COVID-19 has added some additional challenges when it comes to getting in a good workout. Luckily, fitness apps can be a helpful tool to guide you along the path toward better health and wellness. When evaluating apps, American Council on Exercise (ACE) uses five factors: price, usability, goal setting, social sharing and science-based. For the best apps of this summer, ACE broke down the apps into three categories:

MUSIC:

• For walks – Stitcher or Overdrive let you listen to podcasts and books, and also offer a feature to let you listen at 2x speed.
• For a more active workout – RockMyWorld or FitRadio offer monthly subscriptions to listen to music, and also have an audio coaching feature (like having an ACE Certified Professional in your ear).

MOVE:

• For a quick workout – 7 Minute Workout connects with Apple Health and also allows the user to create a custom workout, or you could have an ACE Certified Personal Trainer create one for you.
• For video workouts – FitOn app with an easy-to-use design that allows the user to connect a heart-rate monitor that shows on the video screen and includes an overall leaderboard to work out in real-time with your friends.

MINDFUL

• For better sleep and less stress –  Calm is very transparent with the science behind the app and offers many free resources like Sleep Stories for Amazon Alexa and Sirius-XM channel.
• For everyday mindfulness – Headspace provides guided mediation and can be connected to Alexa or Google Assistant. If you are recently unemployed, Headspace is providing a free subscription.