The smartphone is a tiny wonder that can create hours of sedentary sitting, staring at a screen. But, it can also be a great motivator to get you up and going. These five apps let you do just that—no gym required.
Whether you have your own spin bike at home, or are at the gym or a hotel, cycling enthusiasts anywhere can participate in classes from Peloton’s flagship spin studio in Chelsea, Manhattan (both live and on-demand). The app is free to download and offers access to all live and on-demand rides, for a limited time.
FitStar
Work out like a pro with this iOS-only workout app created by former NFL player Tony Gonzalez. With both a Personal Trainer and Yoga option (that one is led by celeb favorite Tara Stiles), FitStar creates tailored workouts according to your fitness level with a special focus on helping people get over the “plateau.” It’s pretty much as close as you can get to having a personal trainer without actually hiring one.
It’s not launching for a few more weeks, but Jennifer Lopez’s BodyLab app will be available for download just in time as spring—and your desire to get in beach-body shape—swings into full gear. The free app offers a personalized diet and fitness plan, recipes (including some of J.Lo’s favorites), guilt-free meal locater and personal progress tracker.
Nudge
Find yourself working out more when you have a bit of friendly competition? Nudge does just that by helping you creating a single health score, the Nudge Factor, which you can compare with your friends, family and coworkers. No matter which fitness app and/or tracker they use, you can all link up and lose weight—while being in some head-to-head rivalry—together.
Hot5
Perfect for those of us who feel like a full-hour workout is too daunting, Hot5 focuses on short, supereffective workouts (based on the principles of high-intensity circuit training) where variety is king. Whether you want to start small with five minutes at the end of a work day or do some full-on 50-minute muscle-burning, you can fine-tune the exercises, which are totally doable for pretty much everyone.
