3 Apps That Help Build Healthy Habits

Using your phone to improve your health sounds tempting, and many health apps promise to help users to create healthier habits — but which one is right for you? 

Here are three apps that help users better their health in three different areas: nutrition, wellness and fitness. 

Waterllama // Nutrition

Courtesy of Waterllama

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

Do you struggle with getting enough water throughout your day? Waterllama might be able to solve your problem.

This app helps the user track their water intake in a fun way by filling a character of their choice with the volume of liquid they consumed during the day. Users can choose from over 40 different characters including a llama, octopus and panda. There is also an option to log other liquids such as alcohol, coffee, juice, tea, smoothie, milk, soda and energy drinks. All of the drinks are color-coded and appear in layers within the silhouette of the character. Users also have the option to add the app as a widget and turn on daily water-drinking reminders. Waterllama allows users to customize their daily goals as well as personal information about sex, weight and daily activities. 

The design of the app is user-friendly, and it makes the experience of drinking water enjoyable. Though the app’s free version doesn’t allow users to choose different characters or liquids, it still works as a basic water tracker.

Available on iOS

Headspace // Wellness

Courtesy of Headspace

Price: Free with in-app purchases, $69.99 annually or $12.99 monthly

At first glance, Headspace is a meditation app, but it offers much more. This app is for those who need help with re-centering themselves or just want guidance on a good wellness routine.

The app has a welcoming and warm aesthetic with shapes portraying happy faces. Users can choose from a variety of animated and narrated guided meditations, and the app offers daily check-ins that use the Perceived Stress Scale, a widely used psychological instrument, which consists of 10 questions. At the end of the survey, the results are measured on a scale of zero to 40, which indicates how stressed the user is. There are also many different article topics that can be found on the explore tab, from sleep to mindful eating to morning warm-ups. During Headspace’s meditation and guided breathing, the phone vibrates to the rhythm of the user’s breath, and at the end of the session, it asks users to rate their feelings.

Available on iOS and Android

Runkeeper // Fitness

Courtesy of Runkeeper

Price: Free with in-app purchases, $39.99 annually or $9.99 monthly

Are you a regular runner, or is running something you hope to take up soon? This app might be your saving grace when it comes to motivation to get out and about every day.

Runkeeper allows users to keep track of their running as well as other activities like walking, cycling and hiking. Upon signing up, the app asks if the user had previous experience in running, allows the user to set goals and helps the user identify their motivations for running. The app also has a voice assistant that can be set to read miles and time out loud, as the user runs. During the run, there is an option to take pictures, track calories and even display a map that draws the user’s route. After the run, Runkeeper asks how the user felt; users can choose from a sad to happy face as well as view pictures and see general information about their miles, time, pace and calories burned. There is an option to add notes about the activity, share the map with friends and even track different brands of shoes that the person was wearing during the activity. There’s also an option to use the Groups tab, where users can create and join running groups as well as set up goals for them. Users can also find different challenges and running events within their area. 

Available on iOS and Android