1. MyNetDiary PRO ($3.99)
Boasting millions of users and a database of over 650,000 food items (plus 500 calorie-burning activities), MyNetDiary sets a weight-loss target based on your weight, height, age, and gender. The front page gives a summary of your day, and the food database is deep, although the search function goes a bit wide and could use some winnowing. Thankfully, the barcode scanner makes finding food much faster. Where MyNetDiary Pro shines is in just how much of the nutritional data it sends on to the Health app: all of it. Rest assured if you eat anything with molybdenum in it, once you’ve entered it, that data is ported over.
2. Sleep Cycle alarm clock ($0.99)
One of the original sleep-analyzing apps, Sleep Cycle is a rockstar in this world. Simply plug in your iPhone and place it under your pillow or fitted sheet. The app uses your handset’s accelerometer to measure movement when you should be resting, then breaks down the data for you come morning. How long were you in bed? How much did you toss and turn? Judging by your cycles of movement, Sleep Cycle calculates the best time to wake you, at your lightest sleep near your alarm time. You can even place your finger over the iPhone’s camera to have your waking pulse measured.
3. MotionX 24/7 ($0.99)
MotionX 24/7 offers many of the core functions of Sleep Cycle, plus fitness features such as alerts for when you’ve sat idle too long, and a voice coach to motivate you to move around. Best of all, you can set the app to record any sounds you might make while sleeping. Got a partner who doesn’t believe he or she snores? One dollar ends that argument once and for all.
4. Sleep Cycle heart rate ($1.99)
This stand-alone heart rate monitor comes from the makers of Sleep Cycle. While the sleep analysis app checks your pulse in the morning, this app is for regular measuring throughout the day. At any moment you can whip out your iPhone, flatten your finger against the camera, and check your heart. Results are graphed over time, and you can even track your cardio rate pre- and post-workout.
5. Instant Heart Rate ($1.99)
Azumio, the maker of one of our favorite fitness-tracking apps, Argus, is behind this top competitor to Sleep Cycle heart rate. It works in much the same way, and will automatically push the data it records to the Health app — or to Argus, if you prefer its interface for at-a-glance health data. Just tap the Heart Rate honeycomb in that app to launch this one and you’re all set.
6. Instant Blood Pressure ($4.99)
To measure blood pressure the traditional way, a doctor slaps a cuff on you and inflates it until you think your arm will pop. The folks behind Instant Blood Pressure, however, reckon they can do it simply by having you place a finger over your phone’s camera lens and light. The process still needs FDA approval and is therefore prohibited from sending data to the Health app, but there’s a workaround: when paired with a free app such as Blood Pressure Companion Free, you can manually push the information along or enter it yourself. Instant Blood Pressure can be tricky to use and takes some practice, but our own tests between this app and a home blood pressure cuff repeatedly showed near-identical results.
7. Pocket Yoga ($2.99)
Pairing modern technology with centuries-old techniques, Pocket Yoga packs in over 200 poses and postures, an ongoing progress log, and voice and visual instructions to put you in the right position (you can even AirPlay these to your TV). Heart rate data can be sent to Apple’s Health app, along with the calories you burn while doing your asanas.
8. CARROT Fit - 7 Minute Workout, Step Counter & Weight Tracker ($2.99)
The hardest part of any workout regimen is staying motivated, so Grailr LLC, the makers of the popular CARROT To-Do app, has brought their trademark tough love to the world of fitness. Insulting and hilarious, CARROT Fit rewards exercise and weight loss, but humiliates you for backsliding. The app runs you through the popular seven-minute workout routine while pulling from your Motion Data to track steps.
9. Get Moving ($0.99)
If you aren’t up for full-on workouts but don’t want to sit like a slug all day, consider Get Moving. The app knows when you are and aren’t moving, and periodically prompts you to get up and stretch your legs a little. With tables to chart your progress, Get Moving is a low-key reminder that simply getting off your butt a bit more can be a big help.
10. Runtastic PRO GPS ($4.99)
Runtastic uses your iPhone’s GPS to log distance, duration, speed, calories burned, and more during a run. Most of this data transfers to the Health app, but not all (Health has no measure for speed). With built-in access to iTunes, you don’t have to leave the app to pick the perfect track for your run. Runtastic even lets you note the kind of terrain you covered, and the mood your routine left you in. Not ready to go outdoors? You can log just about any kind of activity, from aerobics to Zumba.
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