The 15 Best Health & Wellness Apps to Try In 2023
Welcoming the New Year is a time filled with excitement and good intentions. Whether you’ve made resolutions for the new year or are gently continuing to invest in yourself, we’re here to help support you in reaching your goals, whatever they may be. So we’ve rounded up the best nutrition, exercise, and mental health apps to use in 2023 just for you.
Nutrition Apps
Ate Food Journal - Focused on mindful eating, Ate Food Journal helps users cultivate awareness around what, when, and why they are eating. This is very cool, as it blends eating and mindfulness to help users become aware of and shift their eating habits to ones that help them feel better. This app is an especially great option for folks with a history of disordered eating, as it doesn’t involve any calorie counting. Ate Food Journal costs $9.99/mo, and is available for both Android and iPhone users.
MyPlate - Run by livestrong.com, MyPlate is an aesthetically pleasing and well-designed calorie and macro counting app. It includes a food database of over 2 million items, and allows you to scan the barcode of any purchased food to make tracking a breeze. It’s available on both iPhone and Android for $9.99/mo or $44.99/year. As a bonus for Apple fans, it can also sync with your Apple Watch.
My Fitness Pal - An oldie but a goodie, My Fitness Pal seamlessly blends tracking nutrition and macro goals with exercise to help you reach your fitness goals. Dr. Sage often recommends My Fitness Pal to his patients, as the nutrition tracking can be helpful for not only managing weight loss, but also increasing nutritional education, helping you to make informed food choices. My Fitness Pal is available for free on both iPhone and Android, or you can upgrade to the premium version for $9.99/mo.
PlateJoy - Self-described as an app to help busy people eat more healthily, PlateJoy creates customized recipes and meal plans for you, and takes it a step further by generating a grocery list of everything you need to eat healthy and save you time. PlateJoy is $12.99/mo or $99 for a year, and is available on both iPhone and Android.
Paprika - While not exactly a nutrition app, Paprika is a recipe management app that allows you to make, browse, and save thousands of recipes, plus make grocery lists and meal plans. Perfect for busy parents who are tired of coming up with daily meals to feed their family, Paprika can be purchased for $4.99 and is available for iPhone and Android users.
Exercise and Movement Apps
Strava- The perfect choice for the avid runner/cyclist/outdoor exercise enthusiast. Strava uses GPS to track and analyze your running and cycling routes, and is able to sync with most smart watches and heart rate monitors. It also has a social component, allowing you to connect with friends and even compete in friendly competitions. The best part? Strava is a free app, and you can subscribe to gain access to expanded features for $5/mo. You can download for Android or iPhone.
Alo Moves - Alo Moves is one of the more expensive apps on our list, with a monthly subscription of $20/mo or $199 per year. (they’re currently offering 60% off for New Year’s). You definitely get what you pay for when it comes to Alo Moves - they offer unlimited yoga, fitness, and meditation classes led by experienced instructors. They also have you fill out a comprehensive quiz when you sign up, and give you recommendations based on your experience level and goals.
Peloton Fitness® - Peloton® stationary bikes were a huge hit during the COVID lockdown of 2020, but did you know they offer a great home fitness app as well? The Peloton® App includes both live and on-demand classes at an affordable monthly cost ($12.99/mo), led by expert instructors. You would be hard-pressed to find a better source for sweat-inducing workouts. You can download Peloton® on Android, Apple, Amazon app store, and Roku.
Fit Body - Fit Body was created by and for women. Offering both live and on-demand classes led by four different trainers, Fit Body allows users to select different programs based on their goals, and includes a program of safe prenatal workouts. There are programs designed for both at-home and in-gym workouts, making it easily adaptable to your lifestyle. Fit Body is $19.99/mo, and can be downloaded on both Apple and Android devices.
Youtube - Youtube is, of course, a media streaming app, not strictly an exercise app. However in my opinion, it remains one of the most accessible options for exercise routines and classes for folks on a tight budget. From yoga and barre to kettlebell routines, Youtube has it all. My personal favorite instructors are Tory Vera of Bodyvera Fitness for Pilates, and Reyna Cohan of BodyKind Yoga for all of my mindful movement needs.
Mental Health Apps
Headspace - Perhaps the most well-known meditation and mindfulness app, Headspace is famous for a reason. Perfect for folks new to meditation and mindfulness, Headspace helps users to gradually build mindfulness habits in support of feeling happier and healthier, and includes guided meditations led by experienced practitioners. With a 14 day free trial, Headspace is available for both iPhone and Android users. Once you’ve used your trial, it costs $7.99/mo.
10 Percent Happier - Created by former ABC News journalist Dan Harris, 10 Percent Happier blends guided meditations with informative lessons and podcasts to strengthen your meditation practice and cultivate self-compassion. Perfect for people who are ready to delve deeper into mindfulness, Ten Percent Happier includes guided meditations, fun challenges, and podcast episodes with leading experts on topics like mindfulness, self-compassion, and stress reduction. After a 7 day free trial, Ten Percent Happier costs $99.99/year (but you can check out their podcast for free, wherever you get your podcasts). Download the app for Android or iPhone.
Moodkit - Moodkit is a mental health app based on the techniques of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Able to be used independently or to support an individual’s work with a therapist, Moodkit supports users to identify and shift unhealthy thought patterns, journal, track and analyze your mood, and engage in mood-enhancing activities. Moodkit is available for $4.99 on the Apple App Store, and is not yet available for Android users.
Sleep Cycle - Sleep is a central component of mental and physical health. Sleep Cycle lets users track and analyze their sleep quality, set custom wake-up alarms based off of when you will feel most rested upon waking, and has a large library of white noise options to help you fall (and stay) asleep. Sleep Cycle’s premium subscription costs $39.99 per year. The app is available for both iPhone and Android users.
Better Stop Suicide - Designed to support individuals with suicidal ideation (thoughts) who do not have an imminent plan, Better Stop Suicide uses psychological techniques to help users calm their minds and re-connect with themselves and step back from suicidal ideation. Better Stop Suicide is not meant for emergency situations - if you or a loved one are in danger of acting on suicidal thoughts, call 988 to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Hotline. Better Stop Suicide is available for Android and iPhone users.
