I use my iPhone for more than just texting and checking social media, my phone is also a powerful tool to help me achieve my health goals. While I have a folder full of health and fitness apps on my phone, I have a few that are my favorites that I use the most.

Here are my top three favorite health and fitness apps. PLUS a bonus.

Fitbit

I’ve been a loyal Fitbit user since 2011 and I’ve been singing it’s praises since the very beginning. When I put on my first Fitbit there wasn’t even an app for that, you had to visit your computer to check out your data or enter a meal.

The app has a gorgeous interface that puts all the important stuff right where you need it. You even have the ability to move things around so you can see what’s more important to you.

Not only do I wear my Fitbit to track my steps, I also track my water intake, food consumption and weight. With the app I can easily add food or water with just a few taps.

The food database is pretty expansive and I rarely need to enter things myself. When I do, I need to go to my computer but 9 out of 10 times I don’t need to create a new food. In one of the more recent updates to the app they added the ability to scan a barcode to enter your food. The barcodes aren’t always in the database but I have a feeling you’ll be able to start adding things very soon.

Also new to the app is the ability to track your exercise. This is for when you run, walk or hike and uses your phone’s GPS signal to track your workout. I’ve been using this feature on my rehab walks and I really like how it works. You have the ability to play your music right through the app so you don’t need to open your music library or Pandora before you start your workout.

My Aria scale also syncs to the Fitbit app so I have a complete picture each time I open it.

Nike+

This is an essential for every runner.

There is more than meets the eye with this app, not only is it a great tool for tracking your runs, but there is also a Coach section where you can train for different distances. Within each distance, 5K, 10K, Half Marathon or Full Marathon, there are three ability settings from beginner to advanced.

If competition gets you going the Nike+ app has a leaderboard to rank you amongst your running friends. I may or may not go the extra mile if I see I’m close to beating one of my friends. Hey, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone.

Don’t wear Nike running shoes? No problem, the app works off the GPS in your phone so no need to have the chip in your shoe.

WebMD

This app has a lot to offer, from recipes to a health improvement program, there’s a lot packed into this free app.

Healthy Target is the health improvement program and it offers a few simple things you can do each day to be more healthy.

Above you can see my week one daily goals. All I need to do is check each thing off that I accomplish each day. Everyday the app sends me a push notification to encourage me to either keep up the good work or get my act together.

Further down the page it shows my data which is pulled from my Fitbit data for sleep, steps, and weight. After all my data are articles that I might find interesting on my health journey.

The other thing I use the WebMD app for is the Health Tools where I can look into a drug my doctor has prescribed, research a condition or procedure, check out any symptoms I may be feeling or get important first aid information.

Like I said, there’s a lot packed into this free app.

Apple Health

I’m really excited to see what is to come with the new Apple Health. I like the idea of pulling data from multiple sources and having it available in one convenient location.

Right now the best part of the new Apple Health is the Medical ID. I know someone who collapsed and had a heart attack while refereeing a soccer game. They grabbed his iPhone to call his wife but it was password protected, they couldn’t get in and his family was delayed in being notified of his medical emergency.

The new Medical ID is accessible from the lock screen in case of an emergency.

Rumor on the street is that Fitbit will not be integrating and I really think that’s a missed opportunity on their part. If you wear other fitness trackers you may be in luck since many of the others have integrated.

To see what apps are currently Apple Health compatable you can find a listing under the featured tab in your App Store, they were kind enough to put them all in one place.

What are your favorite health and fitness app?

It’s nothing new that I’m a gadget girl, and now I’ve got a gadget that can help me lose these pesky pounds and get healthy. Bill surprised me last week with a Fitbit.

The Fitbit is a cute little pedometer on steroids that is only about the size of a tiny flash drive. What I love the most about it is that it wirelessly syncs to my computer and uploads to my personal Fitbit site. Being a lover of all things social media related, the fact that I can link my Fitbit to my facebook, twitter and FourSquare accounts is really fun. What’s really helpful about the Fitbit is that it not only tracks my steps, but I can track my food, water, exercise and even my sleep with it. With all that data in one place with colorful charts and graphs I can see where my problem areas are and have a better idea of my actual activity level.

Wearing a pedometer appeals to my competitive side, even though I’m only really competing with myself. When I can see how many steps I’ve taken and I know I want to reach at least 10,000 steps I tend to be more active (even if it’s only around the house). In the nine days I’ve been wearing my Fitbit, I only came in under that 10,000 step goal twice and my average for that time is still over 10,000 steps. I know that’s not enough to get myself down fifteen pounds in this millennium, but being active is a start and I’m going to get my exercise and eating back on track…I have to.

I’m struggling with fitting exercise into my day, but I’m hopeful that once school starts up it’ll get a little easier. Right now the only way I could get a workout in would  be to do it before the kids wake up and I’m so tired in the morning that I can’t bring myself to get up at 5:30 to get down on the elliptical. I’m sure that if I could just push through it for a few days it would get easier, but I lack motivation even as the numbers on that God forsaken scale continue to climb.

As far as the food goes, I find that I eat better when I’m diligent about entering everything into my food log. Most days when I give in to my cravings and eat the caramel sauce right out of the jar (with a spoon), I just give up on the food tracker. I have been trying to get more fruit into my diet and I’ve cut myself down to just one bowl of cereal in the morning. Baby steps…Right?

I’m praying that we don’t lose power with hurricane Irene rolling through. My fear is that if we lose power I’ll eat nothing but crap since that’s the easiest thing to eat when the power is out. Pray for me!!

Time to share…How do you fit a workout into your day? Do you use any “gadgets” (i.e. pedometer, heart rate monitor) to help you better understand what you get out of your workouts? Do you use a website to track your goals and progress?