Between looking on as COVID-19 cases reach record highs, quarantining, and battling seasonal depression, many people are interested in preserving their mental and physical health, but aren’t sure how to do so. Luckily, there are plenty of free apps out there that have been meticulously crafted to boost your mood and spice up a stale routine.
We did some digging and found over a dozen applications that promise to get your body moving. From yoga-centric programs to high-intensity workouts to running-themed platforms, we’ve got you covered.
These options will bring wellness and mindfulness to your life without depleting your pocketbook. We call that a win-win.
1. Nike Training Club
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This Nike-branded app prides itself on being your “ultimate personal trainer,” and with a library of more than 185 free workouts — from strength- and endurance-based routines to mobility and yoga sessions — all featuring virtual guidance from Nike master trainers, it lives up to the tagline. The app provides daily recommendations, and the more workouts you log, the more personalized these picks become. If you don’t have weights at home, no worries. There are plenty of equipment-free exercises that will still leave you sore the next day.
2. Nike Run Club
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Training for your first 5K? Looking to accelerate your running game? Whatever your goals, level up with Nike Run Club. The app offers features that are both cool and useful, like GPS tracking, distance challenges, customized coaching plans, and auditory encouragement in the form of runs narrated by Nike trainers, athletes, and entertainers like Kevin Hart.
3. AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run
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Love enjoying the outdoors and fresh air during your workout session? The AllTrails app is perfect for you. It offers more than 100,000 hiking, mountain biking, and trail-running maps alongside reviews and photos crowdsourced from millions of users. You can search for popular and trusted trails near your location using nifty filters like “dog-friendly,” “kid-friendly,” and “wheelchair-friendly.”
4. SworkIt
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Your core is a key component of your body, and with this core-focused app you can show your midsection the love and attention it deserves. Choose from among three different workout types, each with a slightly different focus (back, abs, and overall core), and follow along as personal trainers give video demos of each move.
5. Calm App
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The Calm app’s mission to make the world happier and healthier couldn’t be more relevant right now. It is considered by some to be the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation, with more than 50 million downloads and more than 700,000 5-star reviews. Among the accolades it has received: Apple Best of 2018 award winner, Apple’s App of the Year 2017, Google Play Editor’s Choice 2018, and named by the Center for Humane Technology as “the world’s happiest app.”
6. GrpFit
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GrpFit (/group-fit/) is a fitness platform that aims to close the health gap in the Black community. It’s a safe, encouraging and uplifting community of people from all levels of fitness — from the first-timer all the way to the fitness junkie — who all want to become the healthier version of themselves. There are numerous quick and powerful guided workouts at different levels and styles for folks to choose from. Join a community where you can learn the best fitness advice, find the best motivation and the best workouts, and give back by inspiring others with your journey.
7. Daily Yoga
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Yoga newbies, advanced practitioners, and everyone in between can find their flow with Daily Yoga. The app offers an impressive volume of content — more than 50 class plans and workouts, over 500 poses, and more than 200 classes with HD video — that span all fitness levels. Another plus of the free app: The flexibility of workout length, with options ranging from 5-minute quickies to 70-minute sessions.
8. FitBod Weight-Lifting Workout
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By evaluating your past workouts, current strength-training abilities, and available gym equipment, FitBod develops a custom plan that can help you work toward, and eventually crush, your goals. Strength-focused routines come in a variety of formats, from general conditioning to bodybuilding, powerlifting, Olympic weight lifting, and more.
9. Reflectly
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Wellness is about taking care of your body — and your mind. Be intentional with your wellness practice with this AI-driven journal app. It uses positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy to help you sort through negative emotions, understand how you’re feeling, and channel feel-good vibes (in the form of empathy, kindness, and gratitude) toward all areas of your life.
10. Kettlebell Workouts by Fitify
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The kettlebell can be a great strength-training tool, but to reap the benefits (and stay safe in the process), you need to know how to wield it correctly. This app offers 45-plus kettlebell exercises and five workout programs with a voice coach and high-def video demos to guide you along the way.
11. Volt
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Billed as “the #1 AI app,” Volt aims to overhaul boring gym routines with data-driven workout plans that evolve week to week. One especially cool feature: The app’s structured programs are designed for more than 40 different sports and activities, from cycling and half marathons to tennis, soccer, snowboarding, swimming, and more.
12. Asana Rebel
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Here’s your chance to crush all of your wellness goals with one app. Asana offers do-anywhere workouts (from yoga to HIIT), sleep assistance, moving meditation, and playlists designed to boost your productivity. #FitnessGoals loading!
13. Aaptiv
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Feeling discouraged? Aaptiv is your new accountability partner. The audio-based app offers 2,500 trainer-led, music-based workouts in a variety of categories, like running, elliptical, rowing, strength training, stretching, yoga, and more. If that wasn’t enough, 30 new workouts are added each week.
14. 8fit Workouts
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If you’re seeking to achieve a specific workout goal, your search could end right here. As a fitness- and nutrition-focused app, 8fit allows you to first enter an objective and measure your current fitness level, then it gives you a customized guide to map out your plan. The workouts, which can be tackled at home without fancy equipment, are quick and intense (15 to 20 minutes), but vary in focus from endurance training and HIIT to strength training and bodyweight exercises.
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