As the holiday party invites start piling up, so too might your anxiety about packing on the pounds between now and Jan. 1. But mash potatoes, chocolate cookies and champagne are no excuse for pushing your health regime to the wayside.
So why don’t you download the following iPhone applications and get a head start on your New Year’s resolution? It might look blustery outside now, but bathing suit season will be here before you know it. Between brunch at your in-laws and dinner and grandma’s it is easy to lose track of exactly how much you are eating. But there are several good iPhone applications that will help you subtly count calories without insulting the cook.
The Tap & Track Calories Free app is great because it includes hundreds of restaurants and thousands of grocery store items, while also allowing you to search by food item name. I typed in “croissant,” for example, and up popped a list that included “chocolate croissant,” “ham and cheese croissant sandwich,” and so on. If you ate it, it’s in there.
Related: Thanksgiving iPhone apps to help you dine, wine, prepare and relax
The FoodPad Calorie Tracker app for $1.99 includes some of the same features, plus it stores the food items that you enter most frequently, making it easy to assembly your daily count. If you drink a hot coffee with cream every morning, for example, that item automatically pops up.
Some people need emotional support to keep their diet and exercise plan in place. The free Lose It! app helps users establish daily calorie budgets and track consumption while also connecting them with other weight loss-minded individuals.
If you are the one doing the cooking, do your guests a favor and watch the nutritional content of your menu with the Cooking Light Recipes app. For $3.99, it guarantees that everyone can eat, and they can eat well, without regretting it.
One of the best ways to ward-off holiday weight gain is to engage in some serious exercise. And with all your family members and friends around you will have plenty of company. Instead of spending the afternoon at the movies, suggest a walk or a bike ride, and use the Fitnio app ($4.99) to track it. It functions just like the data devices on a treadmill or stationary bike, providing you with average speed, calories burned, and so on.
For those who are really into data-driven results, the free RunKeeper app is a good investment. It allows you to save and upload all information related to your daily runs, including speed, distance and route, to a complementary website or Facebook. That way you can carefully tracked your progress, and share it with your exercise buddies. And if you are running, it means you are not standing in front of the buffet, right?
If weather or family obligations make it impossible to get out of the house, put the free iWorkout Lite to use. It’s a terrific resource for all sorts of physical exercises that you can do in your living room, leveraging your own weight or common household objects. Who knows? Maybe some of your house guests will join in, too.
