Staying at home can take its toll on your body, especially if you find that you’ve been spending most of your time lounging on your couch or slouched at your makeshift home office desk. Working out helps, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation to get up and just do it.
Luckily, there are a number of apps designed to help you through such slumps. From those with squawking drill sergeants to the soothing tones of yoga instructors, here are six of the best fitness apps to help keep you healthy while staying at home.
7 Minute Workout
Seven minutes may not sound like much, but this fitness app by Johnson & Johnson will have you drenched in sweat by the time you're done with a circuit. Its smart workout feature will optimise exercise routines to best match your fitness level, continuously updating as you go. There are a number of apps that utilise the seven-minute high-intensity approach – such as 7 Minute Workout, which lets you pick the voices of drill sergeants and cheerleaders to keep you motivated – but what sets this app apart is the fact it is completely free, with no membership fees or in-app purchases to worry about.
Free
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal, which was bought by the sportswear company Under Armour in 2015, uses gamification elements to keep you motivated, which means you’ll be earning trophies and badges as you progress. MyFitnessPal also keeps track of your diet. You can monitor your food intake by scanning the barcodes of various items or manually finding them within the app’s database.
Monthly membership: Dh36.99
Glo
Glo is a yoga app designed to suit varying skill levels and schedules. It has classes aimed at beginners, as well as more intense vinyasa sessions. Glo curates sessions inspired by your interests and your fitness goals, updating them as your skill levels develop. You can also create your own collections based on your favourite classes by theme. The monthly cost may seem steep, but it could also inspire you to keep at it, knowing that you’ve spent a pretty penny.
Monthly membership: Dh84.99
30 Day Fitness
The app designs daily exercise routines to work out every major muscle group in your body. This may sound intense, but 30 Day Fitness takes into account how long each muscle group needs to recover. The app also does well to fend off your excuses to avoid working out by giving you a new set of challenges to beat every day. The aim is to make you stronger and healthier in the span of a month without letting you succumb to boredom or procrastination.
Monthly membership: Dh37.99
Centr
An app designed to help you train like Thor, made by actor Chris Hemsworth. Centr tracks your sleep while offering nutritional advice, and notes from training experts, chefs and meditation teachers. The app includes 20 to 40-minute workouts that you can do at home, taking elements from boxing, yoga, strength training, HIIT and MMA.
“The app was designed to give people the opportunity to access the team that I’ve used over the years, who’ve had a profound positive impact on my life,” Hemsworth explains on Instagram.
The famously buff Hollywood star, best known for his role as Norse god Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, regularly posts pictures and videos of his own gruelling workouts, and founded Centr “to make health and happiness accessible to all”.
Monthly membership: Dh62.99
Daily Workouts
This app is like having a personal trainer with you at all times. Daily Workouts has hundreds of exercises with HD videos to make sure you’re doing them right. It offers a number of tailor-made routines ranging from five to 30 minutes, from full-body workouts to those that specifically target muscle groups. The pro version of the app also offers Pilates and kettlebell exercises, as well as custom workout options.
Free; Pro version: Dh74.99
