A recent survey by Zurich International Life showed that slightly over 47 per cent of UAE residents were overweight with a BMI between 25 and 30. According to a senior UAE health ministry spokesperson, obesity induced diseases such as diabetes in the UAE has affected 1 million residents of the population and already accounts for 3 per cent of all deaths in the country. Not everyone can afford a nutritionist or personal trainer, so we turn to mobile apps.
Tracking food and movement is one of my most recent obsessions. As much as I hate to admit it, being the annoying calorie counter has been the most effective method in my journey towards a healthier life. I love knowing exactly how many steps I’ve walked or flights of stairs I’ve climbed on the daily.
Tracking my heart rate at the gym or the amount of calories I burned raises a daily awareness about my body that made me understand how to live healthier and longer.
For this World Anti-Obesity Day, we give you six free mobile apps to download, to help you lose weight and kick-start your new life to a healthier you.
1. My Fitness Pal
Medical studies show that keeping a food journal doubles your weight loss. Most of the time, people just aren’t aware of their mindless snacking or how large their portions actually are. MyFitnessPal is a great and private way for you to be honest with yourself when logging in your daily food intake. Before you even start eating clean, log your food for a couple of days to really understand what your body craves needs, then start eliminating the not-so-good foods that are just not worth the calories, like the fast food pizza slice, which has 300 calories. The app takes your height, weight and age into consideration and tells you how much you need to eat daily in order to lose weight.
Download for iOS, Android and Windows Phone
2. Weightmonitor UAE
This local app has been launched with the aim of curbing runaway obesity in the region. It isn’t exactly free, but it’s offering free service for the first month you sign up. Weightmonitor UAE offers its users unrestricted access to a dedicated personal nutritionist and its proprietary motivational scoring tool to help them achieve their objectives and stay fit without having to visit a fitness center, nutritionist clinic, machine based weight loss programs or use of ineffective diet regimes. Weightmonitor UAE users get access to a nutrition expert multiple times a day and also enjoy up to six diet plans as part of the three-month program. You get a daily food diary and a score review, weekly weight check-ins and a medical report analysis, which can be conducted via Skype meetings and App chats with their team of in-house certified nutrition experts under the training of India’s top nutritionist, Ishi Khosla.
3. 7-minute workout
This app is perfect for those who have absolutely no time, but want to fit in a quick workout in their busy day. The 7-minute workout is a great mix of strength and cardio that needs no equipment, but raises your heart rate and reminds you to do your work out every day. Any kind of movement is better than nothing.
Download for free: iOS and Android
4. Motion Traxx
MotionTraxx is a cool app that adds excitement to your workout. The app crafts the perfect playlist for the movements that you’re going. It also gives you coaching and workouts that are designed to make you sweat. We love that it matches the music with the intensity for every phase of your workout.
Download for free: iOS and Android
5. Yoga Wake Up
An alarm clock that comes with a quick yoga work out. If you download this app, you get a 10 minute yoga sequence at your wake up time. Each of the sequence differ every day. Sometimes, the focus will be more on meditation, while others are more about holding poses and setting intentions.
Free with optional in-app purchases: iOS
6. Nike+ Training Club
Nike+ Training Club is top notch fitness app. They have a huge backing, which means tonnes of workouts designed by professional trainers and athletes, a fitness program that is customizable and of course brag-worthy sharing capabilities to allow you to compare your progress with your friends and other people in the Nike+ community. It is easy to use and despite being super mainstream, it is better than most other exercise apps out there.
Download for free: iOS and Android
