all-inclusive AI plans to genuine workout coaches, gym exercise logs to marathon support, these are our carefully selected app suggestions.
Whether you’re aiming to achieve New Year’s resolutions or simply require a robust workout or diet tracker, the top health and fitness apps can assist you in reaching your objectives. And if the available options feel daunting (or lacking), I’m here to provide personally-tested workout and planning apps to get you underway.
Some individuals thrive with tailored, AI-generated workout or diet strategies. Others gain from social apps like Strava where challenges and “kudos” from friends keep you inspired. And you’d be amazed at how an effective spreadsheet or straightforward workout log could outperform an expensive app laden with videos and plans.
Categorized into specific segments — general health/ fitness apps, workout applications, companion apps for smartwatches, and weight/ diet tools — these are the most effective apps to help you achieve your 2026 goals, complete with information on essential features, pricing, and reasons they have assisted our staff in succeeding.
General health & fitness apps
Fitbit Personal Health Coach
Key Health Features: Sleep Score, Daily Readiness Score, Stress Management Score, Menstrual Health, Meal & Water logging, Mindfulness sessions, Trend “Insights”
Key Fitness Features: Active Zone Minutes, Cardio/ Target Load, Gemini-generated personalized workout plans, video workouts, Fitbit/ Pixel Watch integration
Subscription: $10/month or $80/year (AI plans/ analysis, video workouts, long-term reports)
Why Fitbit will aid your goals: Recommending Fitbit Premium became simpler when Google enlisted Gemini to develop the Fitbit Personal Health Coach. It allows you to “converse” with an AI coach and formulate a thorough workout plan within minutes, incorporating a multitude of different indoor or outdoor workout types. So whether your fitness goal is shedding pounds, excelling in a particular sport, enhancing muscle mass, increasing walking frequency, or anything else, Gemini can provide you weeks of tailored workouts for that aim. No other app is as extensive or adaptable.
Beyond AI, Fitbit benefits from syncing with affordable Fitbit trackers, enabling the app to monitor metrics like resting heart rate, blood oxygen, skin temperature, sleep stages, and HRV. The new app displays “Insight” cards with trend data for these metrics, so you can observe how your health is improving as you strive to get fitter or shed weight.
Why we trust Fitbit: “Fitbit is straightforward and accessible for anyone just beginning with serious workouts.” — Derrek Lee, Managing Editor
“I’m enjoying the updated interface and how easy it is to access significant data at a glance. I’ve been impressed with the AI coach and its suggestions. I believe it’s one of the finest lifestyle fitness apps with a comprehensive approach.” — Tshaka Armstrong, Contributor
Google Docs / Google Sheets
Why a spreadsheet will assist with your goals: Apps can be motivating and automatically track your data and progress over time, with elaborate graphs and AI analysis. But they are typically (A) subscription-based, (B) mobile-only, and (C) tailored to a single activity.
That’s why, when dealing with New Year’s resolutions or creating a workout schedule, a straightforward document or spreadsheet is more effective than trying to discover the perfect all-in-one app! Utilize other apps to monitor specific objectives like miles/ steps/ weight loss/ books read, but consolidate them into one document you can access on your phone or computer, utilizing tables and drop-down menus to indicate your progress (as I did above).
Alternatively, use a spreadsheet to outline your long-term workout plans, and then a specific running or strength app to execute those plans. I applied that technique to plan my months of marathon training (see above), combined with my Garmin watch, and it was exceedingly effective.
Why we depend on Google Docs/ Sheets: “Yeah, it might sound silly, but I’ve genuinely found a purpose for spreadsheets. I need upper body strength, so lifting weights is how I aim to maintain it. I can record my existing regimen as well as any ambitions, and there’s ample space for additional notes. Best of all, I can check off each day’s workout from my phone or my desktop and have access to all my long-term progress, so I feel like I’m achieving something.” — Jerry Hildenbrand, Senior Editor
Strava
Key Fitness Features: Activity recording, local routes with 3D maps, Heatmap, Segment leaderboards, Clubs, Challenges, long-term workout analysis, Athlete Intelligence summaries, race predictions, Instant Workouts
Subscription: $12/month or $80/year (Saved routes, comprehensive data analysis with AI summaries, Instant Workouts)
Why Strava will support your goals: Most individuals exert more effort when encouraged or competing with others. Strava allows you to connect with friends to give and receive “kudos,” motivating you to continue getting out there. You also have “Challenges” where reaching specific thresholds earns you badges and awards from