Small business owners regularly are challenged with finding time to achieve the perfect work-life balance. So much time is dedicated to their businesses, there’s often little left for personal tasks, and objectives like a fitness plan fall by the wayside. Fortunately, even the busiest small business owners can progress along their fitness journey by combining quick workouts with technology, including a mobile device and a plethora of available fitness apps.
What is a Fitness App?
Many fitness apps are available to serve as virtual personal trainers and help people meet their wellness goals. What is a fitness app? A fitness app is a software application that can be downloaded to a mobile device, and it features content designed to help people improve healthy behaviors like exercising regularly and boosting nutrition.
Many fitness apps are used in conjunction with wearable devices, as they track users’ activity while they exercise or perform daily activities. Some even analyze the fitness data.
Why Get a Fitness App
In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy balance between work and wellness is vital, especially for small business owners. Fitness apps serve as digital companions in this quest, offering a convenient and efficient way to stay on top of health goals.
Here are five compelling reasons why a small business owner should consider using a fitness app:
- Structured Workouts: Fitness apps provide structured workout plans that fit into any schedule, eliminating guesswork and the need for a personal trainer. They tailor exercises to your goals, whether it’s weight loss, muscle gain, or improved endurance.
- Time Efficiency: With customizable workout durations, a fitness app can adapt to your busy lifestyle, ensuring you can fit in a workout whether you have 15 minutes or an hour, thus maximizing your time.
- Progress Tracking: These apps track your progress over time, offering insights into your performance and improvements. This data can motivate and guide you to adjust your workouts as needed.
- Nutritional Guidance: Beyond workouts, many fitness apps also provide nutritional guidance, helping you balance your diet with your physical activity for optimal health and performance.
- Flexibility and Convenience: The flexibility to work out anywhere, anytime, is a huge plus. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road, a fitness app ensures your fitness routine never takes a backseat.
Integrating a fitness app into your daily routine can lead to better health outcomes, increased productivity, and could even set a positive example for employees, fostering a culture of wellness within your business.
Our Methodology: The Best Fitness Apps
In guiding small business owners toward fitness apps that offer flexibility, effectiveness, and value, we use the following criteria, rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 10 indicates the highest level of importance and 1 the lowest.
- Customization and Personalization
- Importance Scale: 9/10
- Rationale: The ability to customize workouts and goals is key, as small business owners need flexibility to fit exercise into varied schedules.
- Time Efficiency
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Rationale: Apps offering short, effective workouts are preferred, as they cater to the time constraints typical for business owners.
- Variety of Workouts
- Importance Scale: 7/10
- Rationale: A wide range of workout types (strength, cardio, yoga, etc.) keeps fitness routines engaging and adaptable to different fitness levels and interests.
- Ease of Use
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Rationale: User-friendly interfaces and easy navigation are essential for a hassle-free experience, especially for those with limited time.
- Cost and Subscription Model
- Importance Scale: 7/10
- Rationale: Affordable pricing and flexible subscription options are important to accommodate varying business budgets.
- Integration with Other Devices and Apps
- Importance Scale: 6/10
- Rationale: The ability to sync with other fitness devices or apps (like wearables or health monitoring apps) enhances the overall fitness tracking and management.
- Progress Tracking and Reporting
- Importance Scale: 7/10
- Rationale: Features that track progress and provide reports help in maintaining motivation and tracking fitness goals.
- Community and Social Features
- Importance Scale: 5/10
- Rationale: Community features such as challenges, leaderboards, or social sharing can provide additional motivation and support.
- Accessibility and Mobility
- Importance Scale: 7/10
- Rationale: Apps that are accessible on various devices and do not require special equipment are preferable for on-the-go usage.
- Expertise and Credibility
- Importance Scale: 8/10
- Rationale: Workouts designed by credible fitness experts ensure the routines are safe and effective.
By applying these criteria, we aim to provide small business owners with a selection of fitness apps that not only fit into their busy lifestyles but also offer personalized, efficient, and enjoyable workout experiences.
15 Top Fitness Apps for Small Business Owners
Whether you’re hoping for custom workout programs, an exercise library, fitness analysis or Apple Watch integration, there are multiple fitness apps to suit the needs of any small business owner.
The following are 15 of the best workout apps, nutrition apps and other fitness apps available to download on iOS and Android mobile devices:
1. Nike Training Club
Available on: iOS and Android
While the app previously offered a free version and a paid membership, Nike offered free unlimited access to its fitness app during the global pandemic and has yet to return to premium pricing.
With the Nike Training Club app, users can access a wide variety of challenging on-demand workouts, recommended based on personal information. Workouts offered on the app range from 30 to 60 minutes and feature exercise demonstrations from a workout trainer, as well as additional verbal instruction.
Pricing: Free
2. 8fit Workouts and Meal Planner
Available on: iOS and Android
Hoping to establish a custom workout and diet plan to help meet your weight loss goals? The 8fit fitness app offers a guided program that helps users get healthy, not only eating better but losing weight while they get fit in the process.
The free app features personalized meal plans, as well as exhilarating workouts and educational content explaining how they all benefit you.
Pricing: Free basic access, in-app premium upgrades starting at $60 per year
3. JEFIT
Available on: iOS and Android
Designed with strength training in mind, the JEFIT workout planner app features a variety of routines and training plans to try, or users can access banks of exercises they can combine into their own custom workouts, targeting specific muscles. JEFIT offers tools that help workout tracking, allowing users to log their repetitions and track their workouts.
The fitness app even features a calendar tool that helps users create a time-efficient training schedule, carefully planning their workouts and vital rest days.
Pricing: Free to download, in-app subscription starting at $4.99 per month
4. MyFitnessPal
Available on: iOS and Android
MyFitnessPal‘s customized workout plans make it simple for anyone to develop an effective exercise routine. Users can track calories, engage in fitness activities, log their food intake and exercise, take part in more than 350 workouts and even connect with friends using the workout app.
MyFitnessPal features a database with more than 11 million foods, and it can be integrated with other apps and devices for expanded use.
Pricing: Free to download, in-app subscription starting at $9.99 a month
5. Keelo
Available on: iOS and Android
Keelo offers high-intensity interval training on-demand so users can achieve and surpass their fitness goals. The workout app even lets users attach a heart-rate monitor during their sessions.
Keelo features customizable workouts, so users can swap out moves for one another based on their skill levels and available exercise equipment if they aren’t at a gym.
The app even includes functional workout maps that detail what parts of the body are being exercised.
Pricing: Free with in-app premium subscription starting at $12.99 per month
6. Glo
Available on: iOS and Android
There’s no need to seek out local classes to engage in regular yoga practice. The Glo app caters to yogis of all skill levels and offers daily classes in yoga, meditation and Pilates, led by a host of respected instructors.
It also features yoga routines for solo exercise, as well as plenty of tips to improve skills. The Glo app doesn’t require Wi-Fi to use it, and it even integrates with Apple smartwatches.
Pricing: Free to download, unlimited access for $18 a month after 15-day free trial
7. Fooducate
Available on: iOS and Android
One of the best nutrition apps available for mobile devices, Fooducate helps users monitor their food intake, and it provides tips for weight-management success.
Nutrition data can be entered scanning barcodes, and macronutrient ratios are displayed with easy-to-understand infographics. The app features a simple food grading system, as well as plenty of useful recipes including brain food snacks.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases
8. Sworkit
Available on: iOS and Android
A great app for beginners of any fitness level, Sworkit offers customizable programs for stretching routines, cardio workouts, yoga and strength training. The fitness app is known for flexibility based around personalized goals, and it can be integrated with other apps and devices.
Sworkit is especially useful for busy small business owners, who can enter the amount of time they have free to exercise, and the app designs custom training sessions within that timeframe.
Sworkit also features one-on-one attention from a certified personal trainer… no gym membership required!
Pricing: Free to download, subscriptions start at $9.99 per month
9. Shred
Available on: iOS and Android
Shred claims to offer the best workout of your life, and it creates training programs that can be done with basic equipment. Users just enter their goals, whether they be weight loss, cardio health, building muscle or a combination.
Shred creates custom calendars, scheduling various exercise routines and suggested repetitions. Shred is a great app for those looking to maximize their muscular fitness levels.
Pricing: Free basic access; subscriptions start at $12.99 a month after a weeklong free trial
10. 7 Minute Workout Challenge
Available on: iOS and Android
A variety of apps offer some form of 7-minute daily workouts. The 7 Minute Workout Challenge is a perfect choice for small business owners since it was designed with busy lives in mind.
Backed by peer-reviewed scientific research, the app features 12 high-intensity workouts that can be completed in 7 minutes each, however each produces results similar to a typical 60-minute routine.
The 7 Minute Workout Challenge app includes guided workouts, led by certified trainers, as well as visual weight-loss tracking and calendar logging. It even offers users awards and achievements for meeting their fitness goals.
Pricing: $3.99 with in-app purchases
11. 10K Runner
Available on: iOS and Android
Small business owners who are training for a 10k, as well as those who want to improve their overall fitness by running, will benefit from the 10K Runner app.
The app promises users with no experience can prepare for a 5K in just 8 weeks, then upgrade to 10K readiness in an additional 6 weeks.
The app suggests alternating between walking and running intervals, and it features audio guidance from a virtual running coach.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases
12. 30 Day Fitness at Home
Available on: iOS and Android
The 30 Day Fitness at Home app promises users can improve their emotional, intellectual and physical fitness in just 30 days.
The app syncs with the Apple Health app to track fitness progress and sends helpful motivating reminders to exercise. It includes instructional videos and monthly challenges for various regions like abs and glutes, as well as the entire body.
Pricing: Free with in-app purchases starting at $9.99 per month
13. Map My Fitness by Under Armour
Available on: iOS and Android
Rated PC Mag’s “best exercise-tracking app for people who are new to fitness,” Map My Fitness is designed for beginners who have a long fitness journey ahead of them.
The app features unique fitness tracking, in which users can log everyday tasks like walking the dog or vacuuming. Activities can be tracked in real-time, or they can be entered at a later point.
Fitness data also can be sent from an exercise tracking device like a Fitbit, Apple Watch or Android Wear.
Pricing: Free to download, in-app purchases starting at $5.99 per month
14. Onyx
Available on: iOS
For those who are looking for added accountability without hiring their own personal trainer, Onyx employs AI to monitor fitness routines. As users follow a set of straightforward, interval-style workouts and exercises, the iOS app watches their form and counts repetitions.
It then gives real-time feedback to be sure they’ve done the exercises correctly for instant improvement.
Pricing: Free to download; $14.99 per month to subscribe
15. OpenFit
Available on: iOS and Android
Openfit is perfect for small business owners looking for live exercise classes without the hefty price tag of Peloton or gym memberships.
The app features live and on-demand classes in a variety of disciplines, including Pilates, kickboxing, strength training, barre, circuit training, running, stretching workouts, yoga and more that can be streamed at any time.
Openfit users can enable their cameras so the instructors can see them during a live session, or they can just watch and follow along.
Pricing: Free to download, subscriptions starting at $10 a month following a 14-day free trial
Best Fitness Apps Summary
| App Name | Available On | Key Offerings | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nike Training Club | iOS, Android | On-demand workouts, personalization, no premium pricing | Free |
| 8fit Workouts & Meal Planner | iOS, Android | Custom workout and diet plans, educational content | Free, Premium starts at $60/year |
| JEFIT | iOS, Android | Strength training focus, workout tracking, routine customization | Free, Subscriptions start at $4.99/mo |
| MyFitnessPal | iOS, Android | Calorie tracking, nutrition database, workout library | Free, Subscriptions start at $9.99/mo |
| Keelo | iOS, Android | HIIT workouts, heart-rate monitor integration, customization | Free, Premium starts at $12.99/mo |
| Glo | iOS, Android | Yoga, Pilates, meditation classes, offline access | $18/mo after 15-day free trial |
| Fooducate | iOS, Android | Nutrition tracking, barcode scanning, food grading system | Free with in-app purchases |
| Sworkit | iOS, Android | Personalized goals, varied workout types, certified trainers | Subscriptions start at $9.99/mo |
| Shred | iOS, Android | Custom workout calendars, basic equipment use | Free, Subscriptions start at $12.99/mo after trial |
| 7 Minute Workout Challenge | iOS, Android | Quick workouts, guided sessions, achievement tracking | $3.99 with in-app purchases |
| 10K Runner | iOS, Android | Running coach, interval training, 5K to 10K training program | Free with in-app purchases |
| 30 Day Fitness at Home | iOS, Android | Full-body challenges, video instructions, health app syncing | Free, Subscriptions start at $9.99/mo |
| Map My Fitness by Under Armour | iOS, Android | Fitness tracking for various activities, integration with wearables | Free, Purchases start at $5.99/mo |
| Onyx | iOS | AI monitoring, form feedback, interval workouts | $14.99/mo to subscribe |
| OpenFit | iOS, Android | Live and on-demand classes, camera option for live feedback | Subscriptions start at $10/mo after trial |
How to Choose the Best Workout Apps for the Perfect Work-Life Balance
With so many fitness apps for both iOS and Android mobile devices on the market, how does a small business owner choose the best one to achieve their perfect work-life balance?
This can also lead you to ask how to stay healthy in the workplace. Whether your goal is to lose weight, improve your diet or develop effective workout routines, there is a fitness app to meet your needs and lifestyle.
When determining the best fitness app to suit your business and lifestyle, consider the following factors:
- What are your fitness goals? There’s practically a fitness app for any type of health or wellness need. Do you want to monitor your caloric intake and lose weight? Are you looking for an app with workout instruction, or perhaps you seek an app that helps you optimize your daily activity? If you’re training for a 5k or hoping to boost your weight-training routine, there’s an app for that, too. Similarly, you should also take a look at ergonomic tips in your office or workspace to maintain proper posture while working.
- What functions and features are you seeking in a fitness app? Some fitness apps perform very specific functions, while others boast a variety of features. Are you looking for an app that offers healthy recipes, guided meditations, workout videos, exercise plans or mood-enhancing music? Are you looking for instructional content, a personalized workout or other features such as activity tracking and analytics?
- How much do you want to spend on a fitness app? Workout apps, nutrition apps and other fitness apps are available at a range of prices. Some are completely free, while others offer a free version with available upgrades purchased within the app. Other fitness apps are free to download, but the majority of their content is only available to paid subscribers. Memberships for fitness apps vary in price from a couple of dollars to $20 or more a month for a premium subscription.
- Research ratings and reviews of multiple fitness apps. Before choosing the best fitness app to fit your business and lifestyle, take a look at what other users have to say about their experiences. Sometimes you can learn more from recommendations than from reading product pages. Consider your own goals and desired features when reading ratings and reviews of various fitness apps.
- Try fitness apps before you buy them. Achieving your fitness goals requires commitment. Before you commit to a fitness app, try it out. Most fitness apps offer either a free version, a free demo or a free trial. Sample your top choices before deciding which fitness app best helps you along your journey toward the perfect work-life balance.
Image: Depositphotos
This article, "Best Fitness Apps for Small Business Owners" was first published on Small Business Trends
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