Over 60? How to Use Smartphone Apps to Lose Weight and Track Fitness
If you have a smartphone, you can use your phone as a weight loss and fitness assistant. There are so many weight loss and fitness apps available, but it can be hard to know what’s worth the time and effort.
We’ve done a ton of research and have identified some awesome apps that range from counting your calories to tracking your weight via your bathroom scale.
If you haven’t already, we recommend first reading Losing Weight After 60 Is Hard – Here Are 9 Ways to Drop the Pounds. It will help you understand why it’s more difficult to lose weight after age 60 (you’re not crazy!) along with some additional tips to consider before diving into the smartphone apps you can use to help you.
Keeping physically active is key to a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes it’s best to consult with a doctor before beginning a new routine. If you have any questions about exercise, diet, or healthy habits, please reach out to your primary care physician.
→ Did you know you can get access to no-cost gym memberships once you turn 65? Keep your health in tip-top shape with the help of your Medicare Advantage plan. Find out which plans in your zip code come with fee-free gym membership privileges.
Nutrition Apps
Your nutrition is the most important part of your weight loss journey. What you eat will have a much bigger impact on your weight and overall body composition than any other fitness component.
It can be hard to track what you’re eating, but a little help from your smartphone can make it a lot easier.
MyFitnessPal™
One of the world’s most popular health and fitness apps is MyFitnessPal – and it’s free. So that’s a major bonus.
MyFitnessPal is a food diary that helps you track your calories and other food-related goals. It has over 6 million foods in the database, so it’s unlikely that you’ll eat something that you can’t find in there. From something as simple as an egg to something as complex as a full meal from a niche restaurant, MyFitnessPal seriously seems to have everything.
You can scan barcodes, save your favorite meals and use Quick Tools for simple and quick food tracking. If you don’t want to pay for a nutrition system like WW (WeightWatchers®), you can do it for free by just taking a few minutes out of your day to log what you’re eating.
Download MyFitnessPal from the App Store or Google Play
Cronometer
One of the ways many people find success in weight management is by watching carbohydrate intake.
While some carbs are needed to fuel the body, an excess of carbs leads to difficulty losing weight. Cronometer is designed to help you track carbs and look for ways to balance your caloric intake.
With accurate calorie information reviewed by experts, Cronometer offers nutritional info submitted by over five million users worldwide.
And with keto, celiac and vegan settings, it’s designed to help you track your health no matter what your dietary needs might be.
Download Cronometer from the App Store or Google Play
Noom
If you have an internet connection, you’ve probably seen an ad for Noom.
This weight loss program burst onto the scene in 2020 and is making some serious waves due to its bold claim to be the “last weight loss program you’ll ever need.”
Noom uses a psychology-based approach to coach you to better health through habit building. With nutrition at a glance and access to a health coach, it offers a personalized connection many of the other popular apps don’t have.
With 10 mini-courses to choose from, there’s enough variety of material on Noom for everyone to find something to help improve their health.
Download Noom from the App Store or Google Play
Exercise and Fitness Apps
Your fitness routine is the second most important part of a healthy lifestyle. There are lots of smartphone apps that can assist you by tracking your fitness, providing fitness plans and ideas, and even customized fitness programs.
Let’s take a look at a few fitness apps that are great for individuals over 60.
Fitbit
Fitbit is marketed as “The fitness app for everyone,” and we couldn’t agree more. To start, you need to purchase a Fitbit wristband. With several models available, Fitbit has a watch-like wristband for every budget.
From there, you download the app, pair your wristband to the app and you start gathering information about your fitness. It’s pretty amazing.
For starters, the Fitbit tracks your steps. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Walking is an easy and effective way to reach that goal.
With Fitbit, your wristband will send you little reminders throughout the day if you want, and when you hit step count goal, it vibrates and sends a happy note across your Fitbit screen.
The app does a lot more than track your steps, though. You can track your sleep, view calories burned, and track your trends over time. You can also track your pace, time and distance when you go on walks or runs. It also helps you track other types of exercise, such as weights or aerobics, to help you get a full picture of your health journey.
If you have friends or family who have Fitbits, you can challenge each other to walk more by setting up an actual challenge in the Fitbit app.
There’s more – you can also track your weight and nutrition in the app. Fitbit has its own smart scale that connects, but we’ll touch on smart scales in more detail later on.
Fitbit has a lot of parts that can be found in other smartphone apps, but the way it makes fitness a part of your everyday life is truly unique.
Download Fitbit from the App Store or Google Play
C25K
C25K, or Couch to 5k, has helped millions of first-time runners build up the stamina for a 5k.
The 8-week plan consists of 3 workouts per week. You alternate between walking and running until you build up your strength.
This app is perfect for those who haven’t done a workout in a while (hence its name). Plus, it doesn’t matter how old you are! Many individuals over 60 have enjoyed and succeeded by using the assistance of this app.
The C25K app also boasts an audio coach that tells you when it’s time to walk or run. The “Zen Power Playlist” included in the app claims to have music that is scientifically proven to increase motivation by 35%.
One user even reported losing nearly 100 pounds, getting off of insulin, and dropping 9 medications. If you’ve been wanting to get in shape, this is a great place to begin.
Download C25K from the App Store or Google Play
Map My Run by Under Armour
If you’re not wanting to do a specific program like the one outlined in C25K, you might find Map My Run to be useful.
A popular tool for runners, joggers and everyone in between, this app tracks your distance, speed and time while you go for a run. It also suggests new routes that other users have taken.
The app also claims to be the world’s largest digital health and fitness community. This can help you gather motivation from other runners. Plus, you can create challenges for yourself and your friends.
Download Map My Run from the App Store or Google Play
Map My Walk by Under Armour
Map My Run also has a sister app designed to get you from casual strolls to running for fun.
It’s a complete set of tracking and training tools designed for novice runners. It gives a variety of workout options and training customizations to help you build up to running at your own pace.
It even connects to smart sneakers to let your shoes do the tracking for you. If you’re wanting to get into running, jogging, or walking, Map My Walk can help you track progress and find fun new nature walks in your area!
Download Map My Walk from the App Store or Google Play
7 Minute Workout
The 7 Minute Workout app is a fast and easy way to get a workout in.
They have 200+ exercises you can customize and modify to create thousands of workout variations.
The app is backed by science, with high user reviews, and has helped people all over the world get the most out of their short workout.
It feels like you have a personal trainer as you watch how to do each movement on your screen. There’s also a timer that shows you how far along you are. And with 3D interactive guides, you’ll never have to wonder if you’re doing an exercise correctly again.
Age is no barrier – we all have 7 minutes to devote to our health!
Download 7 Minute Workout from the App Store or Google Play
Simply Yoga
Yoga is a great form of exercise that is adaptable to any fitness level. Simply Yoga is a free app (with paid upgrades) that will take you through a yoga workout of your selected level and duration.
You can choose 20, 40, or 60-minute workouts, and the app says it’s great for both men and women. The video on the screen will show you how to get into each pose, and there are audio instructions that will help you along.
One reviewer over age 60 says:
“I have old fractured vertebra and nerve injuries and always thought yoga would help. [...] Love this app because once you get the routine down you don’t need to look at the screen and can just concentrate on the yoga itself. [...] I’ve been doing it 6x/week for about 2 weeks and can already see a difference in my physical ability to do certain things. My core strength has improved which lessens the pain in my back.”
Download Simply Yoga from the App Store or Google Play
Meditation and Mindfulness Apps
Stress is the enemy of weight loss and health. There are several great meditation apps available that can help with stress reduction, mindfulness, and even sleep regulation. Each offers its own unique approach to helping you keep calm and carry on.
Headspace offers guided meditation, stories to fall asleep and get you inspired for the day, short mindfulness sessions, and even light workout routines to help promote positivity.
Calm, in addition to offering daily meditations and soundscapes, also offers sleep stories designed to help quiet the brain and promote restful sleep. It’s great for those with insomnia or who have trouble falling back to sleep if they wake up in the night.
Breethe claims to have the A to Z of ways to Zzz with sleep solutions that work. Additionally, it offers yoga sessions that help you wake up with intention, balance your breath, and feel happier.
Finally, Simple Habit offers quick meditation options for busy people. It offers 5-minute meditations that help you reduce stress, improve focus, sleep better, relax faster, and breathe easier. They even have ones for kids, so you and your grandchildren can practice pausing and resetting together.
For many, the idea of meditation and mindfulness can feel a little “out there.” But it’s an effective method of reducing anxiety and stress, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and can even help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Wim Hof Method
The Wim Hof Method is a free app that takes you through the basics of the method created by The Ice Man, Wim Hof. It covers his breathing method, exercise, and cold adaptation.
The WHM is backed by scientific studies and has been shown to improve the autonomic nervous system and immune system, which in turn reduces stress and creates more resilience.
Download Wim Hof Method from the App Store or Google Play
Overall Health Apps
Finally, there are some apps that don’t focus on just one piece of the wellness equation. These apps cover the big picture of your overall health.
Apple Health and Google Fit
Depending on whether you have an iPhone or an Android, Apple Health and Google Fit are great ways to track your overall health.
Apple Health comes automatically with your iPhone and does the following:
- Tracks your steps and distance traveled
- Helps you establish a target bedtime and wake time
- Encourages you to be mindful
- Tracks your nutrition (such as carbs, calories, caffeine, etc.)
- Tracks body measurements, reproductive health, results, and vitals
- Gives you the option to create an emergency Medical ID card that allows first responders to access your critical medical information from your lock screen (even without a passcode)
- Allows you to sign up to be an organ donor
- Saves your health records to make it easier to share with new doctors or family members
You can also connect third-party apps to Apple Health. For example, if you have a Fitbit and you track your steps, you can add that information to the health app. If you track your calories with MyFitnessPal, you can add that as well. This makes it easy to get a good overview of your overall health in one easy place.
Google Fit is similar, but it’s available for Android users.
Here’s a snapshot of what it offers:
- Tracks steps, time, distance, and calories to measure your fitness goals
- Automatically detects any exercise you do and gives you credit for it
- Makes it easy to monitor your progress with reports
Just like Apple Health, you can also connect your favorite third-party apps so that you have a completely integrated health system.
Get Google Fit from Google Play here.
Smart Scales
There are a ton of bathroom scales that have a smartphone app component to them. It makes tracking your weight over time really handy, especially since all of that information is right at your fingertips.
We didn’t want to just choose one because there are a lot of options, so we’ll list a few popular ones you can research and consider for yourself:
The Withings scale is a Wi-Fi Scale that does a lot of really cool things:
- Body composition analysis
- Dedicated coaching program
- Up to 8 users can use it
There is also a baby & pregnancy mode if you have some younger folks who want to use, too.
It also lets you zoom out and see your weight over time – dips and valleys included. And it’s only about $100.
2. QardioBase 2
This smart scale is on the pricier side, but it does boast one thing – it looks pretty cool. Its award-winning design features a solid base and a round shape. It claims to have a superior sensor system that gives you more accurate readings.
This scale measures your weight, BMI, and tracks changes in your body composition (muscle, fat, water, and bone).
The scale also replaces numbers with smileys, letting you focus on long-term progress and lasting results. While prices at Amazon can vary, this one sits right around $130.
The Eufy scale pairs with its corresponding EufyLife app. In the app, you’ll be able to see your comprehensive health insights.
This scale doesn’t differ from the other smart scale options in any way that we can tell, other than the fact that it's WAY cheaper. While prices at Amazon can vary, this one sits right around $30.
If you already have a Fitbit, it can be nice to have a corresponding smart scale. The Fitbit Aria scale tracks your weight, body fat %, BMI, and lean mass. It tracks your trends over time using really nice-looking charts and graphs.
This scale also recognizes up to 8 users, and the setup is really easy. You’ll see all of this information right in your Fitbit app.
While prices at Amazon can vary, this one sits right around $130.
The Garmin scale has all the same features as the others – Wi-Fi connected, measures your weight, BMI, body fat, etc – except it supports up to 16 users. While this is certainly an option, many reviewers complain about minor problems, such as the fact that the scale only stores one weight measurement per day or that the app isn’t the best.
While prices at Amazon can vary, this one sits right around $150.
Conclusion
It’s no secret that there are tons of options for smartphone apps and tools that help you lose weight and track fitness over 60 – take advantage of some and let us know how it goes!
And remember to check with your doctor before starting a new fitness program.
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