Best fitness apps to kickstart your 2019

The inevitable January health kick is looming. And while it’s all well and good to expend vast swathes of your disposable income at Planet Organic and Lululemon, real impact can be made with apps that cost a few pounds or less – with many of them available for free.

Plus, you can look at your weekly roundup of screen time without despairing (“it was all for the crunches!”, you’ll recite, to anyone who’ll listen).

We’ve rounded up the best fitness apps on the market for 2019. They’ll do everything but the heavy lifting. That’s up to you.

Best fitness apps 2019: Sworkit (£3.98 per month) 

Sworkit is truly a marvel. Simply type in what kind of workout you’re looking to undertake – and for how long. Sworkit will then create a workout tailor made to your demands.

If you’re looking to take it one step further, the app’s upgrade will allow you to hone your workouts further, opting to focus on particular parts of the body, or to set a particular number of reps.

Available for iOS and Android

Best fitness apps 2019: Nike+ Run Club (free)

We’ve long sung the praises of this offering from Nike. We still can’t believe it’s free, despite its eminently stylish interface and high functionality. Nike+ Run Club charts you doing your best Forrest Gump, logging times, routes and calories burnt.

Users can link up their efforts to their social media profiles, garnering virtual cheers from friends as goals are smashed. Although if your 5km times are as woeful as mine, you might want to give this feature a miss.

Available for iOS  and Android

Best fitness apps 2019: Daily Yoga (free)

If you’re not mad about cardio – and there are legions of us who aren’t – there’s no need to retire your fitness dreams. Yoga is the perfect way to stay in shape without frenzied workouts.

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Daily yoga makes exercising as calming or challenging as you want it to be. Offering 50 classes, all under half an hour, it’s the perfect way to inject some more exercise into your daily life. You don’t have to worry about following complex diagrams either, classes come in the format of high-quality videos.

Available for iOS and Android

Best fitness apps 2019: 30-Day-Squat Challenge (free)

As the pert derrière becomes evermore celebrated in the world of pop culture, the value of the humble squat snowballs.

Like getting your five-a-day, or flossing, a daily upkeep of squats can be tough to maintain. This app helps keep you in check, offering a number of simple squat workouts you can do at home. There’s also the eminently satisfying process of ticking off days you’ve completed your squat regime. Like an advent calendar, but for self-improvement.

Available for iOS and Android 

Best fitness apps 2019: Strava (free)

Another recurring favourite, Strava, app of choice for running and riding (cycling, that is, not equestrian stuff), merited inclusion for our 2019 roundup. The free app lets you track your – you guessed it – runs and rides, allowing you to analyse your performance over time. 

It’s also eminently sociable. You can align your workouts with others, and see posts and photos from fellow athletes. Plus, if there were ever a way to push yourself further, it’s by partnering with your colleague/sibling/partner to compete. The nature of Strava is sunny though; competition is (nearly) always friendly. Wholesome fitness fun packaged up in a world-class app. 

Available for iOS and Android