The Top 7 iPhone Apps for Fitness and Weight Loss

The Apple iPhone provides on-the-go access to convenient applications that facilitate our lives in a number of ways. When it comes to fitness and weight loss, the iPhone offers the same mobile convenience, complete with applications that count calories, estimate body fat, coach workouts, track running routes, guide yoga sessions, and more. To discover the iPhone application that will help you stay in shape, check out the following top seven iPhone apps for fitness and weight loss.

1. LIVESTRONG.COM Calorie Tracker – Realize your weight loss and fitness goals by tracking both daily calories consumed through diet and calories burned during exercise. Simply set your weight loss goal to determine a daily calorie target and gain access to The Daily Plate’s extensive database of over 525,000 foods, complete with nutritional information like total fat, carbohydrate, protein, sugar, cholesterol content and more. You can also search more than 2,000 fitness activities to determine actual calories burned as well as your net calorie balance for the day. Available for the iPhone for just $2.99, LIVESTRONG.COM Calorie Tracker is one of the best on-the-go tools to lose weight.

2. 40•30•30 – Did you know that there are nine calories in one fat gram, and only four calories in a gram of protein or carbohydrate? If not, then you probably do not know enough about the nutritionist recommended 40•30•30 carbohydrate/protein/fat ratio. The 40•30•30 iPhone application ensures a healthy balance of the three main macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat), without the need for calculators or number crunching. Simply enter the grams of each macronutrient as they appear on the Nutrition Facts label and determine the percentage ratio in just seconds. Your daily goal is to achieve a balanced diet complete with 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.

3. iPump FITNESSBUILDER – Complete with audio coaching, over 400 workouts and more than 4,000 male and female exercise images and videos, iPump FITNESSBUILDER for the Apple iPhone is an extremely versatile and useful fitness app. iPump FITNESSBUILDER features two free full body workouts targeting all the major muscle groups in the body, designed in a specific order to help you gain strength, increase endurance and lose weight. In addition, you will gain access to sample exercises from 19 other iPump applications and educational information on fitness facts & myths, and exercise philosophy. Track and log your reps, sets and rest intervals while listening to your favorite workout music, and email your progress to friends and family members, all in one great iPhone app.

4. StepTrakLite – A free pedometer app for the iPhone, StepTrakLite offers a useful and original application ideal for hiking or simply for keeping track of long walks. Accurately count every step you take in real time and StepTrakLite will classify each step as “vigorous” or just normal. Record walking steps, running steps and total steps taken to track with 100% confidence.

5. iMapMyRun – Embrace the built-in GPS technology of your iPhone 3G to track runs in real time while displaying elements such as time, distance, pace, speed and elevation. View both your current location and where you have traveled via an interactive map or manually record indoor gym activities such as treadmill running. All data from your run uploads automatically to MapMyRun.com where you can view your route, run data, and view a comprehensive workout history. iMapMyRun also supports Twitter integration, so you can tweet your runs to family members and friends.

6. Prt-Yoga Lite – Realize an unparalleled yoga experience with pose-by-pose, breath-by-breath instruction from Kathleen Kastner, your personal guru. Complete with meticulously designed yoga sequences, Prt-Yoga Lite for the Apple iPhone will guide you through your yoga journey in discovering the beauty and joy of this popular fitness art. Change your body and the way you think while deepening your connection to yourself with the help of Prt-Yoga Lite.

7. 2Fat – Ideal for the body fat conscious, 2Fat is a simple, intuitive iPhone application that calculates body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Complete with useful and helpful features including metric support, BMI categories and easy-to-use scroll wheels, 2Fat is the convenient, accurate way to estimate body fat.

Exercising With Your Baby

Juggling a daily exercise routine with the responsibilities of motherhood is a difficult task for any woman looking to stay in shape without separating from her newborn. The daily responsibilities of mothering your baby alone can be challenging and tiring, and can leave any woman feeling overwhelmed at the thought of fitting in daily exercise. Fortunately, with the help of a few techniques, you (and your baby) can remain active during this special time.
The Benefits of Exercising with Your Baby
Exercising with your baby can be one of the most beneficial (and fun) activities for both you and your baby to enjoy. Daily exercise will give you and your baby a time to connect while keeping your baby calm and content as you benefit from:
• Reduced stress – You will sleep better at night with daily exercise
• Reduced risk of post partum depression
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis through strength training
• Improved self-esteem
• Increased stamina

Basic Exercises You Can Perform with Your Baby

When most women think about exercising with their baby, the concept of walking around the block pushing your baby in a stroller is usually the first that comes to mind. While that is great, there are a number of other exercises a mother can perform by using her baby as added weight to build muscle and improve endurance. These basic exercises, which you can perform in front of the television or to some music, include:

• Baby squats – Cradle your baby against your body, slowly squat halfway to the floor and raise back up.
• Baby lifts – Hold your baby under the arms, slowly and gently lift the baby off your chest and gently lower your baby back down.
• Baby bends – Balance your baby on your thighs and slowly raise one knee at a time.
• Baby crunches – Place your baby in a sitting or lying position across your tummy or chest and perform a regular crunch.
• Baby lunges – Stand up straight and hold your baby against your chest in an infant carrier. Place your hands on your hips, take a large step forward with the right leg and bend at the knee with your foot on the floor. Lower your body straight down and rise back up to a standing position. Repeat movement with the left leg.

Cardiovascular Activities for You and Your Baby

As if the benefits of strength training with your baby were not enough, you can both take advantage of the various forms of cardiovascular activity. Cardiovascular activity burns calories and provides for a surge of energy that will help you keep up with your newborn. Try to incorporate any of the following activities into your daily schedule:
• Walking with your baby– Use a baby sling or carrier to hold your baby while you walk instead of carrying hand weights.
• Biking with your baby – Use a bike carrier and take your baby on a fun and exciting bike ride.
• Dancing with your baby – Pop in your favorite CD, hold your baby in a sling or carrier and dance together.
• Swimming with your baby –Join a fun swim exercise class with your baby.