It’s not too late to get into serious shape for summer! If you have a smartphone, then you already have a health coach in your pocket. Your smartphone is always with you, can track how you are doing, and can make recommendations as to how to improve your health. If it gets too annoying, there is always the power button.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found most people are open to using personal health apps on their phones, since they offer good information about users’ current health and provide ways to track progress.

Additionally, the design and manufacturing of medical equipment is an expensive task. Smartphones can be a platform on which new medical technology can be implemented and used at a much lower cost than normal. Inexpensive, disposable sensors can be developed that plug into a smartphone to monitor everything from heart rate to blood glucose levels, according to Newsfactor. This means everyone can have a personal health-monitoring machine in their pockets.

Current personal health apps focus on recording your state of health and tracking trends. You can watch these trends to reward yourself for positive progress and make adjustments to your lifestyle to improve your long-range health outlook. Of course, these apps can also tell you how poorly you’re doing. You still have the choice of staying with your fitness program or not.

Here are some personal health apps to help you get started with your own pocket health coach, whether you’re a loyal iPhone user or love your phone with bluetooth from T-mobile.

1. Nike Training Club

This app will get your heart rate up with a set of your choice from 90 cardio workouts. You can set your own personal goals and track your progress toward them, making adjustments so you’ll see steady improvement. Once set up, several 30-45 minute sessions are created to get you to your goal. You still have to do the work, but this app takes the planning and tracking off of you. This app is free and available on the iTunes Store for iOS or Google Play for Android devices.

2. Moves

This app turns your smartphone into a device that tracks your footsteps throughout the day. It can also record miles cycled on your bicycle. This app helps you analyze your daily movement patterns and tells you where you can make adjustments for better health. After a couple weeks of collecting data, you may discover that Wednesday is normally a day of little activity for you, so you can build in a walk at lunch to balance the day out. This app is free for iOS devices.

3. UP by Jawbone

UP looks at your entire life to understand your health. Sure, you’re faithful to your circuit training, but if you’re angry all the time, your health will suffer. Using a wristband to monitor movement and sleep, this app also lets you record your eating habits and moods. The app is free, but you’ll have to buy a wristband at $129.99. The app is available for iOS and Android

4. Fooducate

Learn more about the food you eat with this app. It helps you understand food labels and tells you what is “good” and “bad” about the food. This is a free app for iOS and Android.

What health app is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Cover photo: the yoga studio at Blue Sprit from Flickr user Amanda Hirsch / creativedc.

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