also review your upcoming reminders.
Snapseed
I’m always searching for the best free photo editing apps, and right now I’m between this one and VSCO. It can be a little hard to get used to, but once you play around and get the hang of it, it’s not bad and there are so many amazing features you can use. I edit a lot of my photos with this app (when I don’t edit from within the regular Photos app on my iPhone) and I think it does a great job.
What are your favorite apps?! Do you have a go-to fitness app? One that keeps your life super organized? Let me know in the comments! 
